Providing for needs

is basic in life. Physical needs like hunger and thirst are prioritized. Self-actualization will be the last one provided for because of more urgent basic needs. But self-understanding can ease life on all levels.

Self-programming

Experience of different situations in life will teach all mammals to remember what is safe and what could be dangerous. This mental ability will of  course support survival. Man, as opposed to other animals, is capable of a more lively imagination, both of possible threats and of his ability to handle these.

This affects human capacity for action.

Negative expectations

Lack of self-confidence and doubts about my own ability to handle the demands of social life, along with my own image of a threatening world, will create negative anticipation of upcoming situations. This will undermine my capacity for productive action in the expected situation. If I afterwards disapprove of my efforts, my disbelief in myself will increase. In this way negative expectations of my ability will be ampli-fied until next time I have to achieve something. So my next performance will again be less productive than it could have been. Very often this mental feed-back mechanism develops to a negative loop. In this way negative self-fullfilling prophecies are created.

Human growth and maturity

requires certain positive convictions and qualitys. We can learn to awaken them, to strengthen them and to act on them. This is called personal development!