As discussed in his 1943 writing titled “A Theory of Human Motivation1,” Maslow also believed that people, not all living things, would motivate themselves to achieve self-actualization only after their basic needs were met. In his book Motivation and Personality, Maslow explains it like this: “Musicians must make music, artists must paint, poets must write if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves. What human beings can be, they must be. They must be true to their own nature. This need we may call self-actualization… It refers to man’s desire for self-fulfillment, namely to the tendency for him to become actually in what he is potentially.” Self-actualization was further studied by psychologist Carl Rogers. Unlike Maslow, who saw self-actualization as one of many human motivators, Rogers saw self-actualization as our only motivator. “The organism has one basic tendency and striving—to actualize, maintain, and enhance the experiencing organism,” he wrote in his work, “A Theory of Therapy, Personality, and Interpersonal Relationships, as Developed in the Client-centered Framework.” He also disagreed with Maslow about the path to get to self-actualization, as well as the characteristics of a person who has achieved it.
