WHAT IF WE NO LONGER REDUCED MASLOW TO A PYRAMID?

?YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE MASLOW PYRAMID THE SAME WAY AGAIN.

The choice of my subject for this week became obvious last Friday, during the course I gave at Sciences Po (Political Sciences School of Paris), for the Executive Master in Communication Program. A course devoted to digital and social platforms, where one of the brilliant guest speakers (who will recognize himself), used a Maslow pyramid to illustrate the functions of the main social media platforms: LinkedIn being associated with the need for security, Facebook with the need for belonging and love, with Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram being associated with the need for self-esteem, and Pinterest, blogs and TikTok being more associated with the need for self-actualization (see below). A Maslow pyramid for once used without hierarchy, without deciding in advance that the primary need must be accomplished to access the secondary need (You don't have to be done with LinkedIn to like Instagram!). This, in particular, reminded me of an excellent book I read last year called “Transcend” by the American psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, which introduced me to the incredible richness of Maslow's thought, and the astonishing fact that Maslow's pyramid was not designed by Maslow, but by a consultant who wanted to simplify his philosophy (at the risk of perverting it)! This is why I wanted to share with you the reasons why Maslow deserves, in my opinion, much more than the use we generally make of the simplified pyramid that bears his name.

A NEW, DEEPLY INSPIRING REPRESENTATION.

We have all experienced at some point in our lives, sometimes even at a young age, the "wow" effect of Maslow's pyramid in representing the hierarchy of needs, a theory he first expressed in 1943. But how much did we make the effort to explore its intention and richness? This includes the discovery that Maslow had gone much further in the development of his theory at the end of his life, questioning, in particular, the notion of transcendence. It is from an exhaustive reading of Maslow's research, enriched by advances in psychology from the end of the 20th century, that the American psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman chose to propose a new and extremely inspiring representation in the form of a sailboat. The hull of the sailboat ensures its safety, and thus includes the notions of “safety” (physical protection, lack of poverty, and stability in the environment), “Connection” (belonging, acceptance of others, intimacy, and bonds) and “self-esteem” (a healthy expression of self-love). The sail of the sailboat ensures its upward movement and growth, through the notions of “Exploration” (curiosity, adventure, openness to experience and intellectual exploration), “Love” (love that makes you grow, including confidence and forgiveness) and “Purpose” (reasons to be useful to the world, healthy motivations, and harmonious passions), at the intersection of personal interest and collective interest.

LIFE IS NOT A VIDEO GAME.

The representation in the form of a sailboat proposed by Kaufman has the merit of giving a fairer place to the notion of "purpose" which increasingly guides our aspirations today, while avoiding the overly hierarchical reading of needs which is a classic error in interpreting Maslow's pyramid. Because as Scott Barry Kaufman reminds us: “Life is not a video game”. Life is not a video game where we move from one level to another of the pyramid, once the previous level has been completed: “This pyramid is the fruit of a consultant in the 1960s who wanted to synthesize and simplify the author's thoughts, at the risk of caricaturizing them, by suggesting that we progress from bottom to top.” Instead, life is a complete experience, full of opportunities and uncertainties, hence the metaphor of the sailboat proposed by the author of “Transcend”. And to navigate, you have to guide a sail, which opens up much richer perspectives collectively than individually climbing a pyramid. According to Kaufman, "Life is not a peak to climb. Rather, it is like a vast ocean, full of new opportunities for meaning and discovery, but also of dangers and uncertainties. In this stormy sea, a pyramid is of little use. What we really need is something more flexible and functional: a sailboat."

PATHWAYS TO TRANSCENDENCE.

Maslow, at the end of his life, had worked a lot on the highest dimension of the pyramid to the point of proposing a new ultimate space, beyond the concept of "self-actualization", which he had called "the self-realization”. While self-actualization is often viewed as a purely individual pursuit, Maslow believed that the full realization of one's potential required a fusion of self and world. The underlying essence of his research was well summed up, a few months before his death, when Maslow explained that "if I could now assure you a dignified death instead of an undignified death, a gracious, reconciled, philosophical death ...your life today, in this moment, would change. And the rest of your life would change. Every moment would change. I think we can teach this transcendence of ego." Transcending one's ego involves adopting Maslow's much less recognized notions of the "psychology of being" or what he also called "positive psychology": a way of thinking that focuses on final experiences (wonder, laughter, connection), final cognitions (perceptions of reality, appreciation of new experiences) and final goals (having a purpose). In other words, instead of constantly struggling to fit society's vision of perfection, which often leads to frustration, we are an end to ourselves, not a means to an end. "Within the framework of humanistic psychology, the healthy personality is considered to be one which constantly moves towards freedom, responsibility, self-awareness, meaning, commitment, personal growth, maturity, integration and change, rather than the search for status, success or even happiness."

PEAK EXPERIENCES.

This is what led Maslow to formulate one of the most inspiring (but also most misunderstood) concepts, which he called “Peak experiences”. He believed that peak experiences await us throughout our lives. These peak experiences, which are usually mystical in many ways, are available to everyone, provided we eliminate our ego, immerse ourselves in them for a while and enjoy them fully, until we need to return to our ordinary life. And once we have had a peak experience: “we can remember it forever, feed on that memory, and be supported in times of stress.” Maslow, who also experienced multiple mystical experiences extensively on his own, found that the self-realized people he studied described "unusual moments of intense joy, serenity, beauty, or wonder." These lived experiences could be observed among a wide range of people, such as athletes and artists, and they were triggered in different ways, including "creative experience, aesthetic perception, romantic experience, sexual experience, childbirth, moments of epiphany and understanding, religious or mystical experience, or overcoming a profound challenge - any experience that approaches perfection." Moreover, “the greater the psychological health of a person, the higher the frequency of such experiences, the higher their height, and the greater their intensity and enlightenment.” Maslow used to tell his students: "Think of the most wonderful experience or experiences of your life; the happiest moments, the ecstatic moments, the moments of rapture, perhaps of being in love, of listening to music or being suddenly “touched” by a book or a painting, or a great creative moment.” He believed that people who frequently had such experiences were indeed self-actualized and had much to teach us. Finally, these “peak experimenters,” so to speak, claimed that the dominant emotions they felt ultimately united them in cosmically conscious unity with all of humanity and the universe. As Kaufman points out, "Maslow believed that peak experiences offer the opportunity to see more of the overall truth, unfettered by the many cognitive distortions developed to protect us from psychic pain." The notion of peak experiences was also taken up, in the early 2000s, by researcher Gayle Privette, who developed a questionnaire showing that these experiences shared three essential characteristics: meaning (increase in awareness and personal understanding), accomplishment (positive emotions), and spirituality (harmony with the world and loss of the notion of time).

AN EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY.

The exhaustive consideration of Maslow's very rich reflections, and the integration of the most recent concepts of psychology, led Scott Barry Kaufman to reflect on a true educational philosophy to develop what he calls a "healthy transcendence" (video above). A healthy transcendence resulting from the deep integration of all these different needs. If parents or adults can truly help students integrate their needs and get them working on something that deeply resonates with their potential and dreams or motivations, we can even help children get to the Transcendent State of Consciousness. There are many things adults can do to help their children realize their potential, especially igniting passion, inspiration, imagination, perseverance, and hope. Activating passion means creating the conditions for harmonious, non-obsessive passions, which involve a feeling of freedom and flexible engagement in harmony with other aspects of their life. Developing inspiration requires the role model of inspiring adults, who adopt an optimistic posture and state of mind. Generating imagination involves being open to new experiences and calling on creativity to solve problems. Cultivating perseverance is essential, as is recognition of efforts. Finally, giving hope means allowing young people to pursue the objective that really interests them, in order to energize them and infuse them with the energy necessary to succeed. Scott Barry Kaufman believes that it is the responsibility of every adult to help young people imagine possibilities for a better world for themselves and others. Giving them what he calls “an authenticated voice,” which allows them to make choices that have a real impact on their desired future, for themselves, others and the planet. And helps them find their way in the ocean of possibilities that life can offer, by choosing it in a fully conscious manner, thus giving substance to Seneca's famous assertion: "If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable."