Fourteen Characteristics of a Fully Functioning Person

  1. Recognizes oneself as a person with intrinsic goodness that deserves respect.
  2. Feels deserving to have friends, praise, and attention.
  3. Takes care and shows concern about important others, and at the same time, allows oneself to be cared about.
  4. Has moments of happiness that provide a stable and continuous quality over long periods of time despite the inevitable moments of feeling of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
  5. Expresses oneself openly and is direct with other people in a nonviolent way.
  6. Knows one's individual qualities and how they are unique.
  7. Asks for help at the times when needs it the most.
  8. Shares problem with a trustworthy friends so that people will be able to offer her or him a support or help to feel better.
  9. Understands reasons for one's difficult moods and assigns meaning to them.
  10. Focuses on a particular task and makes sure to finish it, despite moments of feeling hopeless, stuck, and a failure.
  11. Accepts one's own vulnerabilities and weaknesses, and recognizes that anger, sadness, and fear belongs to us in the same way that goodness, joy, and strength do.
  12. Opens up to new and unknown situations or people that may involve risk and trusts in oneself and people.
  13. Ensures that she or he has either an enjoyable hobby or a job that provides a sense of fulfillment and competence.
  14. Laughs.


 

 

Recent Blog Posts

Featured
maslow.png
Five Human Needs

I think that this simple and insightful definition of human needs will help you recognize your most important needs (and find yourself situated on the path towards self-actualization).

Read More →
Measure Your Stress Level
Measure Your Stress Level

If you'd like to measure your stress level and its relation to your physical health, use Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale.  You can use it in two ways: 

Read More →
Seven Tips for Coping with Difficult Feelings
Seven Tips for Coping with Difficult Feelings

I have found that many of my patients benefit from using these seven tips to cope with difficult emotions. You, too, may find these tips helpful at difficult times. 

Read More →
  • “ "I have known Mrs. Makarova since September 2008 and I have had many opportunities to observe her psychodynamically and psychoanalytically-oriented clinical work. Mrs. Makarova's intellectual curiosity and ability to process complex issues make working with her very gratifying. It is my pleasure to recommend Mrs. Makarova to physicians on Peninsula and South Bay most strongly and without any reservations.” ”
    — Adjunct Clinical Faculty Member at Stanford School of Medicine, 2011
  • “ "I worked with Mrs. Makarova for several years as a colleague at the intensive outpatient clinic in San Francisco and was so impressed with her professionalism, incisive intellect, emotional honesty, and advanced clinical skills in in-depth psychodynamic treatment. She is the most empathic clinician I have ever worked with!" ”
    — Amrita Narayanan Psy.D. Staff Psychologist, Napa Hospital, 2010
  • “ "I have known Mrs. Makarova's working on a clinical team at RAMS, and I can say that she is a warm, thoughtful, and insightful clinician. Mrs. Makarova takes a determined and focused approach to every case she treats and has helped many patients improve greatly." ”
    — Postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University, 2009.
  • “ "Mrs. Makarova is unique in her ability to attend to people; their feelings, their longings and their experiences. She is a true professional and an open-hearted individual. Over the years she has had great success counseling high conflict couples and families. I truly believe that working with her will tilt the scales away from divorce and toward ongoing loving exchanges. For many years I have referred many of my students and their family members to Mrs. Makarova and always got stellar feedback. She combines science-based approaches, having trained in relational patterns at Stanford University, with a unique humanistic style of intervening. As a psychodynamic therapist Mrs. Makarova helps couples see beyond their entrenched relational dynamics and encourages new, functional ways of interchange. I am convinced that Mrs. Makarova's strategic and warm approach is an ideal choice for couples and families in the Peninsula, Bay Area." ”
    — Alberto Varona, Psy.D. Core Faculty, Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Program at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, 2012.