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self-actualization

American  
[self-ak-choo-uh-luh-zey-shuhn, self-ak-] / ˈsɛlfˌæk tʃu ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən, ˌsɛlf æk- /

noun

Psychology.

  1. the achievement of one's full potential through creativity, independence, spontaneity, and a grasp of the real world.

self-actualization British  

noun

  1. psychol the process of establishing oneself as a whole person, able to develop one's abilities and to understand oneself

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of self-actualization

First recorded in 1935–40

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.