Some more information regarding
Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs

The Characteristics of Self-Actualised People

A second major contribution by Maslow
(in addition to the development of his heirarchy of needs)
was his intensive study of healthy, self fulfilling,
self-actualising individuals.

These were figures from the past
as well as some who were living at the time.

From this research Maslow concluded that {self} actualising people
have the following characteristics:

- they accept themselves and others for who they are;

- they can be concerned with themselves
but are free to recognise the needs and desires of others;

- they are capable of responding to the uniqueness of people and situations rather than responding in mechanical or stereotyped ways;

- they can form profoundly intimate relationships
with at least a few special people;

- they can be spontaneous and creative;

- and they can resist conformity and assert themselves
while responding to the demands of reality.

Who are such people?

Illustrative figures are Lincoln, Thoreau, Einstein, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Clearly these are very special individuals,
and few people have all or even most of these characteristics
to any substantial degree.

What is suggested, however,
is that all of us have it within our potential
to move increasingly in the direction of these qualities.

Lawrence Pervin , p215-6, "Personality - Theory and Research",
1989, John Wiley & Sons, New York

This article/thought speaks of observations recorded by Abraham Maslow in "Motivation and Personality".