When we think of human capacity, it is often said that one can achieve anything they set their mind to. Despite numerous hurdles, one can emerge victorious even in the face of adversity. But are we really free to master our potential or are we slaves to our own biology? According to research, the human brain has a capacity of approximately a million gigabytes. It is, therefore, extremely curious when few healthy individuals achieve a plethora of things in comparison to other sets of healthy individuals. Is there something that certain people miss out on? What is the secret to truly becoming the best version of ourselves? Abraham Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs describes how people are motivated to fulfill certain needs. Along with basic physical and psychological needs, his model also describes self-actualization needs. What these needs entail is for an individual to achieve their full potential - a true embodiment of who they are and what they can achieve. It is glorious to think about reaching a pinnacle in life where we have achieved all that we possibly can. But the real question at hand is how does one conquer this quest?
Attaining certain goals and actualizing one’s abilities is not far from problem-solving. Research on the human ability to solve problems presents a remarkable tendency that we humans possess. Whilst solving a problem before us, we look for options that lead us to the solution. However, if the ways considered to resolve said problem do not work, it is not in our nature to abruptly let go of it. We tend to look out for alternatives. The brain is a complex organ; it is interesting how it manages to organize information to solve problems. But could the ability to achieve your best only be about your problem-solving skills, or could other factors play a much better role?
Studies on academic success suggest that student motivation has four components, namely- self-efficacy, attributions, intrinsic motivation, and goal orientation. Discussions point to how it is more adaptive to have self-efficacy beliefs that are relatively accurate or calibrated to actual accomplishments rather than overly positive ones. Research on attribution suggests that it is adaptive to attribute success to stable, internal factors such as ability, skill, or talent. Both personal and situational interests have the potential to influence academic achievement and other academic enablers. Personal interest is also positively associated with achievement. Mastery goals are goals that orient learners to develop new skills, try to understand their work, improve their level of competence or achieve a sense of mastery-based on self-referenced standards. This research by Linnenbrink and Pintrich exhibits how these goals have been positively related to cognitive strategy use and self-regulation as well as performance. Apart from academics, motivation theories have been widely discussed for their role in success in fields like sports, entrepreneurship as well as overall success in life.
Research on factors determining individual success in life-long learning suggests that the ability to learn and the ability to adapt efficiently to environmental changes are the most important and significant factors of human intellect. These factors determine an individual’s success in the process of lifelong learning. Research also points out that in order for an individual to adapt successfully to the changes in a learning environment, form it and select the most appropriate one, they should know their intellectual strengths and weaknesses. An individual should also develop their own ability to learn by being aware of their own intellect’s strong influence on the success of their lifelong learning. This research also explores why an individual should have a wide range of possibilities to choose learning programs, tasks, methods, instructions, ways of obtaining new information, and fulfilling learning tasks according to their learning styles, for efficient adaptation to environmental changes and successful lifelong learning.
A study finds adolescent cognitive capability to be associated with educational attainment and occupational attainment, but it also finds that the influence of cognitive capability was not alone, but was sometimes sufficient- among those with the highest cognitive scores, parental socioeconomic status was not predictive of later income. The findings of this research show an adequate impact of cognitive capabilities on later success in life.
Research on perseverance provides evidence for motivational correlates of grit consisting of the pursuit of engagement and meaning, as opposed to pleasure. Further, they suggest that the drive toward engagement and flow seems, in particular, to facilitate sustained effort over time, whereas the drive toward immediate pleasure seems, in particular, to undermine sustained, focused interests over time.
Overall, achieving success in life is impacted by a plethora of factors. Right from cognitive abilities to environmental and social factors. It would not be wise to pinpoint one factor to be an essential one in the pursuit of self-actualization. One can become successful, have a great work and personal life, and yet be yearning for something completely different. It all revolves around how an individual perceives themselves, their situation, and their abilities. Upon being aware of these factors, an individual can persevere to work, inculcate a hobby, socialize, and make the most of their abilities. It is plausible that not everyone would reach the stage of self-actualization, but persevering for it can make all the difference in one’s life. After all, a person’s honest attempts and drive to accomplish their dreams are unmatched.
Pranali Raorane
