Being More Rather than Having More: Educational Paradigms for Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization

This article explores the possibility of cultivating self-actualization, defined as living a personally fulfilling life, through means of education. A flaw common in many contemporary systems of education is the emphasis on having more as opposed to being more, which can perpetuate paradigms of competition, conformity, and external markets of success such as grades, rankings, and material achievement. Drawing on Abraham Maslow's “Hierarchy of Needs,” I propose a theoretical framework that centers student's feelings of belonging and esteem as vital to the foundation for self-actualization and meaningful learning. I propose alternate educational philosophies that support this framework by centering recognition, trust, and freedom as essential conditions for belonging and esteem. Using A.S. Neill's Summerhill School as a case study, I argue that granting students autonomy and acceptance within an educational setting fosters the conditions essential for the individual's ability to self-actualize and their overall well-being. When educators value students beyond intellectual productivity, recognizing their individuality, agency, and relationality within a classroom, education becomes a process in which students can become more fully themselves.