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Chapter Eleven
Self-Actualization and
Self-Determination
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Self-Actualization
Carl Rogers
Actualizationtendency to develop capabilities
in ways that maintain or enhance the organism
(present in all living creatures) Self-Actualizationpromotes maintenance or
enhancement of the self
Moves person toward greater autonomy and self-
sufficiency
Promotes congruence, organization, wholeness, and
integration in the person
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Self-Actualization (Continued)
Organismic value processmechanism
that evaluates whether experiences are
actualizing
If not, nagging sense that something isnt
right
If yes, person is operating as fully functional
person
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Need for Positive Regard
Strong motive for love, friendship, andaffection from important others
Unconditional Positive Regardgiven without
any conditions or contingencies Conditional Positive Regardgiven only in
situations that meet particular conditions Conditions of Worthconditions under which a
person is considered worthy of regard Conditional Self-Regardapplication of conditions
of worth to self
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Implications of
Conditions of Worth
Conflicts between self-actualization andfulfilling conditions of worth
Example: Desire to be a musician in conflictwith recognition of parents aspirations fortheir child to be a doctor
Sometimes hard to tell true desire from
conditions of worth Condition of worth is a precondition for
acceptance and is always coercive
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Self-Determination
Ed Deci
Three needs that must be satisfied for a
life of growth, integrity, and well-being
Autonomy (Self-determination)
Competence
Relatedness
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Self-Determination
Self-Determined Actionsdone because
of intrinsic value to self
Longer interest is maintained
Controlled Actionsdone to gain payment
or satisfy external pressure
Rewards can undermine intrinsic value of
some activities and turn them into controlledactions
Activities are resistant to this effect if the reward
informs you about your competency
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Need for Relatedness
Represents an intrinsic need
Characterized by genuine connectednesswith others and unconditional acceptance
Not a need based on pressure or demand
Not in conflict with autonomy
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Self-Concordance
Pursuit of goals that are consistent with core
values
These bring more contribution to a sense of
well-being Creates a positive spiral of benefit
Pursuit ofcore goals
Greater
effort
Higher
success
More
satisfaction
Higher
well-being
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Free Will
Emphasizes that people are free todetermine:
How they act
What to become If they are to be self-actualized or accept
conditions of worth
Reactance
assertion of freedom when athreat to freedom is perceived
Perceptions of free will can beexperimentally manipulated
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The Self
Development of the self represents
gradual differentiation during infancy
Self-Conceptset of qualities a person
sees as being a part of herself
Actualperception of the way you really are
Idealwhat you really want to be
Self-actualization creates a closer fit
between the actual and ideal selves
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Incongruity, Disorganization,
and Defense
Incongruencea disorganization in the self that is
detected by the organismic value process
Leads to anxiety Can cause low self-esteem
Ways to defend against anxiety of incongruence
Distortions of the experience
Rationalization
Prevent from reaching awareness
Denial
Avoid situations that trigger perceptions of incongruence
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Self-Esteem Maintenance
and Enhancement Defenses protect and maintain self-esteem
Conditions necessary for an event to have an effect onself-esteem Event attributable to you
Event must be interpreted as good or bad Defense against failures
Minimize negativity of event (wasnt so bad)
Resist attributions to stable qualities of self
Blame others, lack of effort, excuses
Enhancement through success Attribute to stable characteristics of self
Claim control of those characteristics
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Self-Handicapping
Acting in a way that creates condition forfailure
Hard goals and substantial risk of failure
represent threats to self-esteem Create an external situation on which
potential failure can be attributed and self-
esteem can be maintained No threat to stable qualities of the self
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Hierarchy of Motives
Abraham Maslow
Focused on most
well-adjusted, fullyfunctioning people
Examined
motivations and
how they are
organized
Self-
actualization
need
Esteem
needs
Love and
belonging needs
Safety and physical
security needs
Physiological needs
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Implication of Hierarchy
Low-level needs are more primitive anddemanding than higher-level needs
Power of motive forces decrease as you go up
the pyramid Higher-level motives represent more distinctly
human characteristics
Needs at lower level must be met before
attending to higher-level needs Low-level needs are deficit motivated and high-
level needs are growth motivated
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Self-Actualizers
Efficient and accurate in perceiving reality Accepting of themselves, others, and of nature
Spontaneous in thought and emotion, natural rather thanartificial
Problem-centered, concerned with eternal philosophical
questions Independent and autonomous when it comes to
satisfactions
Freshness of appreciation of ordinary events
Deep ties, but only with a few persons
Appreciate, for its own sake the process of doing things
Philosophical, thoughtful, nonhostile sense of humor
Maintain inner detachment from culture in which they live
Appear temperamental and even ruthless
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Peak Experiences
Times when actualization is clearlyoccurring
Heightened sense of connection to
elements in surrounding environment Clarity of perception
Distortion of time
Subjective feelings of awe, wonder, andecstasy
More common during work than leisure
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Existential Psychology
Emphasis on individuals personal experience inlife with a focus on the existential dilemma
Central constructDasein Translates as being-in-the-world
Conveys a sense of experience as an autonomous,separate, evolving entity in the world
Key issue in life is the inevitability of death Results in angst
How to respond to this realization
Nothingness Authentic Being
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Terror Management
Attempt to construct lives imbued with
meaning and value as a response to the
potential terror of mortality
Often define meaning by social and
cultural processes
Group identity is important
Rejection of indications of animal nature
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Assessment
Many assessment techniques
Interviewcontent analysis organizes
responses into meaningful groups
Q-SortSort items into piles that correspond
to particular criteria (e.g., most like you to
least like you)
Inventories for self-actualization, autonomy,and control
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Problems in Behavior
Problems arise from:
Incongruity and the negative affect that results
Living in order to meet conditions of worth
Not living in ways that promote self-
acutalization
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Therapy
Client-Centered Therapy:
Responsibility for improvement lies with client
Removes distractions, so self-actualization processes
can move client toward greater integration Therapist demonstrates unconditional positive regard
and empathy
Nonevaluative, rather therapist reflects with
Clarification of feelings Restatement of content
And then beyond therapy to personal growth to be a fully
functioning person
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Self-Actualization and Self-Determination:
Problems and Prospects
Emphasis on the uniqueness and validity of each personsexperience thats what most think of as personality
Optimistic and positive view of human nature leads people to be thebest they can be
Importance of fully appreciating your own life and being in contact
with your feelings through therapy or course corrections At first problems with lack of precision but more recent work has
provided more powerful support to overcome this and be taken moreseriously
Optimism, a virtue of this perspective, has also been criticized. So,
too has self-actualization as a goal for everyone
potential mutualchaos. But compare this optimism with writings of the existentialists
Free will taken for granted is a contentious point
All in all, things are looking bright for this approach based on thesuccess of self-determination, stereotype threat, terror management,and self-discrepancies
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