From Hiding to Hero: Will Byers and the Ongoing Cycle of Self-Actualization
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(Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 1 below!)
Hey y'all! — I hope this message finds you well.
The time has finally arrived—After 3+ years, Stranger Things returned to Netflix with its 5th and final season. Volume 1 released November 26th and its four, 1+ hour chapters left its fandom speechless. If you frequent here, you know I love to relate authenticity and self-healing to pop culture. As soon as I picked my jaw off the floor from that chillingly, exciting ending—my brain gears got to spinning.
I talk a lot about becoming our authentic selves, but the truth is: authenticity isn’t a destination... it’s a cycle. A continual process of growing, shedding, healing, and evolving. Every season of your life calls for you to step into a new version of yourself, to quantum leap — and that transformation often mirrors Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a foundational psychological theory in personal development.
From physiological needs to self-actualization, we revisit each level every time we expand. And the ongoing journey of Will Byers from Stranger Things is an amazing example!
Note: This commentary focuses solely on Will Byers’ narrative arc. The real-life views of actors are separate from this analysis.
Why Self-Actualization Isn’t One-and-Done
Many people think self-actualization is a final form, but real personal growth means you will:
- evolve
- outgrow old identities
- redefine your values
- build new forms of safety
- and discover desires you couldn't have imagined in an earlier version of you
This is normal and it's healthy, but it's continuous work. And every time you shift, you naturally revisit the levels of Maslow’s hierarchy:
- Physiological Needs: You stabilize your body, routines, and daily life during a new chapter.
- Safety Needs: You find (or rebuild) security — emotionally, physically, financially, or spiritually.
- Love & Belonging: Your relationships evolve. You seek connections that align with who you are becoming, not who you once were.
- Esteem Needs: You cultivate internal confidence, validation, and self-respect as you grow into new roles.
- Self-Actualization: You step into your authentic self — the version aligned with your present truth.
And then, as life expands again, the cycle restarts. This is what makes self-actualization a lifelong journey, not a single transformation.
⚠️ Spoilers Ahead: Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 1 ⚠️
How Will Byers Embodies the Self-Actualization Cycle
From the moment the series begins, Will’s story is one of survival, identity, quiet strength, and ultimately — powerful transformation.
Season 1–4: A Life Lived in the Shadows
Will spent much of the early seasons navigating trauma, invisibility, and internal conflict:
- Physiological & Safety: He's literally fighting to survive — abducted, possessed, controlled by forces larger than himself. His nervous system is constantly in survival mode.
- Belonging & Love: As the group grows and matures, Will feels increasingly out of place. His friendships shift, his identity deepens, and his sexuality becomes a quiet storm within.
- Esteem: Will rarely advocates for his own needs. He internalizes a sense of "otherness," living in a shell shaped by fear and uncertainty.
His self-actualization is stalled — not because he’s weak, but because he’s human. He’s surviving, adapting, and trying to find his way in his world.
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Season 5, Vol. 1: The Rebirth (Spoilers)
Will’s arc drastically changes in the latest volume. By the end of Vol. 1, we witness the beginning of the version of Will he was always meant to become.
- He steps into his power — literally and emotionally.
- He begins embracing his identity rather than hiding from it.
- He discovers the strength that has always lived quietly inside of him. And not just necessarily from the given/borrowed abilities from Vecna, but his own inner sorcerer.
- And in one of the most anticipated reveals, he begins stepping into his Will the Sorcerer form — not just as a fighter, but as someone fully in command of his truth, intuition, and inner magic.
This isn’t just character development. It’s liberation.
Will’s Self-Actualization Breakdown
Image: Simply Psychology
Physiological & Safety: He stabilizes within his body, for now at least. Once he hones into the power within, he is able to save Mike, Lucas, and Robin from a bloody fate. His body and mind are finally on one accord.
Belonging & Love: He expands his platonic relationships beyond Mike, Dustin, and Lucas; engaging more with Rockin' Robin. Robin not only encourages him to trust himself more (fleeing the WSQK HQ and Joyce's stifling, motherly grip), but also by way of reassuring him in his inner battle with his sexuality that she has already conquered for herself.
Esteem: For the first time, Will looks within and sees himself as powerful, capable, and worthy — not a liability, not an afterthought, but a force in his own right.
Self-Actualization: By the end of Vol. 1, Will isn’t just part of the story — he is the story. He transcends into Will the Sorcerer not because the power suddenly appears, but because he grew into the version of himself that could finally grasp it. This Upside down world started with him and it'll end with him.
But again, self-actualization is an ongoing journey. Will, Will continue expanding within his new unlocked abilities or will it become too much— urging him to shrink back into his safe cloak of invisibility and quivering on the ground as the others shield his body from danger? We'll just have to impatiently, patiently wait until the 2nd and 3rd volumes release respectively on Christmas and NYE.
How This Mirrors Your Own Journey of Becoming
Just like Will, you aren't meant to stay one version of yourself forever.
You will:
- Outgrow versions of yourself you once prayed for.
- Shed identities that once protected you.
- Heal from stories that once defined you.
- Step into new rooms where old versions of you can't survive.
- Discover new strengths that make you want more for yourself.
And each time you shift, you’ll revisit your needs. You’ll have to rebuild safety. And redefine belonging. And re-establish what esteem means to you.
And then… you’ll rise again.
Reflection Prompts for Your Own Self-Actualization
To connect this lesson back to your healing:
- What version of yourself are you outgrowing right now?
- Which need (safety, belonging, esteem) is asking for your attention?
- Where are you shrinking that you're meant to expand?
- What identity or desire is quietly calling you forward?
- What would your "sorcerer-form" look like — the version of you who is fully self-actualized right now?
You're always allowed to change and become someone new — over and over again. Your evolution doesn’t stop and your desires shouldn’t either.
Growth is meant to be continual — and so is becoming. And every time you do, you get closer to your truest, most aligned self.
Until next time.
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