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Metamotivation is a term coined by Abraham Maslow to describe the motivation of people who are self-actualized and striving beyond the scope of their basic needs to reach their full potential. Maslow suggested that people are initially motivated by a series of basic needs,Goble, F. The Third Force: The Psychology of Abraham Maslow. Richmond, Ca: Maurice Bassett Publishing, 1970. Pg. 62. called the hierarchy of needs. Maslow states, "Self-actualizing people are gratified in all their basic needs (of belongingness, affection, respect, and self-esteem)".Maslow, A. Farther Reaches of Human Nature. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1971. Pg 299. Once a person has successfully navigated the hierarchy of needs thus satisfying all their basic needs, Maslow proposed they then travel "a path called growth motivation".Rajamanickam, M. Contemporary Fields Of Psychology And Experiments. New Delhi, India: Ashok Kumar Mittal, 1999. Pg 142.
Maslow believed that a distinction must be made between the motives of those who operate at or below the level of self-actualization (ones still striving for their basic needs, or ones who have met their basic needs but still live without purpose), and those who are self-actualized who are also with significant purpose, as their motivations differ significantly.Maslow, A. Farther Reaches of Human Nature. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1971. Pg 300. Deficiency needs (drive theory or D-needs) motivate people to satisfy physiological needs such as hunger, sex, love, whereas being needs (B-needs"To summarize, the major changes in the state of the problem of B-knowledge, or illumination-knowledge, are: (A) shifting it away from the question of the reality of angels, etc., i.e naturalizing the question; (B) affirming experientially valid knowledge, the intrinsic value of the enlarging of consciousness ... (C) realizing that the knowledge revealed was there all the time ... Finally (D) this kind of knowledge can be achieved in other ways, we need not rely solely on peak-experiences or peak-producing drugs for its attainment" Religions, Values, and Peak-Experiences Appendix D, p 80. A. H. Maslow. 1970 ) propel a person beyond self-actualization and drive them to fulfill their inherent ultimate potential.Engler, B. Personality Theories. 8th Edition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. Pg 351.
Not all people that satisfy their basic needs automatically become driven by B-needs. In his landmark book, Farther Reaches of Human Nature, Full Text Lecture given at First Unitarian Church, Sept. 14 1967, Esalen Institute, Big Sur. Transcription with errors due to James Fadiman. Maslow stated that people who are self-actualizing and driven by metamotivation "are dedicated people, devoted to some task 'outside themselves,' some vocation, or duty, or beloved job". Maslow goes on to say that such a calling could be construed as a destiny or fate and that such people are particularly talented in their field and could be called naturals.Maslow, A. Farther Reaches of Human Nature. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1971. Pg 301.
Maslow describes a metaneed as any need for knowledge, beauty, or creativity. Metaneeds are involved in self-actualization and constitute the highest level of needs, coming into play primarily after the lower level needs have been met.APA college dictionary of psychology. (2009) Washington, DC: America Psychological Association. Pg. 24o2. In Maslow's hierarchy, metaneeds are associated with impulses for self-actualization.Coon, D. Introduction of Psychology. Wadsworth, 2004. Pg. 451.
Maslow's list of Metaneeds:
Metapathology is the thwarting of self-development related to failure to satisfy the metaneeds. Metapathology prevents self-actualizers from expressing, using and fulfilling their potential.Schultz, D, and Schultz, S. Theories of Personality, 9th. New York, NY; Wadsworth, 2009. Pg. 309. Reasons people may not become self-actualized include: poor childhoods, lower economic conditions, inadequate education, anxieties and fears, and the Jonah complex.
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