Self-Actualized Style

In a 2020 blog post, I jokingly talked about “going” to Cambridge University by participating in an online writing course. Fast forward four years and it turns out, I’m going to Cambridge this summer. For realz.

I’ve long been fascinated with the concepts of self-actualization and self-transcendence; especially as espoused by the work of Abraham Maslow. For even longer, however, I’ve been drawn to and moved by all things beautiful; with a specific emphasis on fashion and style. One of my earliest sartorial memories is the dress I wore for my second Christmas; richly red, crinoline-skirted, lavishly trimmed with white lace … I don’t know if I was more excited for presents or to wear that gorgeous dress!

Recently I started wondering (and also researching) whether aligning one’s inner self and identity with outward expression of personal style could contribute to moments of self-actualization and even self-transcendence. Those moments where we feel we are the fullest expression of who we are meant to be; and also able to transcend ego to experience a sense of universal connection.

Combining these nascent ideas with my own experiences and initial research, I decided to submit an abstract for consideration at the forthcoming Possibility Studies Symposium hosted by Cambridge University. And … my abstract for a presentation was accepted!

This is still very much a work in progress and I wanted to put this still raw and unrefined idea out in the world as a reminder to myself to stay the course, do the work, and show up for myself. So, here is the start of this journey:

Harmonizing Inner Self and Outward Expression Through Personal Style to Facilitate Self-Actualization and Self-Transcendence

To what extent does developing alignment between our inner selves and outward expression of personal style contribute to both self-actualization and even further to the transcendence of self? Abraham Maslow’s seminal work on the hierarchy of needs, introduced in 1943 and later expanded in the 1970s, supplies the theoretical foundation for this paper. Maslow’s original model identifies self-actualization as the pinnacle of human development, representing the pursuit of self-fulfillment and the realization of one’s fullest potential.  In The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (1971), Maslow goes beyond self-actualization with the additions of cognitive needs, aesthetic needs, and self-transcendence, which is described as human consciousness at its most inclusive and holistic level.

This autoethnographic exploration seeks to determine the potential for individuals to achieve higher levels of self-actualization and create a foundation from which to transcend self by intentionally aligning self-identity with self-expression through personal style. Drawing inspiration from Maslow’s expanded hierarchy, with a specific focus on aesthetic needs, this hypothesis posits that conscious efforts to strengthen one’s self-identity and express one’s true self through personal style not only leads to self-actualization but also fosters a profound sense of fulfillment and purpose extending beyond the individual characteristic of self-transcendence. This study aims to shed light on the transformative power of harmonizing inner authenticity with outward expression, as guided by Maslow’s enduring insights into human psychological development.