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You may have come across the philosophy of humanism in the course of your education, whether in the fields of history, art, or philosophy. Throughout history and across fields, this principle has been applied in many ways. And you've probably learned the fundamentals of psychology by now. But what exactly is humanistic psychology?
In this article, we will examine the origin of the humanistic approach in psychology, its most influential theorists (e.g., Abraham Maslow), and compare it to humanism itself.
What's the story behind humanistic psychology and what is its origin?
In the early 20th century, behaviourism was on the rise. The behaviourist perspective claims behaviour was the scientific approach related to mental processes. It was the sole area with which psychology concerned itself. Behaviourists did not believe studying thoughts, memory, emotion, or other non-objective processes was valuable. Psychoanalysis was developed simultaneously as behaviourism and studied phenomenons like impulses of the unconscious mind.
Sigmund Freud assumed that some people did not understand their motivations. So his approach was to help their patients to uncover the hidden urges that drove their behaviour. In the 1950s, psychologists developed a theoretical perspective that differed from both behaviourism and psychoanalysis.
Humanism is a blend of these dominant forces; its foundation is the Classical and Renaissance philosophy that emphasises self-realisation. The development of humanism was also bolstered by similar philosophical movements in Europe, such as developments in phenomenology and existentialism.
Self-realisation is the ability to become aware of needs, take responsibility for choices, develop psychologically, intellectually, and ethically.
The humanistic approach interconnects concepts initiated in the mid-20th century in response to two theories — the psychodynamic theories created by Sigmund Freud and the behaviourism theory developed by B.F. Skinner. The blending of both was considered the “third force” in psychology.
Abraham Maslow and Clark Moustakas made enormous contributions igniting the humanistic approach as a discipline in psychology. They showed their interest in establishing a professional association that emphasised humanistic psychology development, creating a professional resource to designate personal attributes that were considered helpful to the production process demanded by a post-industrial society. In 1961, the American Association for Humanistic Psychology was founded after receiving sponsorship from Brandeis University.
Carl Rogers’ work was considered one of the first humanistic psychology sources; Otto Rank heavily influenced him. Rogers believed that focusing on developmental processes would lead his clients to a healthier, more creative personality; he created “actualising tendency”, which led Abraham Maslow to research self-actualisation as part of human needs. They introduced the idea of positive, humanistic psychology.
The principle of the humanistic approach is that everyone is unique and has their perspective towards the world. It holds a core belief that humans are good at heart and capable of making the right choices for themselves.
Humanism highlights that choosing to embrace your true self leads you to a fulfilling life. The humanistic psychology perspective insists that behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches are reductionist and deterministic. Its results cannot explain the holistic (holism focuses on understanding all aspects of human experience and interaction) complexity of human behaviour.
Claimed by James Bugental in 1964 and later adapted by Tom Greening. Five core principles outline the humanistic approach in psychology:
The most influential humanistic theorists introduced positive, humanistic psychology in response to what they viewed as the overly pessimistic view of psychoanalysis.
Carl Rogers believed in people’s free will, psychological growth, and the inherent goodness of people. He suggested that acknowledging tendencies is the driving force behind human behaviour. He has created person-centred therapy, a non-directive, non-judgmental process that allows people to access insights freely. The therapist engages in active listening during therapy sessions. Rogers was essentially interested in two basic human needs. Self-worth and unconditional positive regard. For Rogers, the idea of unhappiness and dissatisfaction are the results of a conflict between self-concept, or the idea you have about yourself, and the ideal self, or the idea of how you would like to be. Therefore, when an individual is in a state of congruence, the self-concept aligns with the ideal self. However, it is not common to be in unity all the time. For this reason, most individuals will experience some level of congruence.
Abraham Maslow believed that a hierarchy of needs moves people. The most basic needs centred on the basic needs of life — air, food, water, shelter, for example. When people move up the hierarchy, these needs become centred on esteem and self-actualisation. Self-actualisation can be a rare achievement, but it provides the possibility of true self-awareness and an honest relationship with the realities of an imperfect world.
Humanistic theories focus on self-development, growth and taking responsibility for a fulfilling life. It supports individuals achieving self-awareness and developing an honest relationship with reality and its imperfections, recognising their strengths and creativity. When a person is temporarily struggling, reaching their potential is blocked. Receiving the right support allows someone to achieve their goals and develop personal growth; mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Below you can find more concepts that the humanistic approach focuses on:
Self-actualisation.
Creativity.
Health.
Individuality.
Intrinsic nature.
Self.
Being.
Becoming.
Meaning.
Mindfulness.
Humanistic therapy is all about self-exploration. The following approaches can help you increase self-awareness and direct you towards finding a greater sense of purpose in life:
Existential Therapy.
Gestalt.
Human Givens.
Person-centred.
Psychosynthesis.
Reality therapy.
Solution-focused therapy.
Transactional analysis.
Transpersonal psychology.
Mindfulness therapy.
The psychodynamic and humanistic approaches can be similar but are quite different. The psychodynamic approach claims that behaviour is determined by early infancy desires and conflicts stored in the unconscious mind, also known as psychic determinism. On the other hand, the humanistic approach believes that humans can control their environment and change behaviour according to their needs—the humanistic approach advocates for complete free will. The humanistic psychologists' view assumes that individuals can take responsibility for their choices and behave the way they choose to. However, the two approaches have similarities, as the humanistic approach is interconnected with the psychodynamic approach but different in their perspective about humans controlling their behaviour.
Humanists believe that humans have free will, can control their own environment and are capable of change.
Behaviour is shaped by the environment as humans strive to achieve self-actualisation. Humanism has a nurturing approach towards individuals.
Humanism focuses on understanding all aspects of human experience and interaction, also known as holism.
The humanistic approach in psychology does not follow a scientific model. It rejects scientific methods, therefore unable to provide empirical evidence.
Humanistic therapists focus on the subjective human experience and make no attempt to create general laws; it is idiographic.
Humanistic psychology is a movement in psychology that believes that humans are unique beings and should be acknowledged and treated as such by psychologists and by themselves. It supports a holistic approach.
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow are the most influential theorists.
It holds a core belief that humans are good at heart and capable of making the right choices for themselves using their free will in order to achieve the goals they want to achieve in life.
Carl Rogers and the person-centred therapy, is one example of humanistic psychology.
The basic principles of humanistic psychology is that humans are unique, and have free will to achieve what they want towards their life.
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