#47: Scott Kaufman - Understanding the human needs, finding meaning in life and pursuing life goals

How do you pursue the right goals and find meaning in life? Pretty big questions. My guest in the episode, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a big name globally in the humanistic psychology space and has a suggestion on this from a psychological standpoint.

In our enchanting conversation, Dr. Kaufman told me what got him into psychology and described his most monumental rework of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

In this conversation, Dr. Kaufman reveals segments of his last book where he updates the common understanding of Maslow’s theory by exploring less-well-known writings of Maslow’s, and also by incorporating more recent empirical psychological studies. He suggests the more dynamic model that complements the modern fast pace of living, incorporating some standard basic security needs then expanding into more creative and dynamic capabilities. It’s an interesting take on the importance of appreciating that the nature of our lives is constantly changing and I really hope that this talk will help all kinds of minds to live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life.

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

Scott received a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Yale University, and an M. Phil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge under a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. In 2015, he was named one of “50 groundbreaking scientists who are changing the way we see the world” by Business Insider.

Show Notes

0:30 Introduction to Scott Barry Kaufman
1:37 Dr. Barry Kaufman’s journey to Psychology and human potential
2:55 Updating Maslow's hierarchy of needs
7:05 What does it mean to become the best version of yourself
10:45 Be more, Do less state of life
13:13 How to be more passionate about the things you are doing
16:05 Getting to the stage of being the best version of yourself
18:55 Benefits of Gratitude Journaling Practice
21:20 Pointers for pursuing the right goals
28:02 Surprises that Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman encountered while working on his latest book
31:03 The real meaning of happiness
32:20 Connect with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
34:50 Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman advice on how to satisfy our needs

Connect with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman

https://scottbarrykaufman.com/
Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAvfZQ3r24F-V1JYqn2pfXg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sbkaufman
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ScottBarryKaufman

Resources

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman’s books:

Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49625550-transcend

Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24611590-wired-to-create

Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16043513-ungifted

The Psychology of Creative Writing https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6621403-the-psychology-of-creative-writing

NeuroLeadership Summit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtEIKKfhSaI

Scott’s TEDx talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih5caeD06ms

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