Philosophy

Running head: Homework 1

Philosophy 100

Shane Mayfield

Allied American University

Author Note

This paper was prepared for Philosophy 100, Homework 1, taught by David Smith.

PART I

1. Can you think of any people whom you consider self-actualized? What traits do they show?

The one person that comes to my mind when I think of someone who has reached a level of self actualization is my dad. Self actualization is a level on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that is said to be met after all the basic needs of a human are met (e.g. food, shelter, warmth, security, sense of belongingness etc.). For a person to meet the level of self actualization they need to be fully alive and have found the meaning in life. My dad is in his late 40’s and has been through a lot in his life. Some traits and characteristics that my dad displays that let me know he is self actualized are being reliant on his own experiences and judgments, being independent and not reliant on culture and environment to form opinions and views. He also has a non-hostile sense of humor meaning he is not afraid to laugh at himself. My dad also has efficient perceptions of reality, meaning he is able to judge situations correctly and honestly as well as being very sensitive to the fake and dishonest. To be honest out of all the self actualizing characteristics that Maslow lists I can think of ways that my dad meets all of them. I look up to my dad and aspire to be like him in all the traits he has. I can honestly say there is not one thing about my dad that I view as a bad or not so attractive quality. All of this leads me to believe that he is definitely self actualized.

2. Can you think of any qualities that you see in yourself that you do not need others to have?

A quality that I see in myself that others don’t need to have is the ability to be optimistic and not let others opinions of me bring me down. I am a very optimistic person when it comes to...