In their third episode, Alex and Steven explore Scott Barry Kaufman's summary and reworking of Abraham Maslow's seminal account of self-actualization, which he details in his excellent work, Transcend. Alex and Steven examine questions such as: in what sense is Maslow/Kaufman's theory of human nature optimistic?; what is the nature of self-actualization and how can we achieve it?; how does self-actualization differ from ego enhancement and aspiration?; to what extent might social media hinder our self-actualization?; and what are peak experiences and how might they be essential to our mental health?

Further Resources:

• Scott Barry Kaufman's Amazon UK page can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scott-Barry-Kaufman/e/B00415YDNU/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1    
• Two prominent intellectuals, Scott Barry Kaufman and Sam Harris, discuss SBK's book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE5tLIEH4Zw&ab_channel=SamHarris
• Scott Barry Kaufman's website with information about his psychology podcast: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/
• One of the most thorough presentations of Maslow's ideas is his book, Motivation and Personality: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motivation-Personality-H-Maslow-ebook/dp/B07VWP9X6J/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=motivation+and+personality&qid=1634038597&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&s=books&sr=1-1&sres=B07VWP9X6J%2C0060419873%2C0060442417%2C1513672703%2CB09FC6C2K8%2C0521089735%2C3030539237%2C1841690244%2C1847691277%2C162755467X%2C1462536034%2CB09HFXWV6W%2C1633880702%2C0395798671%2C0367172909%2C0593083318&srpt=ABIS_BOOK
• Colin Wilson dedicated his life to the study of peak experiences, and in his book New Pathways in Psychology: Maslow and the Post Freudian Tradition, he shows how radical a thinker Maslow was at the time: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Pathways-Psychology-Maslow-Post-Freud/dp/0800855132/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Colin+wilson+maslow&qid=1634038864&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&s=books&sr=1-2&sres=B01LPCP38A%2C0575027967%2CB0070YHFIY%2C1906787093&srpt=ABIS_BOOK
• In his book Order of Assassins, Wilson also wrote about how acts of violence can be construed as the price we pay in a society that doesn't foster self-actualization, leading to boredom and frustration: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Order-Assassins-Modern-Society-Wilson/dp/0586039996/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=colin+wilson+criminal&qid=1634038904&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&s=books&sr=1-5&sres=B087WVBJ5W%2CB01N46P5GF%2C1903582784%2C1854873164%2C0586039996%2C0881849626%2CB0168SDYPA%2C0446361631%2C0881848557%2C162731010X%2C0753513218%2CB087WTPKKF%2CB00AFA4T7A%2CB00LWHW3QO%2C0233002669%2C1854870564&srpt=ABIS_BOOK 
• Will Storr's book Selfie has an excellent chapter on 'the digital self', which is helpful in understanding the distinction between the self in self-actualization and the imaginal self: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Selfie-How-West-Became-Self-Obsessed-ebook/dp/B01N7EU0BO/ref=sr_1_16?dchild=1&keywords=social+media+narcissism&qid=1634039082&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&s=books&sr=1-16&sres=0757324290%2CB08QDP2PD1%2CB07Q47616L%2C0415979226%2C0578971178%2CB08K5Y7WRN%2C0230229522%2C3030063763%2CB08FVL7TCP%2C0367206080%2C3030415341%2CB09GZPF9RZ%2C144728366X%2C0061582336%2C1416575995%2C0999593528&srpt=ABIS_BOOK&asin=144728366X&revisionId=&format=4&depth=2