The Psychology of the Person Chapter 11 Humanistic Approach

Naomi Wagner, Ph.D Lecture Outlines Based on Burger, 8th edition

The Third Force

The Humanistic approach has emerged in the late 1960s, primarily as a reaction to the two major views of humanity popular at that time The Freudian perspective and its emphasis on unconscious sexual and aggressive instincts The behavioral perspective, and its emphasis on the mechanical nature of responses to stimuli in the environment. The humanistic perspective, thus, as been called the third force.

Roots of the Humanistic Approach 1. Existential Philosophy

Existential philosophy addresses many of the questions that later became the cornerstone of the Humanistic approach, such as, the meaning of our existence, the role of free will, and the uniqueness of each individual. The existentialists, such as Rollo May, focused on existential anxiety- the feeling of dread associated with the realization that there is no meaning to ones life.

2. The clinical experiences of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.

The founders of the Humanistic Approach, Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, were both therapists At that time, the Freudian model of therapy was popular, viewing the therapist as an expert who tells the client what is the problem Rogers maintained that it was only the client that is responsible for the therapeutic direction The therapist can create conditions for selfexploration.

Key Elements of the Humanistic Approach

Emphasis on personal responsibility (You dont have to do your homework, you have chosen to do so). You are not a victim of circumstances! Emphasis on the need to function in the here and now Do not be a captive of your past! Acknowledging the phenomenology of the individual- - the fact that it is only the client (in therapy) that can make decision for him/herself. Emphasis on personal growthRogers called this becoming a fully functioning, while Maslow referred to this idea as self-actualization.

Self-Actualization- What is it?

There is more to life than the absence of problems The Humanistic perspective maintain that we all have a drive toward selfactualization To become that best we can become, in the context of our life (you do not have to receive the Nobel Prize).

Carl Rogers and Person-Centered Therapy

The role of the therapist is to create an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard to enable the clients self-exploration and becoming fully functioning. Paraphrasing and reflection of feelings were methods to facilitate self-exploration Rogers described the fully- functioning person as an ideal for healthy personality. Rogers saw anxiety as resulting from our inability to incorporate information that is inconsistent with our self-image

Rogers (cont-d)
Note his emphasis on socialenvironmental causes of emotional maladjustment (in contrast to the biological approach), when he sees parental conditional acceptance. The Rogerian therapist would say to a client: I do not like what you did, but I still respect you as a human being.

Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow was interested in exploring the sources of happy, healthy personality. His approach was optimistic, regarding human beings as free-willed individuals, and not as captive by unconscious drives His contribution is in the hierarchy of needs, and in the study of the psychologically-healthy individuals.

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow distinguished between D (deficiency) needs and B (being) needs. Physiological needs Safety needs Love and Belongingness needs Esteem needs (you value yourself, and others also value you) Self-Actualization needs

Misconceptions about Maslow Hierarchy You do not have to fulfill all the needs in one level to climb to the next level Some people who starve for their loved one, or for their life work Te needs in each level are never fully satisfied There are cultural differences in the ways the needs are regarded and are fulfilled

The psychologically-Healthy People

Maslows study of the psychologicallyhealthy people was Not empirically-based He examined his friends, whom he judged to be psychologically healthy, as well as historical figures His analysis was holistic and subjective Yet, it was relevant that he called attention to the healthy aspects of human nature

Attributes of the Psychologically-Healthy people

Sense of humor Creativity- not in artistic talent, but in being able to perform mundane tasks in a non-routine manner. Open to new experiences Having peak experiences- which involve the transcendence of time and place.

The Psychology of Optimal Experience and Positive Psychology The legacy of the Humanistic Approach is in the emergence of the new branch of psychology, Positive Psychology This branch focuses of human virtues, strengths, resilience, and coping with adversity An important topic is the pursuit of happiness- What is happiness?

The Psychology of Optimal Experience

In searching for the meaning of happiness, Csikszentmihlyi introduced the concept of flow, quite similar to Maslows Peak Experience It involves being totally absorbed in an activity that requires your full attention and utilizes your skills to the utmost You have a feeling you are in a state of flow There are 8 components of the flow (see textbook).

Applications
Rogers applied his ideas into a system of therapy that emphasizes the creation of the right conditions to allow the client to accept him/herself, and to achieve personal growth. Extending to the client unconditional positive regard facilitates this goal. Maslows hierarchy of needs has been applied into understanding job satisfaction and vocational choices.

Current Status
Though the Humanistic Approach was quite popular when it first came out, and though it introduced therapeutic strategies that are still applied today, its popularity had waned. The positive tone of the approach, that is seen as the forerunner of Positive Psychology, is certainly a plus.

Limitations of the Humanistic Approach Many of the concepts do not lend themselves for operational definitions and for scientific study. A great deal of the studies conducted by Maslow and Rogers to support their ideas were based on their own subjective impressions and intuition. The concept of free will has been challenged.

(cont-d)
Some researchers questioned the effectiveness of the Rogerian therapy (how do you measure success in therapy?). It may be more appropriate for people in life transitions than for deep-seated psychological disorders The appropriateness of relying on the client to make accurate appraisals of themselves has been questioned. The nave assumptions about the goodness of individuals.