Scott Barry Kaufman
Cognitive Scientist and Humanistic Psychologist, The Modern Maslow, Founder, Center for Human Potential & Host: The Psychology Podcast
Scott Barry Kaufman
Cognitive Scientist and Humanistic Psychologist, The Modern Maslow, Founder, Center for Human Potential & Host: The Psychology Podcast
Biography
Renowned humanistic psychologist, Scott Barry Kaufman, explores the depths of human potential by challenging traditional metrics of success. Using his research, knowledge of the science, and enthusiasm, Kaufman helps all kinds of minds live a more creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life.
His early educational experiences made him realize the deep reservoir of untapped potential of students, including bright and creative children who have been diagnosed with a learning disability. Today, Kaufman shares the science of thriving at work and growing from setback as well as how to foster self-actualization and creativity in the workplace and in education.
His latest book Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, presents a new hierarchy of human needs for the 21st century, one that allows for the fulfillment of individual potential as well as the actualization of transcendent purpose and peak experiences. He is the author of Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined, Twice Exceptional: Supporting and Educating Bright and Creative Students with Learning Difficulties, The Complexity of Greatness: Beyond Talent or Practice, The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence, The Philosophy of Creativity: New Essays, and The Psychology of Creative Writing.
Kaufman has received numerous accolades his research and in 2020 was selected as one of “The Top 20 Psychologists 40 & Under” by The Best Schools. He has also been recognized as one of “50 groundbreaking scientists who are changing the way we see the world” by Business Insider.
Kaufman is a regular contributor to The Atlantic and Scientific American, sharing insights into intelligence, creativity, personality, and well-being. Kaufman hosts the #1 psychology podcast in the world, “The Psychology Podcast,” which has received over 20 million downloads and was included in Business Insider’s list of “9 podcasts that will change how you think about human behavior.”
Kaufman has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, among others. During his time at University of Pennsylvania, Kaufman was asked by Angela Duckworth to take over her U Penn course, Introduction to Positive Psychology as she was working on her book Grit. Upon the book’s completion, she asked Kaufman to keep the class as it had become so popular under his lead.
During his tenure as Scientific Director of the Imagination Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, he investigated how we measure human potential, perseverance, achievement, and creativity.
Challenging stereotypes, Kaufman determined his own path that led him from special-ed to scientist. He received a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Yale University, and an MPhil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge under a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Kaufman is a flow and self-actualization coach, in which he personally helps people get more engaged in their work and reach their full potential. He has shared his ideas all over the world, including for major groups at LEGO, Vogue, the Aspen Ideas Festival, and the Creativity World Forum.
Speaker Videos
Maslow and More
This cognitive scientist rebuilt Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for today’s world
TEDx: A New Theory of Human Intelligence
Imagination Network
Gift of Messy Minds
Sailing Towards Transcendence
The Messy Minds of Creative People | Microsoft
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Updated for the 21st Century | Big Think
There’s an Actual Formula for Reaching Your Goals
From Evaluation to Inspiration | Aspen Institute
Maslow & the New Science of Self Actualization
Speech Topics
Rise Above: How to Reach Your Full Potential & Empower Others
Never before has the world been busier, more convoluted, and difficult to navigate than it is today. Competition is fierce and the technology that is penetrating the market is confusing us in ways we’ve never imagined before. Of course all of this results in an inability to perform at our best, be as productive as we’d like to be, and ultimately achieve the creativity and excellence that we know we’re capable of. We need to stop trying to push harder, work faster, and blindly do more, and instead learn strategies that will truly help us be more creative, self-actualize, regulate our emotions, and not only bounce back but grow forward after distress.
Scott Barry Kaufman is a top 1% most cited scientists in the world, has a P.h.D. from Yale, has taught with Oprah, and hosts the #1 psychology podcast in the world because of his ability to help the leaders around the world rise above and achieve maximum human potential. Scott differentiates “potential inhibitors” from “potential activators” and systematically helps attendees harness an empowering mindset, regulate their emotions, be mindful of their character strengths, and channel their thoughts into higher creativity and productivity.
In this engaging, actionable, and humorous talk, Scott Barry Kaufman helps people transition from fear about the future to confidence like they’ve never experienced before so that they can continue to perform at their best and achieve the excellence they know is possible by implementing these science-backed strategies and leading incredibly high performing teams along the way.
Attendees will learn:
- The characteristics and actions to effectively self-actualize
- The science of psychological flexibility and thought regulation
- How the sailboat model can guide you to your desired destination
- How to draw on and leverage unique character strengths to rise above
- 5 dangers to avoid when seeking and living an empowerment mindset
SCOTT BARRY KAUFMAN is the world’s leading authority on the science of human potential. He has worked with thousands of leaders from category leading companies such as Google, Deloitte, Vogue, and Under Armour, helping them achieve what they are truly capable of through a research-backed, accessible, and actionable framework that he humorously shares from some of the biggest stages in the world. He is the perfect blend of deep research and content that has attendees smiling from ear-to-ear as he delivers exactly what audiences need to hear in a way that is accessible to everyone.
Reimagining Education: A New View of Human Intelligence
In an educational system founded on rigid standards and categories, students who demonstrate a very specific manifestation of intelligence get the keys to the kingdom, while those who deviate tend to fall between the cracks. After overcoming his own struggles with how intelligence is defined, passion and perseverance for long-term personal goals are at the core of Scott Barry Kaufman’s new theory of Personal Intelligence. Kaufman elucidates that if we want to increase self-actualization in students, we need to take into account the child’s dreams, passions, and goals, and harness their greatest strengths in the service of realizing who they truly want to become. A leading expert in the exciting new field of human-centered education, Kaufman applies the latest science of positive psychology and self-actualization coaching to help all people get on the path to reach their full potential. Kaufman’s research has particular implications for children who have learning difficulties, including dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and emotional and behavioral disorders, as well as other vulnerable populations, such as ethnic and racial minority students.
Presenting cutting-edge, original research, Kaufman shows how student intelligence is a natural outcome of harnessing the unique strengths in children, as well as building on their unique learning challenges. By seeing the whole child, we can see higher levels of creativity and performance that we never could have predicted.
The Joy of Self-Actualization: Strategies for a Healthcare Workplace that Thrives
Staffing shortages in healthcare are at an all-time high and clinicians & administration are being pushed to the limit, increasingly burned out. Many healthcare workers place the well-being of others before self, but to also ensure their own well-being and to provide the best care for their patients, healthcare workers need focus on themselves first. At work we often feel a need to prioritize our patients well being, over our own. But as Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman knows, these two priorities aren’t an “either or” scenario. A leading expert on unlocking the potential of all people, Dr. Kaufman applies the latest science of self-actualization to help you work through your stress and get on the path to self-awareness and wellness. Drawing from his popular Columbia course called “TheScience of Living Well", Dr. Kaufman will provide practical approaches to well-being and self-actualization in a workplace setting, through the appreciation of deep joy. The most profound moments of joy don’t come from the momentary highs, but from an biding sense that one’s life is meaningful and that we are a part of something greater than ourselves. In this talk, Dr. Kaufman will help remind you why you chose the healthcare profession and how find joy and reconnect to your self and your work, despite the challenges. He will present the human needs that lead to meaningful fulfillment, focusing on the needs for connection, purpose, and existential gratitude. We can find joy in the everyday moments of our lives by connecting with others, by reflecting on the meaning behind our successes as well as our hardest challenges, by living our purpose, and by savoring what we already have and experience on a daily basis. This talk will inspire you to see more possibilities in your life and work, expand your idea of what joy means, and actualize your greatest potentials.
Testimonials
Books & Media
Books
Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential
Choose Growth: A Workbook for Transcending Trauma, Fear, and Self-Doubt
Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization
Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind
Twice Exceptional: Supporting and Educating Bright and Creative Students with Learning Difficulties
Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined
The Psychology of Creative Writing
The Philosophy of Creativity: New Essays
Mating Intelligence Unleashed: The Role of the Mind in Sex, Dating, and Love
The Complexity of Greatness: Beyond Talent or Practice