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According to Maslow, self-actualization is a vital, evolutionary process through which an individual aims to realize true potential after satisfying basic needs. Self-actualized individuals tend to be fulfilled with their lives and spend significant amounts of time with altruistic activities. Self-actualization measurement inventories have traditionally measured self-actualization values and beliefs. This article outlines the development of an inventory for measurement of self-actualization activity to determine whether selfactualizing values materialize into self-actualized actions. A pilot study was conducted and the results indicate that while an individual may claim to hold self-actualizing beliefs and feelings, internal principles do not necessarily manifest self-actualizing behavior in everyday life.
Keywords: Self-actualization Measurement, Spirituality Index, Inventory
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1943) is one of the preeminent motivational need theories. Originally, Maslow classified human needs into five categories: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Later modifications sub-divided self-actualization into four disparate categories: cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization and self-transcendence (Maslow, 1967; Maslow, 1969; Maslow, 1970; Huitt, 2007). Physiological, safety, love and belonging, and esteem needs were denoted as deficiency needs or "D-needs". Cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization and self-transcendence needs were denoted as being needs or "B-needs". Self-actualized individuals have lower order D-needs generally satisfied, striving to satisfy higher order B-needs (Maslow, 1969). Self-actualization manifests characteristics like spontaneity, autonomy, comfort with solitude, non-hostile sense of humor, fellowship with humanity, and the ability to have peak experiences (Maslow, 1967). Self-actualized individuals tend to be spiritual, happy, and fulfilled, and concentrate on altruistic tasks that benefit society (Maslow, 1969).
Well-known self-actualization inventories include the personal orientation inventory (POI) (Shostrom, 1964), the short-form measure of self-actualization (Bonjean & Vance, 1968), the need satisfaction questionnaire (NSQ) (by Payne, 1970), the self-concept scale (by Fitts, 1971), the consumer self-actualization instrument (by Brooker, 1975), the personal orientation dimensions (POD) (by Shostrom, Knapp, & Knapp, 1976), the seeking of noetic goals test (SONG) (by Crumbaugh, 1977), the short index of self-actualization (SISA) (by Jones & Crandall, 1986), the brief index of self-actualization (by Sumerlin, & Bundrick, 1996), the self-report measure of self-actualization (by Lefrançois, Leclerc, Dubé, Hébert & Gaulin, 1997), and the measurement of actualization of potential (MAP) (by Leclerc, Lefrancois, Dube, Hebert & Gaulin, 1999). These inventories are typically self-report questionnaires that record self-actualization values by asking...