Humanism, self-actualisation and holodiction: psychological themes in Star Trek

Abstract

Star Trek’s stories typically reflect a humanistic psychological perspective. Whereas behaviourist or Freudian approaches are primarily concerned with the pathological or problematic aspects of the psyche, the goal of humanistic forms of psychology is to develop ways in which individuals can ‘extend themselves’ in order to become ‘self-actualised’ and fulfil their individual potential. Abraham Maslow argues that such fulfilment can only be achieved if a series of basic human ‘meta-needs’ have already been attained. Maslow organises these into his famous ‘hierarchy of needs’, which is structured as a kind of ‘pyramid’ (at the summit of which is the state of ‘self-actualisation’) where lower needs have to be fulfilled before an individual can step up to the next ‘level’. At the bottom of the hierarchy Maslow places physiological needs such as air, food, water, sleep and sex. Further up come feelings of safety and security, then love and belonging, then social and self-esteem. The implication of this is that a society can only become self-actualised if this series of meta-needs has been fulfilled among the general population.