I chose to focus on the area of socioemotional development in middle adulthood and the

development of personality. It is the period in life that can be defined differently for each
individual and a stage that is self defining and come at different ages for everyone but most
commonly middle adulthood. From Maslows definition of self actualization and the parallels of
Rogers definition of a Fully Functioning Person, they both cover a wide range of philosophies
and ideas that have left their mark on the field of psychology
In Maslows 1943 paper A theory for human motivation which he focuses on the stages of
human growth starting with psychological, safety, belongingness, esteem and self-actualization.
This describes a natural order and pattern that a person will go through. He expressed that a
musician must make music, a painter must paint, a poet must write if he is going to be happy. A
painter will never know if he is an artist if he is always hungry. In his work of the Hierarchy of
Needs he said in regards to stage of self actualization, what a man can be, he must be. Many
people in this stage of their life are plagued by roadblocks ranging from drugs to something as
simple as school-induced stress. Unless this stage is reached in can lead to what Erickson calls
Stagnation and regret later on in life. In order to prevent this, one must focus on the first stage
which is meeting the basic human needs of air, food, shelter, warmth, sex and sleep. Then
moving on to the second stage of safety needs. That includes protection from elements, security,
freedom from fear and stability. It can be argued that we as a nation are trending more towards a
democratic socialist nation where the first two stages of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs are
essentially met by the average person. In countries like Norway where college education is free
you are given more opportunity to flourish and climb Maslows pyramid instead of keeping
humans in a constant state of non-stability and fear. The third stage of love and belongingness is
a stage that will be experience from adolescence to later adult. It can be related to Erikson's fifth
stage of identity vs role confusion. A stage where you struggle to find who am i?. You
experience trial and errors through relationships-both platonic and non-platonic while finding
your identity from a work group. You finally learn that if you can't love yourself then you cant
learn to love another person. Maslows esteem stage can be simply described by one's own
achievements, independence and self-respect. Ultimately leading to the final stage of selfactualization where you meet self-fulfillment, self-awareness and personal growth. This is a
stage in life that Maslow believes only one percent of the population achieves and it can't really
be argued because of government system we live in today where capitalism is god and corporate
greed comes before the needs of it own people.
Unlike Maslow, Carl describes his process of self-actualization as principles rather than stages.
One of these principles of a Fully Functioning Person is they must be open to experiences both
positive and negative and not reject negative emotions but to look at them as an opportunity to
understand yourself more. Another principle was existential living, to live completely in the
moment and not worry about the past or the future. Also having the ability to trust your own
instincts and gut feelings and most importantly to embrace your creativity and risk taking. To not
always play it safe because if you do you won't be able to learn from your positive or negative
experiences. A Fully Functioning person welcomes change and does not fear it and fight it.
Rogers also stated that one must attain a state of congruence. This is where one's self-image,
hopes and admirations is congruent with their ideal self. So if someone is smoking but can't quit,
or wants to eat healthy but can't, he or she is in a state of non-congruence.
In conclusion I found that both psychologist shared very similar beliefs. Both saw the impact the
environment had on your thought pattern and your ability to obtain self-actualization. Maslow

and Rogers confirmed that achievements, self-awareness, independence are key attributes in a
person who has self-actualized.
www.kylecleveland619.weebly.com
Reference
A.H. Maslow(1943). A Theory of Human Motivation.
psychclassic.yorku.ca/maslow/motivation.htm
McLeod, S.A.(2014). Maslows Hierarchy of Needs.
www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
McLeod, S.A.(2014) Carl Rogers.
http://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html
George Boeree (2006). Carl Rogers.
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/rogers.html