Abraham Maslow’s Notion of Self- Actualization in Philip Roth’s American Pastoral

Abstract

This article makes the argument more specifically on the humanistic psychology; a vibrant movement of the late 1950s; emphasizing the qualities, growth, need, creativity, and motivation of an individual. Philip Roth’s American Pastoral was an American classic, a novel of

American culture. It is not only a biography, but an intensive interpretation of the fall of American dream. The author demonstrates the American Pastoral from the humanistic point of view. This paper attempts to analyse the humanistic attitudes and values in the novel American Pastoral. The process from the basic to the being needs in the novel is being critically expressed within the framework of the humanistic psychology.