According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, in order for a person to reach self- actualization, the needs in the levels below must first be met. These preceding levels are:
- Physiological needs: Basic survival needs such as food, water, shelter, air, and sleep must be fulfilled before progressing to higher levels.
- Safety needs: After physiological needs, a person must have safety and security, including physical safety, economic stability, health security, and freedom from threat and danger.
- Social needs: The need to belong, love, and have meaningful relationships with family, friends, and community follows once safety is secured.
- Esteem needs: After social needs, individuals seek esteem, which includes self-esteem, achievement, respect from others, confidence, and recognition.
Only when these four lower levels of deficiency needs are reasonably satisfied can a person focus on the highest level:
- Self-actualization needs: This is the realization of a person's full potential, self-fulfillment, personal growth, and discovering meaning and purpose in life. It could be expressed uniquely by individuals through creativity, work, parenting, athletic achievement, or other personal goals. Self-actualization is a continuous process of becoming rather than a fixed state and may involve "peak experiences" of joy and fulfillment.
Thus, self-actualization requires that physiological, safety, social, and esteem needs are met first so that the individual can pursue their full potential in a meaningful and authentic way.