Self-actualization - What Does It Really Mean?

[jse]

Actualization of the self - isn't this another way of saying, actualizing the ego*?

Self-reliance - another way of saying, relying on the ego*?

Self-esteem - attitude toward the self, judgment of the ego*?

Self-importance - an exaggerated sense of ego*?

Self-defeating - I'm beginning to like the sound of this. 

*Ego definition used here:  the illusion of a separate self.

 

[Christian]

I see self actualization as an ideal that you can strive to live up to. It's an unseizing trend toward goodness, wholeness and integration of being as Maslow would define it. 

There are certain characteristics of self actualized people which you can read about here in the link: 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-actualization

I think What we are doing in self actualization work is we are trying to break down the ego and transcend it. This is so your authentic self can shine through the facade and you can a compassionate well-developed human being with these self actualized characteristics  

[Loreena]

How about actualizing the true self

[Leo Gura]

@jse

Don't get so clever that you use advanced spiritual truths to stunt your more basic development.

[The White Belt]

@Leo Gura Huge, huge, huge issue. Make a video on that. 

17 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

 

Don't get so clever that you use advance spiritual truths to stunt your more basic development.

 

[d0ornokey]

4 hours ago, BeginnerActualizer said:

@Leo Gura Huge, huge, huge issue. Make a video on that. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

@jse

Don't get so clever that you use advanced spiritual truths to stunt your more basic development.

yesss do make a video

[Pav]

Self-Actualisation seems to be the most misunderstood concept among this community.

Self-Actualisation does not mean ego propagation. 

Maslow found self-Actualising people to be much less ego-centred. He found that self-Actualisation is a bridge to self-Transcendence. Some characteristics he observed were:

- A superior perception of reality 
- They showed authentic love rather than deficiency based love
- They valued the higher values such as truth, beauty, and goodness
- A profound acceptance of themselves, of others, and of nature
- Increased spontaneity and autonomy
- Fewer but far deeper interpersonal relationships
- The capacity to appreciate again and again the basic goods of life, as if experienced for the first time
- A higher frequency of peak experiences, including the mystical and aesthetic experience
- A deep feeling of identification, sympathy, and affection for human beings in general
- Authentic humility and respect for others
- Lack of confusion in ethical matters
- They were driven by what Maslow called Being-motivation, where they appreciate the activity itself for it's own sake, rather than deficiency/egoic motivation (ie. the carrot and stick)
- Creativity/originality/inventiveness
- Resistance to enculturation and maintaining a certain inner detachment to the culture they are immersed in
- Resolution of dichotomies
- They were focused on problems outside themselves, rather than ego-centred.
- A desire for solitude

In Maslow's words:
"We are confronted with a difficult paradox when we attempt to describe the complex attitude toward the self or ego of the growth-oriented, self-actualising person. It is just this person, in whom ego-strength is at its height, who most easily forgets or transcends the ego, who can be most problem-centered, most self-forgetful, most spontaneous in his activities, most homonomous. In such people, absorption in perceiving, in doing, in enjoying, in creating can be very complete, very integrated and very pure. 

This ability to center upon the world rather than to be self-concious, egocentric and gratification-oriented becomes the more difficult the more need-deficits the person has. The more growth-motivated the person is the more problem-centered can he be, and the more he can leave self-conciousness behind him as he deals with the objective world."

Edited April 6, 2017 by Mat Pav

[jse]

11 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Don't get so clever that you use advanced spiritual truths to stunt your more basic development.

The spiritual ego is the sneakiest of all egos, taking possession of "advanced spiritual truths" at every opportunity so as to advance its own illusory agenda.  My rough guess is that 80-99% of spiritual seekers (including myself) have fallen into this nasty trap.

The self takes possession of well-meaning endeavors such as self-actualization, and twists these into mental activities in order to support the greatest illusion we'll ever encounter.  History is littered with spiritual egomaniacs, and the current generation is no different.

We'd do well to be aware of the pitfalls in cultivating a better/stronger self.  Beware of any seeking, beware of "I", my" and "self" - these are ego's footprints.  And beware of confusing the message with the messenger - these are not the same.