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definitions

self-actualization

[ self-ak-choo-uh-luh-zey-shuh n, self-ak- ]
/ ˈsɛlfˌæk tʃu ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən, ˌsɛlf æk- /
|

noun Psychology.

the achievement of one's full potential through creativity, independence, spontaneity, and a grasp of the real world.

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Nearby words

  1. self-abnegation,
  2. self-absorbed,
  3. self-absorption,
  4. self-abuse,
  5. self-acting,
  6. self-actualize,
  7. self-addressed,
  8. self-adhesive,
  9. self-adjustment,
  10. self-administered

Origin of self-actualization

First recorded in 1935–40
Also called actualization.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for self-actualization

British Dictionary definitions for self-actualization

self-actualization

noun

psychol the process of establishing oneself as a whole person, able to develop one's abilities and to understand oneself
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for self-actualization

self-actualization

n.

1939, from self- + actualization. Popularized, though not coined, by U.S. psychologist and philosopher Abraham H. Maslow (1908-1970).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper