Page 44 - IMDR - Journal of Management Development and Research - March2019-20

Fulfilment of human potential

Let us understand the role of ‘self’ development of individual potential. Self is built

on human consciousness. Adults learn and reflect on experiences of living and
develop insights into self and identity. Who am I? What are my potential and qualities

that distinguish me from others, a value-set that guides life? This kind of exploration
lead us the path to be in touch with the potential. However, without varied life

experiences which exposes us to situations, and relatedness with others etc, one would

not get access to this self -knowledge or consciousness. Maslow had rightly pointed
that out that self-actualisation would be possible to men and women below thirty

years of age. An individual requires varied life experiences of success and failures,
elation and depression, love and hate, joy and sorrow to have understanding of one’s

unique ‘self. Consciousness is developed more from such life experiences help
broaden individual perception wherein a person is able to look at the usual reality

from a higher angle and develops a different estimate of the worth of things and

people around him/her.
In other words, value of self - knowledge or consciousness based on life

experience cannot be underestimated for the process of discovering one’s potential

and develop a desire to actualise it.

The concept of Whole Man (includes woman)
Man is a delicate creation of nature which has taken million years to create a human

being. No two individuals are same, and each individual has unique features in terms
need, talents and values which is an outcome of influences of nature and nurture,

born- traits, learned abilities and cultural values. Individual needs of higher order

cannot be quantified but are experienced and expressed by the person in qualitative
terms. Hence, one cannot give a picture of average human needs and simplify needs

into hierarchical sequence. One cannot reduce man to lower and higher order needs
when human needs are experienced simultaneously. Also, one cannot live a

predetermined template and no book can give a programme of individual
consciousness would which is different from observed behaviour. Process of living is

anchored in this self- consciousness of individual and the values that guide his life are

primarily are self - created rather than received through cultural influences or
indoctrination, In other words, discovery of human potential is not possible unless a

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