Peak Experience Theory
A peak experience is an idea coined in the 1960s by psychologist Abraham Maslow. Self-actualized individuals are typically the ones who most often have peak experiences.
A self-actualized individual is one who is not motivated by basic needs. Instead, these individuals tend to focus on maximizing their potential. This concept is based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
At one time Maslow believed that one of the measures for self-actualization is living what I call a peak experience lifestyle. Meaning, not a peak experience just as a one time event. Rather, continually reaching these experiences through the journey of “becoming”.
What is a Peak Experience
A peak experience is a person experiencing “feelings of euphoria, joy, and wonder”. Maslow wrote a book in 1964 titled Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences and states that a peak experience is:
felt as a self-validating, self-justifying moment which carries its own intrinsic value with it.
Maslow continues:
To sum it up, from this point of view, the two religions of mankind tend to be the peakers and the non-peakers, that is to say, those who have private, personal, transcendent, core-religious experiences easily and often and who accept them and make use of them, and, on the other hand, those who have never had them or who repress or suppress them and who, therefore, cannot make use of them for their personal therapy, personal growth, or personal fulfillment.
Peak Experience Theory is Controversial
The theory of a peak experience is a controversial topic among psychologist and researchers. Much of Maslow’s theory on the hierarchy of needs is not verified by research and in some cases inaccurate. One critic states:
Given that so many people in the West (and not in the lower social classes there) with basic needs met are still bored, entitled, frustrated, despairing, and not necessarily seeking transcendence, perhaps there is a need for re-thinking Maslow’s model of needs.
Nevertheless, this criticism still is just a footnote. As stated by author and research fellow at Princeton University in Why We Need Maslow in the Twenty-First Century:
The continued resonance of Maslow’s theory in popular imagination, however unscientific it may seem, is possibly the single most telling evidence of its significance: it explains human nature as something that most humans immediately recognize in themselves and others.
With that said, the potential of continually reaching peak experiences through the journey of “becoming” still remains exciting and aspirational.