The Self-Actualizer desires and gets great gratification in their
solitude. This ability to be alone and
not feel loneliness is what Maslow called the “Quality of
Detachment”. It is not only because Self-Actualizers find privacy sacred, but because they have an air of aloofness
to them. Detachment for Maslow comprises
of
“...the need for privacy, the ability to remain above the battle, to remain unruffled and undisturbed. Self-actualizers are taoistic, in their ability to leave things alone.” - Maslow
In an interview filmed in 1968, Dr. Everett Shostrom interviews Abraham Maslow about the “Self-Actualizer”. On the quality of detachment, which is
included with the need for privacy, Maslow compares two types of dog
lovers. The first dog lover is the type
of person that would need a pedigree dog.
This dog lover would want the dog to conform to pedigree laws, which may
mean cutting off its tail depending on the bread of dog it is. The Self-Actualizer dog lover would not
consider cutting the dogs tail. It loves
the dog exactly for what it is. This sense of detachment can be summed up
beautifully in this quote,
"We love the things we love, for what they are, not for what they ought to be, not for what they use to be, not for what someone else thinks they should be, but for what they are." -R. L. Frost
The feeling of detachment in the Self-Actualizer is a feeling of a
person who is able to allow things to just be and enjoy its essence for simply
what it is. This is what permits Self-Actualizers to maintain poise in the middle of madness, remain composed
and serene.
No comments:
Post a Comment