The term is used in a wide variety of fields, from physics to the social sciences to indicate things that are in a state where they are able to change in ways ranging from the simple release of energy by objects to the realization of abilities in people.
The philosopher Aristotle incorporated this concept into his theory of potentiality and actuality,[2] a pair of closely connected principles which he used to analyze motion, causality, ethics, and physiology in his Physics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics and De Anima, which is about the human psyche.
[5] Early conceptions of human potential suggested that the full potential of any person was innate in that person from before their birth, possibly from the moment of their conception.
[7] According to the American Psychological Association, the human-potential model is an approach in the field of Education that "emphasizes the importance of helping learners to achieve the maximum development of their potential in all aspects of their functioning".
It was influenced by the work of those such as Abraham Maslow, and took the form of a type of psychological philosophy.