According to the humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow, people seek to reach their fullest potential. This idea is similar to the proposal by the neo-Freudian Alfred Adler that people strive for superiority.
Maslow is well-known for his hierarchy of needs. According to his hierarchy of needs, self-actualization represents the highest order motivations, which drive us to realize our true potential and achieve our "ideal self". Alfred Adler coined the term superiority complex. He says the superiority complex compensates for an inferiority complex.