Editing Human Potential Movement (section)

==Authors and essayists==
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[[Aristotle]] used the principles of [[potentiality and actuality]]<ref>''dynamis–energeia'', translated into Latin as ''potentia–actualitas'' (earlier also ''possibilitas–efficacia''). Giorgio Agamben, ''Opus Dei: An Archaeology of Duty'' (2013), [https://books.google.com/books?id=yVYTAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 p. 46].</ref> to analyze [[Four causes|causality]], [[Motion (physics)|motion]],  biology, [[physiology]], human psychology and [[Aristotelian ethics|ethics]] in his tractates on ''[[Aristotelian physics|Physics]]'', ''[[Metaphysics (Aristotle)|Metaphysics]]'', ''[[Nicomachean Ethics]]'', and ''[[De Anima]]''.

[[Abraham Maslow]] published his concept of a [[Maslow's hierarchy of needs|hierarchy of needs]] in a paper in 1943. He argued that as people's basic survival needs are met, so their desire to grow in mental and emotional dimensions increases. He also coined the term "metamotivation" to describe the motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterment.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

[[Michael Murphy (author)|Michael Murphy]] and [[Dick Price]] founded the [[Esalen Institute]] in 1962, primarily as a center for the study and development of human potential, and some people continue to regard Esalen as the geographical center of the movement {{As of|2007|alt=today}}.

[[Aldous Huxley]] gave lectures on the "Human Potential" at Esalen in the early 1960s. His writings and lectures on the mystical dimensions of psychedelics and on what he called "the [[perennial philosophy]]" were foundational. Moreover, his call for an institution that could teach the "nonverbal humanities" and the development of the "human potentialities" functioned as the working mission statement of early Esalen.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kripal |first=Jeffrey |title=Esalen America and the Religion of No Religion |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2007}}</ref>

[[Christopher Lasch]] notes the impact of the human potential movement via the [[psychotherapy|therapeutic sector]]: "The new therapies spawned by the human potential movement, according to Peter Marin, teach that "the individual will is all powerful and totally determines one's fate"; thus they intensify the "isolation of the self".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lasch |first=Christopher |url=https://archive.org/details/cultureofnarciss00lascrich |title=The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations |publisher=Norton |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-393-01177-7 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/cultureofnarciss00lascrich/page/9 9] |url-access=registration}} Quoting {{cite news |first = Peter |last = Marin |title = The New Narcissism |magazine = [[Harper's Magazine|Harper's]] |date = October 1975 |page = 48 }}</ref>

[[George Leonard]], a magazine writer and editor who conducted research for an article on human potential, became an important early influence on Esalen. Leonard claims that he coined the phrase "Human Potential Movement" during a brainstorming session with Michael Murphy, and popularized it in his 1972 book ''The Transformation: A Guide to the Inevitable Changes in Humankind''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Leonard |first=George |url=https://archive.org/details/transformationgu00leon |title=The Transformation: A Guide to the Inevitable Changes in Humankind |publisher=Tarcher |year=1972 |isbn=978-0-87477-169-5}}</ref> Leonard worked closely with the Esalen Institute afterwards, and in 2005 served as its president.

[[Martin Seligman]] emphasized [[positive psychology]] during his term as president of the APA beginning in 1998.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}  Positive psychology focuses on cultivation of [[eudaimonia]], an Ancient Greek term for "the good life" and the concept for reflection on the factors that contribute the most to a well-lived and fulfilling life, often using the terms [[subjective well-being]] and happiness interchangeably.