The 15 Characteristics of Self Actualized people
1.Realisticly Oriented - More Efficient perception of reality, and has comfortable relations with it(reality), this is extented to all areas of life. Unthreatened and unfrightened by the unknown. Has a superior ability to reason, to see the truth, and is logical and efficient.
2.Self acceptance - accepts self, and others in the natural world the way they are. Sees human nature as is.
3.Spontaniety - simplicity, naturalness, Spontaneous in inner life, thoughts and impulses unhampered by convention, ethics are autonomous, motivated to continue growth.
4.Focus of problem centering - focuses on problems and people outside of himself, has a mission in life requiring much energy as it is his sole reason for existence, serene, characterized by a lack of worry, devoted to duty.
5.Detatchment - The need for privacy, can be alone and not be lonely, retains dignity amidst confusion all the while remaining objective, self starter, responsible for themselves, owns their behavior.
6.Autonomy - Independent of culture and environment, has a fresh rather than stereotyped appreciation of people, and the basic good in life. Lives the present moment to the fullest.
7.Peak experiences - The conviction that something extremely important and valuable had happened. Loss of Placement in time and space. To strengthen through such experiences.
8.Interpersonal relations - Identity, sympathy, affection, kinship with good, bad, and ugly. Profound intimate relationships with few, capable of greater love than others consider possible.
9.Democratic values and attitudes - Able to learn from anyone, humble, friendly regaurdless of class, education, political belief, or race.
10.Discrimination between means and ends and between good and evil - Does not confuse between means and ends and does no wrong, getting to goal not just the result, own inner moral standards(appearing immoral to others).
11.Philosophical, unhostile humor - Jokes are teaching metaphors, Doesn't make jokes to hurt others, can laugh at himself.
12.Creativity - Enjoys an inborn uniqueness that carries over in eveything they do, original, inventive, uninhibited, sees the real and true more easily.
13.Resistance to enculturation - Transcendence of any particular culture, inner detatchment from culture. Working for long term culture improvement, indignation with injustice, inner autonomy, outer acceptance, ability to transcend the evironment rather than just cope.
14.Imperfection - Painfully aware of their own imperfections, and joyfully aware of their own growth process, impatient with themselves when stuck.
15.Values - Realistically human due to philosophical acceptance of self, human nature, physical reality, and nature.
16.Resolution of dichotomies - Polar opposites merge into a third higher phenomena as though the two have united, therefor opposite forces are no longer felt as conflict. Desires are in excellent accord with reason.
The self actualized person retains child like qualities yet remains wise.
Peak Experiences - monumental experiences. examples, winning gold medal, discovering theory of relativity, falling in love ect.
Feelings of intense happyness, heightened sense of reality, expansion of awareness, sense of oneness with the universe, extreme clarity of thought and understanding.
"People in peak experiences are most their identities, closest to their real selves, most idiosyncratic." - Abraham Maslow
The Peak experience respresents a significant change in perception in the way one views the world.
In (negative) psychiatry they might even label it as a bipolar manic episode.
Maslow believed peak experiences were a defining part in self actualization.
Self actualized people have more frequent and longer lasting experiences.