Toward a Psychology of Being
"If we wish to help humans to become more fully human, we must realize not only that they try to realize themselves, but that they are also reluctant or afraid or unable to do so. Only by fully appreciating this dialectic between sickness and health can we help to tip the balance in favor of health." Abraham MaslowAbraham Maslow's theories of self-actualization and the hierarchy of human needs are the cornerstone of modern humanistic psychology, and no book so well epitomizes those ideas as his classic Toward a Psychology of Being. A profound book, an exciting book, its influence continues to spread, more than a quarter century after its author's death, beyond psychology and throughout the humanities, social theory, and business management theory. Of course, the book's enduring popularity stems from the important questions it raises and the answers it provides concerning what is fundamental to human nature and psychological well-being, and what is needed to promote, maintain, and restore mental and emotional well-being. But its success also has to do with Maslow's unique ability to convey difficult philosophical concepts with passion, precision, and astonishing clarity, and, through the power of his words, to ignite in readers a sense of creative joy and wholeness toward which we, as beings capable of self-actualization, strive.
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- For current work, Paul Bloom comes to mind: "The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering ..." Probably there are others too.
From about 50 years ago, I'd also highly recommend "Toward a Psychology of Being" by Abraham Maslow. What a writer!
That said, ideas about "graceful suffering" go back to the Greek and Roman Stoics from more 2000 years ago. Read some Seneca and Epictetus, I'd say. FWIW, I've written a detailed list of high-quality English translations here[1].
- Indeed, Maslow never drew anything like that. The psychologist Scott Bary Kaufman debunks this myth more thoroughly in his 2019 write-up here[1]. (Aside: Kaufman updates Maslow's "hierarchy" idea with a "sailboat" metaphor[2].)
Maslow always emphasized the relative satisfaction of needs. To quote from his famous paper[3]:
[quote]
... As for the concept of emergence of a new need after satisfaction of the prepotent [i.e. dominant] need, this emergence is not a sudden, saltatory phenomenon but rather a gradual emergence by slow degrees from nothingness. For instance, if prepotent need A is satisfied only 10 per cent then need B may not be visible at all. However, as this need A becomes satisfied 25 per cent, need B may emerge 5 per cent, as need A becomes satisfied 75 per cent need B may emerge 90 per cent, and so on.
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If you want to understand Maslow, there's no escaping his two seminal books:
• Motivation and Personality, 1954
• Toward a Psychology of Being, 1962
He writes with superb clarity, and is an absolute joy to read. If you're really, really short on time, at least read his paper, A Theory of Human Motivation[3].
[1] https://scottbarrykaufman.com/who-created-maslows-iconic-pyr...
[2] https://scottbarrykaufman.com/sailboat-metaphor/
[3] http://worrydream.com/refs/Maslow%20-%20A%20Theory%20of%20Hu...
- Yeah, I gave up halfway through Toward a Psychology of Being because it felt more like wishful thinking about what could possibly happen in the future in this field, with a touch of esotericism, rather than actual well-founded insights.
