Chapter 5: Self-Determination Theory and Actualization of Human Potential

The concept of human potential has been used most frequently within the tradition of humanistic psychology. Important early theorists such as Maslow (1943) and Rogers (1951) proposed that people have an inherent tendency toward growth and development, and that this tendency will, under the right circumstances (e.g., unconditional positive regard), lead people toward actualizing their human potential, which means to become all that they are capable of being. The idea of actualizing one’s potential implies that people are not relatively empty organisms who need to be conditioned (e.g., Skinner, 1953) or taught who they are through social interactions (e.g., Bandura, 1986). Rather, it begins with an organismic metatheory, which assumes that people are inherently active, inclined by nature toward inner organization, and genetically endowed with characteristics and capabilities that will flourish when they are provided with the necessary nutrients within their social contexts.