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Maslow's Self-Actualized People

Abraham Maslow studied people whom he felt fit the definition of "fully functioning" - in essence a person who was largely free of neuroses.  Following is a summary of Abe's observations from PERSONALITY: Strategies for the Study of Man - page 259

1. Self-actualized people have an efficient perception of reality.  They were quick to detect falsity and dishonesty in people, art, music, politics, etc.
2. Fully functioning people accept themselves, others, and nature. Acceptance of the shortcomings of human nature.
3. They are spontaneous. "Their behavior is marked by simplicity and naturalness, and by lack of artificiality or straining for effect."
4. They are problem-centered - concerned with basic issues and eternal questions of philosophy and ethics.
5. They have a greater affinity for solitude and privacy than the average, and they show a tendency to be independent from their culture and environment.
6. They exhibit a continued freshness of appreciation for even the most ordinary events in their lives.
7. They are likely to experience "the oceanic feeling" - limitless horizons.
8. They have a genuine desire to help the human race.
9. They are democratic in the deepest sense.  They are free of prejudice and tend to respect all persons.
10. They show a keen ability to discriminate between means and ends.
11. They have a philosophical sense of humor - humor dealing with the foolishness of man-in-general.
12. They are creative.
13. They tend to resist enculturation. "They maintain a certain inner detachment from the culture in which they are immersed."
14. They are flawed. "They too are equipped with silly, wasteful, or thoughtless habits."