However, his sense of self-respect is rendered incomplete because of his father. The struggle he experienced demonstrated this and though it did not define his whole being as he is now, it was the primary component in his life that made it a challenge to meet his need for esteem. 2. As the current president of the United States, Obama can be said as a successful person. However, it cannot be said that he is fulfilled and has achieved self-actualization. The absence of a father figure in Obama's life remains a struggle in his life that could determine his successful realization for self-actualization.

3. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs demonstrates how individual needs are categorized by levels and are comprised of different factors that may or may not apply to the individual. Using the Hierarchy of Needs alone, the theory cannot explain fully Obama's psyche, personality and behavior. Maslow's theory is but one of the explanations that could help understand the background of Obama...

Thus, any "out-of-sequence" level(s) in Maslow's theory could not fully determine any significant difference or explanation in Obama's life, personality, or behavior.
This exercise in applying Maslow's theory in the life and personal history of Obama allowed the researcher/author to understand how theories and models can be used to understand an individual's personality and behavior. However, an important learning gleaned from this exercise is that models and theories also do not fully explain the individual or a phenomenon, and provides only an understanding/explanation of one facet or dimension of an individual's life.

References

Barak Obama. (2012). Biography. Retrieved: http://www.biography.com/people/barack-obama-12782369

MacFarquhar, Larissa. (2007). The conciliator. The New Yorker. Retrieved: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/07/070507fa_fact_macfarquhar#ixzz1pbLlZHPI