California Association for the Gifted 58th Annual Conference

In his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Abraham Maslow introduced the idea that human beings have a hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. In this talk, Scott Barry Kaufman picks up where Maslow left off, expanding upon the unfinished theory and integrating new scientific findings, including Kaufman’s own research on creativity, love, personality, and well-being. Through his unique work on the subject, Kaufman reinvigorates the profound insights of humanistic psychology with the latest scientific findings from a wide range of fields, introducing them to a generation that consistently feels unsatisfied in their work, creative pursuits, and educational path. Students can be high achievers and yet still yearn for self-realization. The philosopher Erich Fromm said that there is “an art of being.” But as Kaufman persuasively shows, there is also a science of being, and this talk will help educators set students on the path to a life of optimal health, growth, wholeness, and real fulfillment.