The View and Feelings of Thomas Jefferson in The Inner Jefferson by Andrew Burnstein

The View and Feelings of Thomas Jefferson in The Inner Jefferson by Andrew Burnstein

According to Maslow self-actualized people exibit the same fifteen characteristics. The book, The Inner Jefferson, by Andew Burnstein, expressed the views and feelings of Thomas Jefferson. Using these as a guideline to his life, it is obvious, that Thomas Jefferson was a self-actualized individual.

One of the characteristics portrayed, is the ability to feel emotions more deeply than the average person. Jefferson placed himself and his family in a small circle of friends. That core of friends embodied the highest degree of love and responsibility. To Jefferson, qualitative circles of affection could be constructed; their associated "connections" comprised an individuals life. "The Circle of our nearest connections is the only one in which a faithful and lasting affection can be found, one which will adhere to us under all changes and chances," said Jefferson to his daugther after she was married for a year. (5)

Self-actualized individuals also have a renewed appreciation for the basic goods of life. "His artistry lay in the means by which he nourished his mind. Books and the pleasing society of compatible souls were life-giving. To James Madison and John Adams he often shared the stimulating thoughts that the newly digested readings provoked in him. No less, he found satisfaction in the reproducible pleasure of gardening, writing to Charles Willson Peale, "No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden."" (9)

Maslow also states that those who are self-actualized enjoy privacy and solitude to a greater extent than average. Jefferson had a second estate, cal...

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... thought to the prospect of eternal rest. With seven decades and more to reflect upon, he had few pressing goals and little fear of death. He dwelled contentedly on ancient assessments of the human contition. With entertaining thoughts of mortality in his third decade, however, he had been a learner, filled with imagination of limitless horizons." (255) Maslow stated that self-actualized people have feelings of unlimited horizons, that they feel that they can do anything.

In conclusion, Maslow himself believed that Thomas Jefferson was a self-actualized historical figured, as stated in his article. Jefferson exhibited the caracteristics described by Maslow, making him a good model for self-actualizining individuals today.

Bibliography:

Works Consulted

Burnstein, Andrew. The Inner Jefferson. Virginia: The University of Virginia Press, 1997