Happiness and self-actualization under conditions of strain: a sample of homeless men.

Maslow's contention that happiness includes striving and is more than a hedonistic construct was tested in a sample of 146 homeless men. Since all participants were homeless, environmental experiences can be considered as largely held constant, allowing an examination of personality and happiness under conditions of strain. Principal axis factor analysis with promax and oblique rotations placed scores from the measures Unhappy-Happy and the Brief Index of Self-actualization on the same factor which supported Maslow's idea. Humanistic-existential psychology has interest in the happiness construct particularly regarding the development of human potential.