Future Visions

The Unpublished Papers of Abraham Maslow
by Dr. Edward Hoffman | SAGE Publications © 1996 · 240 pages

As you know if you’ve been following along, I love Abraham Maslow and feel a deep kinship to him and his work. We have featured two of the books he published during his lifetime: Toward a Psychology of Being and Motivation and Personality. Although this book has only ONE review on Amazon and I could only buy a used copy of it, I knew I’d love it. And, although I had already been deeply influenced by Maslow and his thinking, there was something about reading his unpublished essays and journal thoughts that made me feel that much more connected to this great man. Big Ideas we explore include Maslow’s thoughts on the “eupsychian ideal” (aka: the “eudaemonic ideal”!), the psychology of happiness (eudaimonology!!), Stoic philosophy (Maslow was a fan), vicious cultural influences (Maslow was NOT a fan!), and the Jonah Complex (ANSWER YOUR HEROIC CALL, already!!).


[Maslow] once asked his class, ‘Which of you believe you will achieve greatness?’ When they stared at him blankly, he asked, ‘If not you, who then?’
Colin Wilson

“In researching Abraham Maslow’s biography several years ago, I was excited to discover that he left behind many significant unpublished writings. Ever since, I have been eager to share these papers with others inspired by his unique vision of human potential and achievement. Maslow had always been an essentially intuitive and interdisciplinary thinker, and these pieces were truly wide-ranging in scope, encompassing motivational psychology, counseling and psychotherapy, managerial theory and organizational development, and even wider concerns such as politics, government, and global peace.

In editing this volume, I have selected those articles that seemed most timely and relevant for contemporary audiences. Aside from providing descriptive titles for each piece, my task has mainly involved enhancing Maslow’s style for readability and correcting various errors in syntax and spelling. To place all these papers in the wider context of Maslow’s evolving career, I also have written appropriate introductions and a glossary of his technical terms.

If this book sheds new light on Maslow’s unpublished projects and additionally helps to reawaken interest in his important, overall legacy, my hopes will have been fulfilled.”

~ Edward Hoffman from Future Visions

I got this book after leading positive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman referenced it in his great new book called Transcend, in which, as per the sub-title of the book, he extends Maslow’s thinking and presents “The New Science of Self-Actualization.”

As you know if you’ve been following along, I love Abraham Maslow and feel a deep kinship to him and his work. We have featured two of the books he published during his lifetime: Toward a Psychology of Being and Motivation and Personality.

Maslow created the “hierarchy of needs” and boldly stated that our need to “self-actualize” was, in fact, a fundamental need that naturally arises within each of us as our more basic needs are met. I like to call this need to actualize our potential in service to the world “Soul Oxygen.” We talk about it in THE VERY FIRST Optimize +1 I ever shared called -1 or +1 = Destiny Math.

Now… Although this book has only ONE review on Amazon and I could only buy a used copy of it, I knew I’d love it. And, although I had already been deeply influenced by Maslow and his thinking, there was something about reading his unpublished essays and journal thoughts that made me feel that much more connected to this great man.

Edward Hoffman was a contemporary of Maslow’s. He wrote a biography of him and did a wonderful job curating this collection of unpublished papers.

If you’re a fan of Maslow and have some extra time on your hands for some extracurricular reading (lol) I think you’ll love it as much as I did. (Get the book here.)

For now, I’m excited to share a few of my favorite Big Ideas we can apply to our lives TODAY, so let’s jump straight in!

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About the author

Authors

Dr. Edward Hoffman

He is a psychologist and adjunct professor at Yeshiva University in New York City.