First, as a refresher, Maslow's hierarchy of needs goes like this:
Or do you? Is getting to the top of this hierarchy nearly impossible, or have we completely misunderstood it? To answer this, I offer a single statement that contains my theory's premise. The right time to self-actualize is by the end of post-secondary education in your early adulthood; failure to do so is the cause of many, many problems we face in adult life!
Think about it very carefully. If you are blessed to be a part of a decent, stable family and you are healthy and capable, you go through a boilerplate childhood and eventually become a young adult with a diploma or a degree. By that point, if heaven forbid it was your last day on Earth, you would have lived a life where all of levels of your needs are met. Physiological- sure no problem you get food shelter etc. Safety needs, yes again you get that from the parents, your society, your school etc. Belongingness and love needs- again you have your family, some friends, maybe a girlfriend and you are single, well you still have people who love you and for intimacy there is always an appointment you can book- only thing I suggest is you play it safe ;) Your esteem needs are met through success and appreciation within the family and friends circles to which you belong, your hard work in school and maybe through volunteering and part-time work, and eventually you finish school. Once you finish school and get a degree, you are at a point in your life where you have fulfilled, achieved and accomplished everything one could hope for by that age range (when you become a young adult), and that sure is a glorious feeling because you should be self-actualized at that point.
There is only one trick to it. The way I see it, at that stage in your life you can become self-actualized only if you truly embrace your life and truly devote yourself to your education, your part-time job, your family, while at the same time leaving enough time to explore different philosophies, cultures and ideas on how to live a good life as an adult. You also need to be introspective, do some useful soul searching (positive, not negative and self-deprecating). If you do this right, when you are fresh out of school and you start facing real life, I believe it would be way, way more difficult for the world, your society and your future co-workers and bosses to beat you down, break you, take you down a notch or make you everyone's errand person and workhorse. There is a much greater chance you will never register as such on anyone's radar- the world around you will push you towards greater tasks and a higher calling. Sure, I know this is a little bit in the "pie in the sky" category, but it is still an excellent recipe to try and use as a beacon to navigate by in this world.
Those are my two cents for today on the most famous needs hierarchy theory out there. Let me know what you think about it, if you like.
Unitl next time :*