fei75766_ch09_271-308.indd 303  02/06/20 12:09 PM
Chapter 9    Maslow: Holistic-Dynamic Theory303
peakexperience. Inthelast10–15years, research onthenature andexperience of
thepositive emotion ofawehasbegun togarner serious scientific attention (Keltner 
&Haidt, 2003; Shiota, Keltner, &Mossman, 2007). Aweisdefined asexperiencing 
thefeelings ofvastness andexpansiveness while atthesame timeneeding toalteror
accommodate one’s perceptions oftheworld (that is,itchanges howweviewour-
selves intheworld) (Keltner &Haidt, 2003). 
Inaseries ofthree experimental studies, Rudd andcolleagues (2012) examined 
howtheexperience ofaweaffects people’s sense ofhowmuch timetheyhaveand
whether theywould donate theirtimeaswellastheirpreference ofexperience over
material things andhowsatisfied theyfeelabout theirlives. They predicted thatawe
would increase people’s sense thattheyhavetimeforthings, make them more gener -
ouswiththeirtime, increase theirpreference forexperience overmaterial things, and
would boost theirsense ofsatisfaction withlife.Inthree separate experiments, they
randomly assigned halfoftheparticipants toexperience awe.Inthefirststudy, awe
wasinduced byshowing participants a60-second video ofpeople experiencing vast
andmentally overwhelming realistic scenes suchaswaterfalls, whales, andastronauts 
inspace. Inthesecond study, awewasinduced byhaving people reflect upon and
thenwrite when theyhad“aresponse tothings perceived asvastandoverwhelming 
andalters thewayyouunderstand theworld” (Rudd etal.,2012, p.4).Inthethird 
study, awewasinduced byhaving participants readastory ofgoing uptheEiffel 
Tower andthenseeing Paris from hundreds offeetabove ground. Each ofthese pro-
cedures resulted insignificant increases inparticipants’ experience ofawe.
Aspredicted, people whoexperienced aweexpanded theirsense ofhaving time, 
increased theirwillingness todonate theirtime(buthadnoeffect ontheirwillingness 
todonate money) forprosocial causes. Finally, theexperience ofaweincreases (at
leasttemporarily) one’s overall satisfaction withone’s life.
These studies demonstrate theimportance ofreflecting andreliving themost 
positive or“peak” experiences inourlives. Recall from earlier inthechapter that
Abraham Maslow predicted thatpeakexperiences often havealasting impact on
people’s lives. Therecent research intheareaofpositive psychology reviewed inthis
section certainly supports thisaspect ofMaslow’s theory.
Critique of Maslow
Maslow’s search fortheself-actualizing person didnotendwithhisempirical studies. 
Inhislateryears, hewould frequently speculate about self-actualization withlittleevi-
dence tosupport hissuppositions. Although thispractice opens thedoorforcriticizing 
Maslow, hewasunconcerned about desacralized, ororthodox, science. 
Nevertheless, weusethesame criteria toevaluate holistic-dynamic personality 
theory aswedowiththeother theories. First, howdoesMaslow’s theory rateonits
ability togenerate research? Onthiscriterion, werateMaslow’s theory alittleabove 
average. Self-actualization remains apopular topic withresearchers, andthetestsof
self-actualization havefacilitated efforts toinvestigate thisillusive concept. However, 
Maslow’s notions about metamotivation, thehierarchy ofneeds, theJonah complex, 
andinstinctoid needs havereceived lessresearch interest. 
Onthecriterion offalsifiability, wemust rateMaslow’s theory low.Researchers 
remained handicapped intheirability tofalsify orconfirm Maslow’s means ofidentifying Final PDF to printer