<p>Currently, the number and level of complexity of problem situations in which a person must make decisions and be responsible for the process of their implementation and consequences is increasing. The current situation requires an answer to the question about the essence of responsibility, about its acceptance and its relationship with the self-actualization of the individual. These indicators are especially important for the younger generation, since youth is one of the main resources of society. Thanks to the possibilities of the Internet, the availability of information in our time, young people are actively involved in politics, economics, science, and also successfully realize themselves in other areas. This work is aimed at revealing the concept of &ldquo;self-actualization&rdquo; from the point of view of humanistic psychology and activity theory. The materials of an empirical study obtained on a sample of young people in the city of Smolensk are presented. The study (N=50) involved respondents aged 20 to 35, of which 46% were male and 54% were female. The technique &ldquo;Short scale of measurement of self-actualization&rdquo; (Jones and Crandall) was used, and the test of V.P. Pryadein &ldquo;Express-diagnostics of responsibility (ED)&rdquo;. The results obtained make it possible to say that there is a relationship between self-actualization and the level of responsibility among today's youth. It is assumed that it is creative thinking and acceptance of responsibility that help a person to actualize his abilities, reveal and most fully realize his potential in the interests of personal and social growth.</p>