Actualization of Individual Aspirations

Actualization of Individual Aspirations

“The greater failure is not the child who doesn't reach the stars, but the child who has no stars that they feel they are reaching for.” Gordon Brown (2007)

Aspiration is “A strong desire to achieve something high or great.” 

Acc to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary

“Aspirations can be defined as an individual’s ability to identify and set  goals for the future, while being inspired in the present to work toward those goals”

Formation of Aspiration

Aspirations begin to be shaped early in a child’s life, but are modified by experience and the environment.  Aspirations tend to decline as children mature, in response to  their growing understanding of the world and what is possible, and to constraints imposed by previous choices and achievements.  This decline is particularly marked  for those facing multiple barriers. Motivation is the key factor for the formation of aspirations

Self Actualization

Acc to Maslow Self Actualization

“It refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially.”

Acc to Collins

“Self Actualization is the achievement of one's full potential through creativity, independence, spontaneity, and a grasp of the real world.”

Abraham Maslow says "What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization…It refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming."

Hierarchy of needs By Maslow

While Maslow’s theory is generally portrayed as a fairly rigid hierarchy, Maslow noted that the order in which these needs are fulfilled does not always follow this standard progression.1 For example, he notes that for some individuals, the need for self-esteem is more important than the need for love. For others, the need for creative fulfillment may supersede even the most basic needs.

Five Levels of the Hierarchy of Needs

1. Physiological Needs

These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met.

2. Security Needs

These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health insurance, safe neighborhoods and shelter from the environment.

3. Social Needs

These include needs for belonging, love and affection. Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community or religious groups.

4. Esteem Needs

After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs becomes increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment.

5. Self-actualizing Needs

This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others and interested fulfilling their potential.

Characteristics of Self-Actualized People

In addition to describing what is meant by self-actualization in his theory, Maslow also identified some of the key characteristics of self-actualized people:

·         Acceptance and Realism: Self-actualized people have realistic perceptions of themselves, others and the world around them.

·         Problem-centering: Self-actualized individuals are concerned with solving problems outside of themselves, including helping others and finding solutions to problems in the external world. These people are often motivated by a sense of personal responsibility and ethics.

·         Spontaneity: Self-actualized people are spontaneous in their internal thoughts and outward behavior. While they can conform to rules and social expectations, they also tend to be open and unconventional.

·         Autonomy and Solitude: Another characteristics of self-actualized people is the need for independence and privacy. While they enjoy the company of others, these individuals need time to focus on developing their own individual potential.

·         Continued Freshness of Appreciation: Self-actualized people tend to view the world with a continual sense of appreciation, wonder and awe. Even simple experiences continue to be a source of inspiration and pleasure.

·         Peak Experiences: Individuals who are self-actualized often have what Maslow termed peak experiences, or moments of intense joy, wonder, awe and ecstasy. After these experiences, people feel inspired, strengthened, renewed or transformed.³

ROLE OF EDUCATION  IN ACTUALIZATION OF INDIVIDUAL ASPIRATIONS

1.       Motivation (Extrinsic and intrinsic)

2.       Awareness of self and world

3.       Creating the desire for unity, integration

4.       Identification with universal values (beauty, justice, truth) that is important to well-being.

5.       Capability for creating rich emotional reaction and freshness of appreciation.

6.       Democratic character structure.

7.       Boosting creativity and originality

8.       Physical Education

9.       Art education

10.    Creating a sense of community

11.   Transcending the cultural conditions and becoming the members of the world

12.   The worth of life

13.   Helps in making good choices

14.   Development of physiological aspects

15.   Developing the sense of security and safety