Starting with Purpose: How Highly Sensitive People Develop Differently

You’ve probably come across Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a theory suggesting that people develop through a sequence of needs, from basic survival to self-actualisation. However, some experts have noted that highly sensitive people (HSPs) may experience these needs in reverse—beginning with a drive for meaning and self-actualisation before addressing their physiological and safety needs.

As psychotherapist Ane Axford suggests, “HSPs start at the top with transcendence needs and work down to the physiological needs last.” This inverted development often shapes HSPs’ life experiences and the quest for a purposeful existence.

What Does Starting with Meaning Look Like for HSPs?

For many highly sensitive people, transcendence isn’t an end goal but a starting point. They feel an inherent drive to make choices that contribute to the greater good, not just to meet personal goals. This focus on meaning can manifest as:

• A need to understand why something is done before participating in it.
• Feeling connected to something bigger, like the natural world, community, or humanity.
• Mind-body-spirit integration, where every action has a broader significance.

This reverse approach can be both liberating and intense. Many HSPs report an early awareness that their lives must have a purpose. They experience physiological and higher needs as interconnected: When they address their physical well-being (such as eating well or exercising), they fuel their capacity to meet their higher purpose. This holistic integration becomes the foundation for a life that feels authentically meaningful.

The Sailboat Metaphor: Developing Through an Ocean of Potential

In his book Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman offers a fresh perspective on Maslow’s theory. Kaufman compares the journey of self-actualisation to a sailboat rather than a pyramid. He suggests life is like navigating a vast ocean filled with uncertainty rather than climbing a rigid hierarchy.

In this metaphor, HSPs are like finely tuned sailboats, extremely sensitive to the waves and currents that others might ignore. For highly sensitive individuals, this is a gift and a challenge. Their journey isn’t about “winning” at life by completing levels; instead, it’s about achieving harmony within themselves and with others, integrating meaning, relationships, and creativity as they sail forward.

When The Drive For Purpose Leaves Basic Needs Unmet

Starting with a sense of meaning brings a profound purpose but can also be risky. For HSPs, the drive for connection and transcendence sometimes leads them into situations that aren’t safe or supportive. They may stay in unfulfilling or harmful environments out of a desire to contribute or find meaningful relationships, hoping to create or find purpose there.

The differential susceptibility theory suggests that sensitive individuals are profoundly influenced by their environments, for better or worse. HSPs thrive in nurturing, secure settings. These environments allow them to fully explore their potential, often leading to remarkable growth, creativity, and resilience. However, when basic needs aren’t met, sensitive individuals may experience long-term dysregulation, becoming drained by environments that don’t offer the safety or stability they need.

This lack of grounding can lead to dysregulation, a state of heightened anxiety, depletion, and even burnout. An HSP might feel connected to a cause or relationship but overlook their needs for rest, nutrition, and emotional security. In these cases, the drive for meaning, typically a source of strength, can become a source of vulnerability, leaving HSPs trapped in relationships or pursuits that detract from their well-being.

Developing Safety to Support Full Potential

Recognising the importance of grounding in basic needs can help HSPs avoid this pitfall. When honouring their need for comfort and stability, they build a foundation supporting their journey toward meaning and purpose. This approach doesn’t mean abandoning their drive for a higher purpose but instead creating conditions that allow it to flourish.

In safe, supportive environments, HSPs find a balance across their physical, emotional, and transcendental needs. They become more adaptable, weathering the “choppy surf” of new opportunities, relationships, and creative endeavours without losing touch with themselves. By integrating these needs, they can explore transcendence in a way that’s both sustainable and fulfilling, channelling their sensitivity into pursuits that enrich not only their own lives but also those around them.

Self-actualisation is a Journey, Not a Destination

Self-actualisation for HSPs isn’t about reaching the top of a hierarchy; it’s about an ongoing journey of becoming. This journey embraces potential as a dynamic energy that ebbs and flows, manifesting through creativity, intuition, and deep connection.

HSPs, as “gentle rebels,” often resist conforming to societal norms or following a rigid path. Instead, they’re attuned to collective values, environmental impacts, and the well-being of others. They seek to create a life that resonates with their unique values, contributing positively to the world without compromising their needs.

HSPs can explore, develop, and express their potential in safe and nurturing environments. They can cultivate meaningful, personally fulfilling lives that benefit the broader community. This approach connects with co-regulation: As HSPs navigate life’s “ocean,” they can support and inspire others, fostering a sense of shared purpose and interconnectedness.

Sensitive Navigators and the Collective Good

When HSPs develop within environments that honour their need for safety and meaning, they are able to uniquely contribute to the collective good. They bring an essential perspective, often serving as “safety warning systems” that remind us of the bigger picture and the long-term effects of our choices.

By understanding their reverse hierarchy of needs and grounding it in helpful practices, HSPs can develop in ways that allow them to thrive. This balance helps them explore their empathy and perception, supporting and enhancing the collective potential in the process.

Through this perspective, HSPs offer a powerful reminder: self-actualisation isn’t about isolated achievement but collective growth, collaboration, and interdependence. Together, we navigate the ocean of potential, each of us in our sailboat yet impacted by the same waves and currents, connected in our shared journey.