Free Will and Self-Actualisation

Humanistic Psychology

The principle of humanistic psychology is that everyone is unique and has their own perspectives of the world. It assumes that humans are good at heart and capable of making the right choices for themselves. It is an approach proposed to understand human behaviour, emphasising subjective experiences.

We describe the humanistic approach as an idiographic approach.

Humanistic psychology assumes we can make choices and behave the way we choose. The idea is everyone can control and influence their destiny. We all have free will and actively develop ourselves to reach our highest potential (self-actualisation).

Free Will Versus Determinism Example

Free will is a core concept of the humanistic approach.

This is in contrast to Freud, who held a deterministic approach: our unconscious desires determine our behaviour. Humanistic psychology assumes everyone has the free will to choose how to behave. Thus, we all have the power to control and influence our destiny.

Humanism: Free Will

It might seem like a given that we have free will. After all, we make choices about what to do every day. However, whether we have free will or not is a dominant debate in psychology and philosophy.

The free will vs determinism debate is concerned with whether we freely make our actions (free will) or whether our past experiences and life events determine them (determinism).

The humanistic approach believes humans inherently have free will and that taking a deterministic approach undermines this concept. The deterministic laws of behaviour underestimate the uniqueness of human beings. There are significant implications for taking either side in this debate.

Self-Actualisation Theory

Self-actualisation is a term mainly linked to Abraham Maslow, a psychologist who developed Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Self-actualisation was first introduced by Kurt Goldstein, who was a physician who specialised in psychiatry and neuroanatomy in the early 20th century.

According to humanistic psychologists, humans have an inherent need to achieve self-actualisation. Goldstein viewed self-actualisation not as a goal to be achieved in the future but as an innate tendency to realise one’s potential at any given moment.

Self-actualisation is the last stage a person can achieve in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. According to Abraham Maslow (1962), reaching self-actualisation is rare; only 1% of people manage to achieve self-actualisation. Still, it provides the possibility of true self-awareness and an honest relationship with the realities of an imperfect world. Maslow believed that self-actualisation is a peak experience, a feeling of complete ecstasy.

Maslow (1943, 1954) believed that a hierarchy of needs is the driving force behind behaviours. The most basic needs – physiological needs such as food, water, and shelter – need to be met first. Once those are met, a person can pursue 'higher up' more spiritual needs. The stages of Maslow's hierarchy of needs are:

1. Physiological needs

2. Safety needs

3. Love needs (belongingness)

4. Esteem needs

5. Self-fulfilment needs – at this stage, self-actualisation is achievable.

Fig 1. - According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, four stages must be achieved before reaching self-actualisation.

Rogers (1951) developed a personality theory based on self-concept, which comprises self-esteem, self-image, and the ideal self.

According to Rogers, self-actualisation happens when our ideal self, or who we would like to be, is in congruence with our self-image (how we see ourselves, the kind of person we believe we are). Self-concept affects this, if you have a low concept of yourself, you will have low self-esteem, and congruence requires the ideal self to match the true self.

Fig 2. - Self-actualisation occurs when our self-image (represented by women looking in a mirror) is in line with our ideal self.

Carl Rogers thought self-actualisation is a constant process nurtured in a growth-promoting climate:

• Our upbringing influences self-actualisation. When growing up, a child may make mistakes; however, if the parents love them unconditionally despite their mistakes, the child can realise their true, authentic self. This is because the child does not come to learn that the parent's love is conditional (only if they behave well or a certain way), which forces the child to act in a manner that pleases others and may not be their true self.

• In person-centred therapy, to help a client achieve self-actualisation, a therapist encourages clients to gradually open up, develop their true potential and accept themselves.

Self-Actualisation Examples

Those who have reached self-actualisation tend to show certain characteristics. These traits are the epitome of what it means to have achieved fulfilment. They are self-aware, wise and focus their energy on a mission in life and a higher purpose.

When describing self-actualisation, Maslow phrased it as:

Some self-actualisation examples are:

Fig 3. - People who have reached self-actualisation have a strong drive.

Maslow (1970) identified several individuals he considered to have attained a level of self-actualisation. A few notable figures Maslow stated had reached self-actualisation include:

1. Albert Einstein.

2. Eleanor Roosevelt.

3. Baruch Spinoza.

Free Will and Self-Actualisation: Evaluation

Considering the concept of free will and self-actualisation is quite complex, evaluating is particularly important. Here is a brief overview of a few evaluation points.

In our subjective human experience, we believe in controlling our actions and behaviour. Humanistic psychologists agree with this notion, as they approve and adopt a free-will approach and support the concept of self-actualisation. It has influenced other methods, such as therapy and counselling, in more recent times.

The humanistic approach uses concepts that are difficult to measure scientifically, for example, the idea of self-actualisation. Some psychologists would debate the effectiveness of self-actualisation as, without experimental evidence, it is impossible to verify its validity.

Some studies have demonstrated that personal growth has resulted from humanistic counselling. Unfortunately, these demonstrations do not provide objective evidence of the cause of those changes. Therefore, the approach challenges a fundamental requirement of scientific psychology.

Taking a deterministic approach to explaining behaviour removes individual responsibility.

Free will Psychology Examples

As you may recall, it is typical to compare the approaches in psychology. Let's look at some approaches and identify if they are free will psychology examples.