How to Move Form Deficiency to Growth in Maslow’s Scheme
There is a new way to advance to self-actualization quickly.
I have recently been thinking about personal development issues related to Maslow’s self-actualization theory. I have uncovered a new strategy for mastering the deficiency needs; this is a prelude to attending to growth needs.
My journey of change started with correcting deficiency needs, especially self-confidence and self-esteem.
Maslow on Self-Actualization
In re-reading Maslow on self-actualization, I learned I am still tackling deficiency needs.
To review for the reader, let me summarize the Maslow argument.
In his self-actualization work, Maslow distinguished between deficiency needs and growth needs.
The greater your needs for food, safety, affection, or self-esteem, the more you will need help loosening their grip. It would help if you stopped treating people in terms of their respective abilities to facilitate or obstruct the satisfaction of these needs.
“So, if you are a lusty heterosexual male, you see females as sex objects. People driven by a need for affection will see others as affection objects, not as potential givers or deniers of affection. “
If you need self-respect, like me, you treat others as objects of respect, not in their complete reality. The danger here is that you base self-esteem on the opinions of others rather than on your capacity and adequacy.
Movement Towards Growth Needs
In personal development work, the ideal is to move towards growth needs such as being spontaneous and natural in dealing with others. It would be best if you learned to be accepting of yourself and others.
Other growth needs include being problem-centered rather than ego-centered. If you can achieve autonomy and become open to all experiences, this makes you a star at self-actualization.
These growth needs fall under the rubric of self -actualization. Back in the forties, Maslow calculated that only about one percent of us attained this exalted state.
But how does one know whether he is still subject to deficiency needs or has become free to fulfill growth needs as listed above?
Use of Reluctance as A Metric
This discovery can happen by looking at what you remain reluctant to do or achieve. Usually, with reluctance, you resist engaging in or undertaking something that a part of one WANTS to do.
An unwillingness to act sabotages the desire to do so. Why you are reluctant points to deficiencies in your makeup, but these weaknesses need rectification BEFORE moving ahead with growth needs.
For example, I wanted to make sales calls to strangers, but my fears of rejection and embarrassment stopped my progress. I could move on once I realized two things: how to handle rejection and that embarrassment was a rare event.
But that was a small victory in comparison to later engagements. Because I mastered fear in that context, I could move on and tackle many other initiatives where fear was the clear block.
Initiative taking in starting a new business and learning new skills was made possible by the earlier mastery of what Maslow called a deficiency need.
Reluctance Scenarios
Reviewing reluctance scenarios can reveal where development work most needs attention.
It would help if you looked at situations where you feel particularly reluctant to engage with people. For example, to talk to strangers on an elevator, ask for directions, or canvass homeowners for a political cause.
Here the deficiency is shyness which still holds you back from confronting new experiences, the growth option.
Being shy and suffering from social anxiety can sometimes be the biggest roadblock when it comes to making new friends, meeting new people, missing new opportunities, and even expressing who you are.
This becomes another example of a deficiency that needs correcting before you can follow the development of growth needs. If you want help learning how to overcome shyness, you can read this article.
You may be reluctant to act when you consider taking on a new project or activity, like starting a business or learning a new skill. Your reluctance may be due to your lack of confidence in taking on the challenge.
The reluctance here is due to not feeling good enough or doubt you have what it takes to tackle a new challenge.
The apparent lack of confidence is holding you back; before tackling new responsibilities, you must confront this deficiency. For without that work, you will fail at any new enterprise.
So, the lesson is clear. It would be best if you cleared away underlying deficiencies before seizing new challenges.
Moving to self-actualization can only come about after you have mastered deficiency needs. The reluctance tool will help you identify obstacles to overcome.
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