The Path to Self-Actualization

The Path to Self-Actualization
The path to self-actualization is a journey to become the best possible version of ourselves. It involves developing our talents and abilities and using them to affect the world positively and requires self-awareness, personal growth, and a commitment to living the best life. Self-actualization has strong and in-depth roots as it links with the digestion of memory and storytelling, which frees individuals from the ego-life and allows them to live in human existence and memories. Social intelligence, morals, and past experiences form a robust set of memories that leads people toward self-actualization. Developing character and the human soul depends on the creativity and aspects learned from childhood experience and surroundings. The first author chosen for deep research is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, whose article “What Is The Self?” revolves around self and the use of senses to bundle up the information and use it in a meaningful way to understand self and make decisions accordingly. He is famous for his research on happiness and creativity, and his article elaborates on the images with separate identities in our imagination. The second author is Barbara Mellix, famous for his work “From Outside, In.” The author used to listen and speak two different languages since his childhood; hence, the article emphasizes the language barriers and dual languages, which is beneficial as a path for self-actualization based on the challenges he faced. Finally, Scott Russell Sanders, who is acclaimed for his skills as a personal essayist, chose the third article, “The inheritance of tools.” His work is primarily published in literary journals and explains past events to flashbulb memories. The essay analyzes how memories contribute to self-actualization and understanding of our surroundings; further, the essay discusses how self-actualization influences one’s sense of otherness. In the end, it outlines why self-actualization is possible due to one’s sense of otherness. Memories provide people with a sense of continuity and allow them to make sense of their lives, leading by analyzing how other people have been doing in different situations. Furthermore, memories can lead to self-actualization, which helps one reach their potential and become more self-actualized and compassionate to appreciate the world’s diversity. Memories improve self-actualization, which is possible only through a sense of otherness because it is strong through contact with others that people can become aware of their potential and limitations.
The memories of our experiences contribute to self-actualization because these memories give us a sense of ourselves and help us understand our place in the world. The self-actualization concept requires people to go beyond their limitations to become an optimal version of themselves. Memories also inspire us to reach our goals and strive for excellence and provide us with a foundation on which to build our future by emphasizing self0actualization. Saunders emphasized that by recalling and reflecting on one’s experiences, we can develop a sense of self-actualization because people can learn from their mistakes, grow in their knowledge and skills, and become more independent. By linking memories to self-actualization, people can become more fulfilled and content with their lives. According to Saunders, regarding memory, “from dawn stones to this claw hammer is a great leap in time, but no great distance in design or imagination” (147). It means that people have conscious and subconscious decisions that indicate the value and how things can be changed. Memories also help us form relationships with others, enriching our lives; hence, they can allow people to improve self-actualization and learn new things by relying on memories. Mellix added that People might be conscious; however, there is no vast difference between designing and imagination. Before converting them into design, one can have many imaginations in mind. She said, “speaking it to standard English-speaking blacks was our way of showing them that we, as well as they, could “put on airs.” But when we spoke Standard English, we acknowledged (to ourselves and others- but primarily to ourselves) that our customary way of speaking was inferior” (260). The quote is about the people who are forced to speak English as a standard language, and they feel inferior in speaking their customary language. Hence, people who realize that every language is essential to have better self-actualization. It means that self-actualization is influenced by how the household shapes and reflects the self; therefore, it has a role in reflecting the choice and changing milestones in our lives. Memories are improved through the symbols have a crucial role in self-actualization, where tendencies are considered the highest and most inclusive levels of human consciousness, allowing individuals to acquire signs perceived as an ideal self. The areas of symbolic self-conception are linked with communication and day-to-day discussion. Self-definitional symbols are related to communication, which substantially contributes memories to self-actualization. People remember the things which tell them for self-actualization for the potential to signal to others that possess the identity in question. These symbols build communication and reliance on self-actualization because it acts as a building block for self-definition. Both Mellix and Saunders believe that symbols are meaningful as it helps people learn and memorize things for a long time because people are willing to remember the behaviors perceived negatively by society. In this way, it can be said that symbols are linked with self-descriptions leading to a sense of complete self-definition; besides, memories are beneficial for personal growth and development and build strong memories.
Self-actualization is influenced by one’s sense of otherness in that it can motivate one to become more aware of and connected to others. It is known as reification, which is linked to mental construction to explain the phenomenon taken into our senses. One’s sense of otherness influences self-actualization in several ways, and it is up to the individual to use this influence. Csikszentmihalyi said that some people might become more aware and connected t...