Normalcy
In Maslow's Framework, Normalcy In Maslow’s view, normalcy is a shared condition of emotional and psychological "sickness" or stunted growth experienced by most people in society. Maslow argued that this "normal" state reflects a deep-seated cultural and societal failure to actualize human potential. Rather than seeing normalcy as the healthy baseline, Maslow suggested it represents a collective form of diminished life—a form of unrecognized emotional or existential constriction that most people experience without fully realizing.[1] It is a phrase used by Maslow in his speculations and discussion of Human Potential.
Abraham Maslow Terms
B-Cognition, B-Realm, Big Problem, D-Cognition, D-Realm, Deficiency Diseases, Eupsychia, Eupsychian Theory, Good Person, Good Science, Good Society, Good Specimen, Hierarchy of Basic Needs, Hierarchy of Cognitive Needs, Human Diminution, Inner Signals, Intrinsic Consciousness, Normalcy, Normative Biology, Peak Experience, Plateau Experience, Real Self, Self-Actualization, Transcending Self-Actualizers, Transhumanistic
Syncretic Terms
Normal Consciousness > Dullness, Normalcy, Ordinary Consciousness, Paramount Reality, Rational Consciousness, Usual Consciousness
Components of Eupsychia
Normalcy >
Related LP Terms
Normalcy >
Non-LP Related Terms
Normalcy >
Notes
"From the point of view that I have outlined, normalcy would be rather the kind of sickness or crippling or stunting that we share with everybody else and therefore don't notice.
I remember an old textbook of abnormal psychology that I used when I was an undergraduate, which was an awful book, but which had a wonderful frontis piece. The lower half was a picture of a line of babies, pink, sweet, delightful, innocent, lovable. Above that was a picture of a lot of passengers in "a subway train, glum, gray, sullen, sour. The caption underneath was very simply, "What happened?" This what I'm talking about." [2]
- Stunting of Potential: Maslow’s metaphor of the subway passengers illustrates the shift from the innocence, openness, and liveliness of childhood to the stunted, constrained state of adulthood in many modern societies. He implied that normalcy often involves a loss of essential qualities like curiosity, creativity, and joy.
- Cultural Acceptance: Maslow highlighted society’s “realistic acceptance” of normalcy, where people come to see limitations and a lack of fulfillment as unavoidable facts of life. This acceptance discourages individuals from challenging societal structures that restrict human potential.
- Contrast with Self-Actualization: Maslow viewed the state of “normalcy” as a stark contrast to self-actualization, which involves realizing one’s fullest potential and becoming a fully “authentic” version of oneself.
In the Lightning Path framework, Maslow’s concept of normalcy aligns with the understanding of Toxic Socialization and Disconnection—a common but limiting state created by societal pressures that impede personal growth and connection to the authentic self. The goal, both in Maslow’s and LP’s frameworks, is to move beyond normalcy towards alignment, reconnection, and a life of realized potential.
Footnotes
