| We live in a strenuous age. Many of the traditional | | | | grew out of the inner circle of Freud. Attention to |
| pathways leading us to our identity development | | | | our hierarchy of needs was from Abraham Maslow |
| have undergone a transformation. The global | | | | soon after that. Social maturity and responsibility |
| economic crisis really put an exclamation point on the | | | | came from Erik Erikson in the 1950's. |
| end of the workplace as the source of who we are. | | | | The work of Erik Erikson is particularly intriguing in |
| Decades before the current conditions, the | | | | reflection of the current self-fulfillment boom. It is |
| workplace changed from THE source of personal | | | | also important for any program that attempts to |
| worth and fulfillment. Work and career is now a long | | | | effect change in families and society. |
| procession of 'jobs' that we do to make money. It is | | | | Erikson's highest level of identity development was |
| not who we are. We now look elsewhere for | | | | achieved when a person achieved self-actualization |
| fulfillment. As we look elsewhere, we have been | | | | and this self-actualization spread to others achieving |
| opening doors and letting in all kinds of spiritual guides | | | | the highest level of social maturity (good for society). |
| and they have become popular. We are desperate to | | | | If one strives for self-actualization then they model |
| find the way to enlightenment. | | | | this journey for all those around them and contribute |
| The spiritual leaders we are turning to are commonly | | | | immeasurably to society as a whole. Certainly the |
| chortling a message of self-fulfillment, individual inner | | | | effects of this quest for self-actualization, of being |
| development, self-enlightenment, personal growth, | | | | the best you can be, have enormous effect on your |
| self this, you that, and me, me, me. And, when they | | | | family around you. By fulfilling yourself, by becoming |
| do say something obligatory about social good in this | | | | the best person you can be, you bring up all those |
| mix of self-fulfillment it comes across as an | | | | around you to copy in that state of being. Certainly, |
| afterthought, "Oh, by the way what better way to | | | | our modern day self-fulfillment guides cannot argue |
| help mankind than to transform yourself into an | | | | with this premise. |
| enlightened being." Change should be about US and | | | | Think of it, there is a lot of common sense to this |
| not about just ME. | | | | observation of Erikson. If we live a good life, healthy, |
| While this all seemed revolutionary to a new | | | | fulfilled, then others around us, especially our family |
| generation, nothing these current self-fulfillment guru's | | | | members, will copy the secrets we learned. |
| exhort say anything that wasn't said since the dawn | | | | Self-fulfillment creates family fulfillment which creates |
| of psychology in the late 1800's. Self-Psychology | | | | social fulfillment. |