The development of Individuality is central to Abraham Maslow's conception of self-actualization. In his eyes, a self-actualized Individual is one who becomes aware of his potential and chooses to aspire for what he thinks is right with self-confidence and self-respect, even if it requires him to break with social conventions. That way, the Individual becomes everything he is capable of becoming.
Contrary to popular belief, the self-actualized Individual is not ego-centric and selfish. His central characteristic is uniqueness. In Maslow's understanding, the Individual and the collective are not opposing forces ; they are complementary. The Individual is in harmony with himself and the collective.
While it is true that the society or culture may encourage an Individual's progress, it is equally true that they hinder his development. The Individual creating himself without relying on the external environment and being autonomous does not mean he doesn't share a healthy rapport with the society or that there's a lack of intercourse with the outside world. The Individual has what Maslow calls psychological freedom. Making use of the psychological freedom with self-discipline rather than being dependent on external authority is what makes the Individual unique. Maslow's Individual embraces change and challenges and expresses his uniqueness by exhibiting the courage to grow and daring to be different even if it means coming into conflict with the society, thereby resisting conformity to the culture. He has humility and respects the individuality of others even if they disagree with or criticize him.
Maslow's conceptualization of Individuality centers around Creativity which applies to all types of original activity and depends on the inner integration of the human being. The Individual is spontaneous and looks at everything afresh rather than with a stereotyped perception. For Individuals, dichotomies become resolved and opposites are seen to be unities.
Individuality, therefore, is a never-ending process. It's all about the choices we make and the aspirations we develop to become fully human, by exploiting our talents, capacities and potentialities to the fullest.
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