Future Visions

Future Visions is an important book. Its contents will assure the continued influence of Abraham Maslow whose image of the human psyche was a welcome antidote to the dismal picture portrayed by many of the early psychoanalysts. From Maslow′s perspective humankind is endowed with a ′will to health′ and a potential for ′self-actualization′--the very qualities that will assure the survival of human beings into the next century and beyond. --Stanley Krippner Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Saybrook Institute San Francisco Over a quarter century since his untimely death it seems clear that Abraham Maslow was a pioneer in a new direction of psychology (humanistic and transpersonal) even as mainstream psychology would continue to move in the scientism direction for decades to come. In his key book Toward a Psychology of Being (1962) Maslow had a central chapter ′On the Need to Know and the Fear of Knowing′ in which he observed that our strongest resistance is not to knowing the most despicable in ourselves but to knowing the highest ′the most godlike.′ He saw this characteristic as one of the chief obstacles to the coming revolution in our logos of the psyche as well as in leadership and in organization and social change. This book Future Visions is especially inspirational in its demonstration that Maslow saw clearly both the revolutionary force that has continued to grow over the past several decades and the reasons to anticipate that it would meet with opposition. It is far more apparent now than it was at the time of his death what a remarkable leader Maslow was. This book is extremely helpful in bringing together his thoughts which because of his early death he never assembled into his own summum opus. --Willis Harman President Institute of Noetic Sciences One of the founders of humanistic psychology Abraham Maslow spent a lifetime developing theories that shaped not only psychology but counseling education social work theology marketing and management as well. Indicative of his influence Maslow′s ideas on human behavior and motivation have become a part of public consciousness. At the time of his death 25 years ago he left a vast collection of articles essays and letters intended for publication. Now noted Maslow biographer and award-winning author Edward Hoffman has compiled the most compelling of these writings into one volume. In an array of letters working papers lectures and journal entries Maslow shares his thoughts on topics that range from self-actualization and well-being to American politics and organizational management. Hoffman provides helpful introductions to Maslow′s life and work as well as to each writing and a handy glossary of terms used by Maslow. Both scholars and students of personality counseling and humanistic psychology--as well as management education and social work--will discover new insights into Abraham Maslow′s influential work through this important book.