As human beings, what drives us to higher levels of existence? Once we have satisfied the basics - food, shelter, a mate, children - then what? For many it's the idea of self-actualization, or realizing our full potential. But what does self-actualization look like? How do we know when we are doing it? Researchers recently published a new series of studies on what people think it means to be self-actualized.
But what does self-actualization look like? How do we know when we are doing it? When are we trying to realize our highest potential? Self-actualization is a popular idea -- in psychology, business, education and the multi-million dollar self-help industry. Everyone, it seems, wants to realize his or her full potential.
[...] By finding mates, keeping mates and caring for children, people might feel self-actualized, and they might also be furthering exactly those biologically relevant outcomes that lead to getting their genes into next generations.
[...] Or as Krems explained: "For real people, pursuing self-actualization might further biologically relevant goals."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170712145639.htm
[Also Covered By]: Individual perceptions of self-actualization: What motivates fulfilling one's full potential?
How would you go about achieving self-actualization ? Is self-actualization a relevant goal in this day and age ?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 14 2017, @05:41PM (2 children)
The question is "Why do you strive?" The OP gave a simple evolutionary description for why that is the case, and he's probably right.
As the other poster wrote: You don't even need to make it about "having kids"; it's enough that people strive, because that striving might mean they'll go looking for a mate (or 2 or 3), thereby increasing the chances of an accidental pregnancy.
Your genes have programmed you to be a machine that does things to increase the propagation of those genes, even if you aren't aware of this insidious purpose.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday July 15 2017, @11:35AM
(Score: 2) by Bot on Sunday July 16 2017, @07:13AM
> genes programmed you
this is a chicken and egg rationalization. Selection operates on both genes and complete organisms.
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