Distinguish self-actualizers from others in terms of their basic motivation

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANS: According to Maslow's theory, self-actualizers differ from others in terms of their basic motivation. Maslow proposed a distinct type of motivation for self-actualizers which he called metamotivation (sometimes called B-motivation or Being). The prefix "meta" means after or beyond. Metamotivation, then, indicates that it goes beyond psychology’s traditional idea of motivation.
Metamotivation implies a condition in which motivation, as we know it, plays no role. Self-actualizers are not motivated to strive for a particular goal. Instead, they are said to be developing from within. Maslow described the motivation of people who are not self-actualizers as a condition of D-motivation or Deficiency. D-motivation involves striving for something specific to make up for something that is lacking within us. For example, failure to eat produces a deficiency in the body that we feel as discomfort. This feeling motivates us to take some action to reduce the resulting tension.
Self-actualizers are concerned with fulfilling their potential and with knowing and understanding their environment. In their state of metamotivation, they are not seeking to reduce tension, satisfy a deficiency, or strive for a specific object. Their goal is to enrich their lives by acting to increase tension so as to experience a variety of stimulating and challenging events. Because their lower-order deficiency needs have been met, self-actualizers function at a level beyond striving for specific goal objects to satisfy a deficit. Thus, they are in a state of "being," spontaneously, naturally, and joyfully expressing their full humanity.
Having explained that self-actualizers are thus, in a sense, unmotivated, Maslow proposed a list of metaneeds toward which self-actualizers evolve. Metaneeds are states of being—such as goodness, uniqueness, and perfection—rather than specific goal objects. Failure to satisfy metaneeds is harmful and produces a kind of metapathology, which thwarts the full development of the personality. Metapathology prevents self-actualizers from expressing, using, and fulfilling their potential. They may come to feel helpless and depressed, unable to pinpoint a source for these feelings or identify a goal that might alleviate the distress.