With Purpose Success, part 29

This version is what psychologists call self-actualization. Let me dive into this theory a little deeper because, in the end, the point I want to make is that in terms of finding your purpose, self-actualization may fall nearly as short as "bigger is better" and the "success" mirage.
You're probably familiar with Dr. Benjamin Spock, who in 1946 wrote one of the best-selling books of all time, Baby and Child Care, and in it presented views on child rearing that have rarely been questioned and that have guided parenting throughout much of the world for six decades. Spock was a cultural force with few equals. But psychologist
Abraham Maslow, a contemporary of Spock's, was most certainly one of them. Maslow's pioneering work in the area of human behavior has dominated global thinking about happiness and fulfillment since the 1950s.
You can't help but have run across his name in any study of modern psychology.
But even if you know the name you likely do not appreciate the impact that Maslow has had on your life.
It was originally in 1943 that Maslow first proposed his hierarchy of human needs, a tome on psychological development and human potential that during the following decades revolutionized the field of psychology.
Maslow's idea was that there are five levels of psychological well-being.
The lowest rung must be fulfilled before you can move up a rung, and the higher you climb the happier you are. Each level is more challenging and complex, and you can't get to the next one without mastering the level below it.
Maslow's theories have come to form the foundation of policy in virtually every key institution in our lives-education, government, employment, media, and even, in some respects, religious instruction. It was his view that gave birth to the modern human potential movement and self-help revolution of the 1960s and even shaped a large portion of our culture, language, and music from that era.
Maslow believed that at the very basic level of human fulfillment are physical needs like the need for water, oxygen, protein, sugar, and salt. Without those, you can't put much thought into higher needs. So they must be satisfied before you can develop further. The next rung is the quest for security in your life. You become increasingly interested in finding safe circumstances and stability. You develop a need for structure and limits. Think about it. If you live somewhere where crime is rampant and you're always worried about your possessions and your personal welfare, how much time will you have for seeking more advanced needs?
The third rung of fulfillment is love and belonging, which usually begins in the teenage years as you begin to feel the need for friends, a sweetheart, affectionate relationships in general, even a sense of community.