282 Part III Humanistic/Existential Theories
complex is characterized by attempts to run away from one’s destiny just as the
biblical Jonah tried to escape from his fate. The Jonah complex, which is found in
nearly everyone, represents a fear of success, a fear of being one’s best, and a
feeling of awesomeness in the presence of beauty and perfection. Maslow’s own
life story demonstrated his Jonah complex. Despite an IQ of 195, he was only an
average student, and, as a world-famous psychologist, he frequently experienced
panic when called on to deliver a talk.
Why do people run away from greatness and self-fulfillment? Maslow (1971,
1996) offered the following rationale. First, the human body is simply not strong
enough to endure the ecstasy of fulfillment for any length of time, just as peak
experiences and sexual orgasms would be overly taxing if they lasted too long.
Therefore, the intense emotion that accompanies perfection and fulfillment carries
with it a shattering sensation such as “This is too much” or “I can’t stand it anymore.”
Maslow (1971) listed a second explanation for why people evade greatness.
Most people, he reasoned, have private ambition to be great, to write a great novel,
to be a movie star, to become a world-famous scientist, and so on. However, when
they compare themselves with those who have accomplished greatness, they are
appalled by their own arrogance: “Who am I to think I could do as well as this
great person?” As a defense against this grandiosity or “sinful pride,” they lower
their aspirations, feel stupid and humble, and adopt the self-defeating approach of
running away from the realization of their full potentials.
Although the Jonah complex stands out most sharply in neurotic people,
nearly everyone has some timidity toward seeking perfection and greatness. People
allow false humility to stifle creativity, and thus they prevent themselves from
becoming self-actualizing.Psychotherapy
To Maslow (1970), the aim of therapy would be for clients to embrace the Being-
values, that is, to value truth, justice, goodness, simplicity, and so forth. To accom-
plish this aim, clients must be free from their dependency on others so that their
natural impulse toward growth and self-actualization could become active. Psycho-
therapy cannot be value free but must take into consideration the fact that everyone
has an inherent tendency to move toward a better, more enriching condition,
namely self-actualization.
The goals of psychology follow from the client’s position on the hierarchy
of needs. Because physiological and safety needs are prepotent, people operating
on these levels will not ordinarily be motivated to seek psychotherapy. Instead,
they will strive to obtain nourishment and protection.
Most people who seek therapy have these two lower level needs relatively
well satisfied but have some difficulty achieving love and belongingness needs.
Therefore, psychotherapy is largely an interpersonal process. Through a warm,
loving, interpersonal relationship with the therapist, the client gains satisfaction of
love and belongingness needs and thereby acquires feelings of confidence and
self-worth. A healthy interpersonal relationship between client and therapist is
therefore the best psychological medicine. This accepting relationship gives clients
a feeling of being worthy of love and facilitates their ability to establish other