Reality-Centered Counterfeit: Insecure

Reality-centered is unchanged from Maslow’s phrasing. According to Maslow, as a reality-centered individual, you have the ability to differentiate fake from genuine. I add that you also possess the ability to identify your own giftedness and the gifts of others. You also have a keen sense of the emotional depth of others—an awareness of those who are not genuine.

The counterfeit of the reality-centered individual is the realistic individual. If you are realistic, you experience giftedness as negative competition and seek to disguise your own ambition by pointing out the ambition of others. You thereby improperly focus the attention on a false humility that serves to stifle the individual contributions of others in the group.

Insecure, you seek to deny that individual gifts are important to group success preferring rather to proffer the false duality of individuality versus collectivism. You believe that individual giftedness can only lead to conceit. You mask your own insecurity, conceit, and lack of perceived ability by expertly degrading the ideas and contributions of others. You rarely have an original idea, but you are quick to counterpoint the original ideas of another. When called on your insecurity and lack of contribution you retort, “I’m just being realistic,” or “I’m just playing devil’s advocate.” In polite company, you may be applauded for being realistic. The truth is you are a hater disguising your own reckless ambition.

To experience the genuine reality-centered characteristic, be the best you can be and allow me to be my best. Our best ideas on the same team will yield greater outcomes than my best ideas or your best ideas alone. My gift does not diminish the brilliance of your gift. If my skill set is best for the problem at hand, and I step forward, you must not stand in my way.