---
title: 10 Traits to Self-Actualisation and How to Build Yourself at Each Stage in Your Life
description: "Maslow's idea of self-actualisation, tested with modern science: the ten measurable traits and evidence-based ways you can develop each one."
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-10-24T15:32:53.883Z
updated: 2026-11-07T18:53:59.049Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/self-actualised-people-traits
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-4275893.webp
categories: Wellbeing, Transformational change
content_type: Guide
region: Global
publication: Rich Woman Magazine
access: members
schema_type: Article
---

In the 1940s and 1950s, the psychologist Abraham Maslow studied people he considered psychologically exceptional, among them Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt and Albert Einstein, and listed what they had in common. He called the state they shared self-actualisation: [becoming fully the person you are capable of being](https://richwoman.co/article/9-science-backed-steps-to-unlock-your-full-potential).

For decades the idea lived mainly in textbooks, usually as [the peak of a coloured pyramid](https://richwoman.co/article/which-human-need-is-associated-with-reaching-your-full-potential). Maslow never drew that pyramid. It first appeared in a business journal in 1960, and Maslow never treated his hierarchy as a ladder you climb once and leave behind. Later data from 123 countries showed that the wellbeing you draw from each need is largely independent of whether your other needs are met.

In 2018, psychologists put Maslow's list to a modern statistical test with more than 500 adults. Seven of his 17 traits proved redundant or unrelated to the rest. The remaining ten held together as a single, measurable profile, and people who scored higher on them also scored higher on curiosity, life satisfaction, self-acceptance, [personal growth](https://richwoman.co/article/six-easy-steps-to-lasting-positive-change-in-2023) and autonomy. The data contradicted Maslow on one point: he believed self-actualisation was rare and almost out of reach for young people. The researchers see significant room for anyone to develop these traits by changing their habits.

---

*This article is only available to registered readers. Visit the article URL to read the full piece.*