Maslow and the Good Person

Abstract

The article reviews progress made in psychology toward defining the parameters of what Maslow called the “Good Person.” The article concludes that considerable empirical support has been found for the character traits Maslow associated with self-actualization. That is, the fundamental description of the “Good Person” has not changed significantly since Maslow’s original work with two exceptions. One, there is now considerable research on self-transcendence and transpersonal states. Two, cross-cultural research has shown that Maslow’s description of self-actualizing people was more dependent on social, historical, and cultural norms that he was aware of. These lines of research significantly expand Maslow’s thinking about the parameters of the “Good Person.”