Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionIII. Humanistic/Existential
Theories- Maslow: Holistic
Dynamic Theory
© The McGraw−Hill^309
Companies, 200970% female. Life goals were coded from responses to a task that asked participants
to write a paragraph each about their two most important life goals. The goals them-
selves were not coded but, rather, the reasons for the goals. Specifically, goals were
coded on whether they were intrinsic, extrinsic, or exploratory. Intrinsic goals were
those that included making a contribution to society, enhancing interpersonal rela-
tionships, improving feelings of happiness, and fostering advancement toward per-
sonal growth. Extrinsic goals included wanting to gain money, status, approval, or
some other nonintrinsic goals. Exploratory goals included those designed to under-
stand and to seek conceptual challenges.
As predicted, intrinsic and exploratory goals were positively correlated with
maturity and personality development. People who are driven by happiness and need
for conceptual understanding tend to be higher in ego-development and well-being.
But there were also more specific associations: People high in exploratory growth
goals were especially high in ego-development, and those high in intrinsic growth
goals were especially high in well-being.
With regard to age and personality growth, results generally showed that
older people were indeed higher in ego-development and well-being than younger
people, and that this relationship was strongest for those with intrinsic growth
goals. In other words, older adults had higher life satisfaction than younger adults.
This was in part explained by older adults’ being more likely to have intrinsic goals
and concerns.
Bauer and McAdams (2004a) concluded that growth goals, particularly when
studied in narrative form, open a window for researchers and therapists to understand
whether people’s intentions are likely to lead in personally desirable directions—
namely, toward a more complex understanding of their lives and toward a heightened
sense of well-being. This conclusion is consistent with Maslow’s (1968b) argument
that people generally take either a safety or a growth orientation in their everyday
lives and that a growth orientation more readily facilitates psychological health and
well-being.
Critique of Maslow
Maslow’s search for the self-actualizing person did not end with his empirical stud-
ies. In his later years, he would frequently speculate about self-actualization with lit-
tle evidence to support his suppositions. Although this practice opens the door for
criticizing Maslow, he was unconcerned about desacralized, or orthodox, science.
Nevertheless, we use the same criteria to evaluate holistic-dynamic personal-
ity theory as we do with the other theories. First, how does Maslow’s theory rate on
its ability to generate research?On this criterion, we rate Maslow’s theory a little
above average. Self-actualization remains a popular topic with researchers, and the
tests of self-actualization have facilitated efforts to investigate this illusive concept.
However, Maslow’s notions about metamotivation, the hierarchy of needs, the Jonah
complex, and instinctoid needs have received less research interest.
On the criterion of falsifiability, we must rate Maslow’s theory low. Re-
searchers remained handicapped in their ability to falsify or confirm Maslow’s
means of identifying self-actualizing people. Maslow said that his self-actualizing
Chapter 10 Maslow: Holistic-Dynamic Theory 303