This week, I am PUMPED to be joined by renowned Psychologist, researcher, author and host of the Psychology Podcast, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman.

We in the Performing Arts education sphere are in a unique position to have an impact on the whole person in a way that is not accessible to our other teacher colleagues. We offer access to all or many of the “levels” found in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ALL AT THE SAME TIME. We offer learning, but we also offer safety, love, and in those elusive moments, we offer transcendence. “Musical goosebump moments” occur when our singers feel more than just the music. They feel themselves, connected to each other, and connected to something bigger than the sum of the groups parts.

In this episode Dr. Kaufman shares his own personal choir class origin story in which his choir teacher was critical in changing his academic trajectory. We also discuss one of Scott’s areas of academic expertise: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how many people misrepresent and misunderstand it.

More on Maslow misconceptions

“It’s time for a more dynamic conceptualization of potential that takes into account each person’s unique package of personal characteristics, dreams, passions, goals, and development. That emphasizes the journey, not the product. That shifts from a single judgement day of standardized and decontextualized testing to an extended period of deeply personal engagement, problem solving, exploration, and revision.”

Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist exploring intelligence, creativity, and the depths of human potential. He is founder and director of the Center for Human Potential and founder of Self-Actualization Coaching. Dr. Kaufman is interested in using his research, podcast, teaching, and coaching to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life.Dr. Kaufman has has taught at Columbia University, Yale, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

Dr. Kaufman received a B.S. in psychology and human computer interaction from Carnegie Mellon, an M. Phil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge under a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Yale University. He received his coaching training from Positive Acorn. He is also an Honorary Principal Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Wellbeing Science.His early educational experiences made him realize the deep reservoir of untapped potential of students, including bright and creative children who have been diagnosed with a learning disability. 

Dr. Kaufman hosts the The Psychology Podcast which has received over 30 million downloads and was included in Business Insider’s list of “9 podcasts that will change how you think about human behavior.” He is also a regular keynote speaker. If you’d like him to speak at one of your events, you can make a request here. In 2015, he was named one of “50 groundbreaking scientists who are changing the way we see the world” by Business Insider.Dr. Kaufman’s writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Scientific American, Psychology Today, and Harvard Business Review, and he is the author and editor of 10 books. In his book Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, he presents a new hierarchy of human needs for the 21st century, one that allows for the fulfillment of individual potential as well as the actualization of transcendent purpose and peak experiences. 

• Car Thoughts