This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Transcend" by Scott Barry Kaufman. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Why is it important to find your purpose in life, according to psychology? Why is having a purpose a basic human need?
According to psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, it’s important to find your purpose in life because it brings you closer to self-actualization—the highest point of human potential. However, Kaufman claims that you must meet your needs for security and growth before striving towards a higher purpose in life.
Read on to learn more about Kaufman’s views on why it’s important to find your purpose in life.
Basic Human Needs, According to Kaufman
You may have heard of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, usually presented as a pyramid, in which he lays out the basic needs people must meet in order to reach their full potential. In Transcend, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman argues that Maslow’s ideas about this “pyramid” of needs are largely misunderstood, and he provides an updated view that’s more in line with modern science and Maslow’s full body of work. The final need of Kaufman’s new hierarchy of needs is the need for purpose, which he defines as the need for an all-encompassing goal or series of goals that gives meaning to your life. So, why is it important to find your purpose in life? In this article, we’ll explain Kaufman’s answer to this question and his advice for realistically finding your purpose.
Why Is It Important to Find Your Purpose in Life?
When all other needs of security and growth are met, a person needs to feel they’re striving towards a purpose they feel is important in life in order to reach self-actualization, says Kaufman. He notes that, while it’s important, finding and maintaining a purpose in life is hard—however, he does offer advice on how to strive for meaning in a realistic and healthy way.
(Shortform note: In the field of psychology, the study of finding purpose in your life and why it’s important was popularized by Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl, a holocaust survivor, saw that the people most likely to survive concentration camps had goals for their future and could find some sort of meaning in their suffering. He thus theorized that meaning, or purpose, is the driving force of a person’s life.)
Kaufman cautions that if your purpose or goals conflict with your values, they can actually impede your growth. For instance, if you don’t feel like your purpose or goals are particularly important or valuable, you’ll have a less fulfilling life than someone who feels they’re contributing to society, and you’ll eventually lose motivation and growth will stagnate.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Scott Barry Kaufman's "Transcend" at Shortform.
Here's what you'll find in our full Transcend summary:
- An updated, modern take on Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs
- An in-depth look into Abraham Maslow’s full body of work
- How to simultaneously fulfill your needs while transcending beyond them
