Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionIII. Humanistic/Existential
Theories- Maslow: Holistic
Dynamic Theory
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Companies, 2009to be a means (e.g., eating or exercising), self-actualizing people often see as an end
in itself. They enjoy doing something for its own sake and not just because it is a
means to some other end. Maslow (1970) described his self-actualizing people by
saying that “they can often enjoy for its own sake the getting to some place as well
as the arriving. It is occasionally possible for them to make out of the most trivial
and routine activity an intrinsically enjoyable game” (p. 169).
Philosophical Sense of Humor
Another distinguishing characteristic of self-actualizing people is their philosophi-
cal, nonhostile sense of humor. Most of what passes for humor or comedy is basi-
cally hostile, sexual, or scatological. The laugh is usually at someone else’s expense.
Healthy people see little humor in put-down jokes. They may poke fun at themselves,
but not masochistically so. They make fewer tries at humor than others, but their at-
tempts serve a purpose beyond making people laugh. They amuse, inform, point out
ambiguities, provoke a smile rather than a guffaw.
The humor of a self-actualizing person is intrinsic to the situation rather than
contrived; it is spontaneous rather than planned. Because it is situation-dependent, it
usually cannot be repeated. For those who look for examples of a philosophical sense
of humor, disappointment is inevitable. A retelling of the incident almost invariably
loses its original quality of amusement. One must “be there” to appreciate it.
Creativeness
All self-actualizing people studied by Maslow were creative in some sense of the
word. In fact, Maslow suggested that creativity and self-actualization may be one
and the same. Not all self-actualizers are talented or creative in the arts, but all are
creative in their own way. They have a keen perception of truth, beauty, and reality—
ingredients that form the foundation of true creativity.
Self-actualizing people need not be poets or artists to be creative. In speaking
of his mother-in-law (who was also his aunt), Maslow (1968a) vividly pointed out
that creativity can come from almost anywhere. He said that whereas his self-
actualizing mother-in-law had no special talents as a writer or artist, she was truly
creative in preparing homemade soup. Maslow remarked that first-rate soup was
more creative than second-rate poetry!
Resistance to Enculturation
A final characteristic identified by Maslow was resistance to enculturation. Self-
actualizing people have a sense of detachment from their surroundings and are able
to transcend a particular culture. They are neither antisocial nor consciously non-
conforming. Rather, they are autonomous, following their own standards of conduct
and not blindly obeying the rules of others.
Self-actualizing people do not waste energy fighting against insignificant cus-
toms and regulations of society. Such folkways as dress, hair style, and traffic laws
are relatively arbitrary, and self-actualizing people do not make a conspicuous show
of defying these conventions. Because they accept conventional style and dress, they
are not too different in appearance from anyone else. However, on important matters,
Chapter 10 Maslow: Holistic-Dynamic Theory 295