Innovation and self-actualization: A symbiotic relationship

Innovation requires a willingness to explore, to expand one's relationship with the world, and to creatively connect the dots. If Abraham Maslow were alive in today, he might have suggested that innovation and self-actualization are symbiotic pursuits. Fortunately, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman picked up where Maslow left off—his work unravels the mysteries of Maslow's unfinished theory and integrates these ideas with the latest research on creativity, purpose, and other building blocks of a life well lived. Kaufman shares insights from his book “Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization” to explore how you can use self-actualization frameworks to deepen your capacity for an innovation as a psychologist.

Scott Barry Kaufmanopens in new window is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. He is interested in using his research to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life, and is the author of “Transcend,” “Wired to Create,” “Ungifted,” and others. Scott received a PhD in cognitive psychology from Yale University and a Master of Philosophy degree in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge under a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.