Scott Barry Kaufman

I’ve always been interested in the study of Psychology and in recent years have been focusing on personal growth. So, when I became aware of this book, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, by Scott Barry Kaufman, I thought it was a perfect fit for me.

The book is filled with fascinating stories about Abraham Maslow and his research. He developed the hierarchy of needs, and like most people, I’ve referred to it as a pyramid of stepping stones to reach self-actualization. This book taught me that my understanding and application of the hierarchy of needs was incorrect. A business transformed Maslow’s work into a misguided pyramid. Now I understand that Maslow intended to convey one’s hierarchy as a fluid process, and this makes so much more sense.

Dr. Kaufman, a psychologist, studied Maslow’s unfinished work on his theory of transcendence and integrated it with current research. The efforts of his work reveal a new application of the hierarchy of needs; one that focuses on an individual’s sense of purpose and fulfillment. I appreciate Dr, Kaufman’s emphasis that desires to be wealthy, famous, or even happy, are the not focus of transcendence. The goal is quite simple; to be the best version of our human selves.

As Dr. Kaufman explains each concept, he provides a list of questions to help the reader gain insight. He thoroughly addresses many topics from safety, connecting with others, self-esteem, love, and end of life. Naturally, many research projects are explained and he consulted with other experts in the field. For instance, Dr. Kaufman referred to Sharon Salzberg’s work on love. She is a Buddhist teacher and practitioner of loving kindness. I am a huge fan of her books and teachings.

I appreciate how Dr. Kaufman normalized the human struggles with loneliness and narcissism, for example. He presents the theory in a way that allows the reader to gain insight about themselves without insinuating any shame. The entire book was informative and helpful. He closes with a list of reminders that, as he says, are truly timeless. Reading this last portion left me in a very thoughtful space with warm feelings.

I purchased this audiobook through Audible. The author, Scott Barry Kaufman, narrates. While I generally enjoy audiobooks narrated by the author, I think it would have been a wise investment to hire a professional narrator.

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A Book And A Dog… (mais)

I have always been fascinated with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, so when I had the opportunity to read TRANSCEND, I jumped at the chance. This is a well researched and thought-provoking look at the Maslow's hierarchy. Dr. Kaufman does an excellent job explaining each level of the hierarchy, which furthered my understanding of each "step." What I especially loved, though, was how Dr. Kaufman explained how these different levels interact--and perhaps--depend on the other. You can slide up or down the scale, so to speak. Very insightful!… (mais)

If you've ever heard of Maslow's "Pyramid" Hierarchy of Needs (or even if you haven't but the concept sounds at all interesting), Kaufman's very well-researched and thoughtful breaking down of Maslow's work into its original concepts and building up of a different layering of and interaction between the basic types of human needs (from security to growth to transcendence) and what they mean to human growth and purpose and fulfillment is quite a fascinating (and surprisingly approachable) read, very worth the time.… (mais)

Why are many people attracted to such endeavors as training to be a terrorist, joining a cult or becoming a gang member? Is it due to some innate neurological abnormality or a personality disorder? Might it be the way they were raised? One may be surprised to learn that much of the motivation one has to join these organized groups is all too familiar and is actually virtually universal.

Violent extremism, cults and gangs are all examples of many individuals’ desire for transcendence. Like us, they strive to gain a sense of security and growth. The problem with these outlets is that for this state to emerge, one must integrate their other needs too. And that is something that is absent in anyone who becomes apart of one of these groups.

Humanistic psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman’s new book Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization is a rehabilitation and the most recent advancement of Abraham Maslow’s work, some of which was unfinished when he died in 1970. Dr. Kaufman integrates research from a wide range of psychological perspectives into his book including evolutionary psychology, social psychology, personality psychology and neuroscience.

Dr. Kaufman calls the above activities nothing more than pseudo-transcendence — and includes political and religious partisanship within that definition too. On the contrary, healthy transcendence is something that emerges from the integration of the whole self. This means not ignoring the pain and suffering we experience as humans, but rather, integrating every part of our being.

Just upon hearing the term ‘self-actualization,’ some cringe — myself included at times as well as most psychologists who don’t take the theory seriously. Criticism is often directed at it because it sounds good but is very vague despite its popularity among the general public. “[Psychologists] thought the needs were too inborn and universal,” says Ed Diener, the author of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth, “and that the idea of self-actualization was too fuzzy. They started to believe everything is learned and due to socialization.”

I found myself largely agreeing with the criticism as I read about self-actualization. I am a very analytical thinker and have a kind of obsession with objectivity — or so I’ve been told. So, naturally, the theories proposed by Maslow seemed too good to be true and very similar to popular self-help books. I was mostly turned off to the whole field of humanistic psychology.
My mind has been changed drastically since discovering Dr. Kaufman’s writings on the field and given his movement towards a more objective humanistic psychology. In the midst of psychology’s replication crisis, the integration of more objective and measurable facets to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is the most impressive thing about the new book.

Dr. Kaufman structured the book in such a way that every chapter is on a different need. A useful sailboat metaphor represents the first two parts of the book. Without the boat itself, we would be spending all of our energy just trying to stay out of water that may be more dangerous than we’d like. Having a secure boat — obtaining a sense of not only safety and connection but also worthiness — is essential…But it isn’t quite enough.

That is where the sail comes in. Without it, you’re be protected from the potentially dangerous waters, but you aren't going anywhere. To actually make ground — to grow — you need to open your sail. The author believes that the “sail” part of the metaphor is how Maslow really conceptualized self-actualization with an added touch of modern science.… (mais)