HUMANISTIC- EXIXENTIAL MODEL

 The humanistic approach in psychology developed as a

rebellion against what some psychologists saw as the

limitations of the behaviorist and psychodynamic psychology.
The humanistic approach is thus often called the “third force”
in psychology after psychoanalysis and behaviorism.

 Humanism rejected the assumptions of the behaviorist

perspective which is characterized as deterministic, focused on

reinforcement of stimulus-response behavior and heavily
dependent on animal research
 This is a combination model, uniting the humanist and
existential views
 The humanist model emphasizes people as friendly,
cooperative, and constructive.
 Focus is on the drive to self-actualization through honest
recognition of strengths and weaknesses
 The existentialist model places an emphasis on self-
determination, choice, and individual responsibility; focus
is on authenticity
 Humanistic psychology emphasizes self-acceptance,
personal values, personal meaning and individual choice.
 Existential psychology emphasizes self-determination,
choice and individual responsibility.
 The new model combined the two and was named
the humanistic-existential model.
 Humanistic psychologists believe that everyone has
problems that hold them back from reaching their fullest
potential.
 Where old models of psychologists concerned themselves
with specific disorders, humanistic psychologists were
concerned with treating the whole person.
 ASSUMPTIONS OF HUMANISTIC
MODEL
1. People are basically good, and have an innate need to make
themselves and the world better

2. People are motivated to self-actualize.

3. The subjective, conscious experiences of the individual is most

important.

4. Humanism rejects scientific methodology.

5. Humanism rejected comparative psychology (the study of

animals) because it does not tell us anything about the unique
properties of human beings.
 The primary theory and therapy associated with the

humanistic component of the model is Rogers’

Humanistic Theory and Therapy

 A common theme running through all of rogers writings is

his basic trust in the clients ability to move forward in

constructive manner if the appropriate conditions fostering
growth are present.
 He firmly maintains that people are trustworthy, resourceful

,capable of self understanding and self direction, able to make

constructive changes and able to live effective and productive lives.

 Rogers does not agree with the view that clients cannot be trusted

and they need to be guided, directed, motivated, instructed,

rewarded, punished, controlled and managed by experts.

 Rogers has identified there are three basic human needs which create

promoting atmosphere in which clients can become what they are capable
of becoming.
 Congruence : - Where a person’s ideal self and actual experience are

consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists.

 Unconditional positive regard: - Unconditional positive regard is

where parents, significant others (and the humanist therapist) accepts

and loves the person for what he or she is.

 Empathetic understanding: - perceiving the inner world of the client

as it is his own
According to Rogerians the following characteristics distinguish
person centered counseling from other approaches.

1. The person centered approach emphasizes the phenomenal

world of the client.

2. Clients who knew themselves best are the ones to discover

more appropriate behaviour for themselves based on a growing
self- awareness.

3. The approach focuses on the clients responsibility and ability to

discover ways of encountering reality.
4. Psychotherapy is regarded as only one instance of
constructive human relationship.

5. The approach work with the basic assumption that people

experience therapeutic growth in and through a relationship
with another person who is congruent, accepting and
empathetic.
GESTALT THERAPY
 Another primary theory in the humanistic model is gestalt
theory and its associated therapy

 Developed by Fritz Perls, the goal is to achieve client self-

recognition through patient-challenging techniques.

 Gestalt therapy is a humanistic, holistic, person-centered

form of psychotherapy that is focused on an individual's
present life and challenges rather than delving into past
experiences. This approach stresses the importance of
understanding the context of a person’s life and taking
responsibility rather than placing blame.
 Gestalt therapy was developed by Fritz Perls, with the help

of his wife at the time, Laura Perls. Both Fritz and Laura
were trained in psychoanalysis and Gestalt psychology.

 Along with others, such as Paul Goodman, they worked

together to develop a style of therapy that was humanistic

in nature. In other words, the approach focused on the
person and the uniqueness of their experience.
 Gestalt therapy tries to bring in both external (the people) and

internal (aspects of the self) awareness to the client .

 Awareness enables the client to make informed choices and to

live meaningful life.

 It assumes that clients have the capacity to regulate themselves in

their environment if they are fully aware of what is happening in

and around them.

 Gestalt therapist is not the changing the agent. He is only

assisting the client to increase the awareness.

 Techniques in gestalt therapy are :
 a. Empty Chair
This is a role-playing exercise that allows a client to
imagine and participate in a conversation with another
person or another part of themselves
 b. Role Play
 Similar to the empty chair, the client speaks as both, which
is the more demanding side of their personality and the one
which is the more submissive and
obedient side of their
personality.
 C. Words and language
 I talk: the client using “It” in the place of “I” imply

depersonalization.

 You talk: substitution of “you” in the place of “I” – imply

global and impersonal attitude

Existential approach
 Like humanists, existentialists believe that psychological

dysfunction is caused by self-deception: people hide from life’s

responsibilities and fail to recognize that it is up to them to give
meaning to their lives

 Therapy is focused on patient acceptance of personal

responsibility for their problems and recognition of freedom of

action

 For these therapists, the goals of treatment are more important

than the use of any specific technique. These therapists tend to

be eclectic in their use of therapy tools
 The unique feature of existential therapy is that it is
not bound by any specific techniques. They have a set
of assumptions and attitudes that guide their
interventions.

 There is a great emphasis placed on the client-

therapist relationship.

 Existential therapists do not believe that experimental

methods can adequately test the effectiveness of their
treatments; as a result, little controlled research has
been conducted
 Existential psychotherapy uses a positive approach that

applauds human capacities and aspirations while

simultaneously acknowledging human limitations.
Existential psychotherapy shares many similarities
with humanistic psychology
 Similarities
 Existential and humanistic approaches to the study of human
behavior are often merged into one, The Existential-Humanistic
Approach, because the two approaches are considered to be similar
and minimal difference.
 Humanistic psychology is rooted in and influenced by existential
thought.
 Theorists who advocate the integration of existential and humanistic
approaches draw on the similarities between the two approaches
such as their shared emphasis on freedom, lived experience, and
subjectivity .
 In other words, both existential and humanistic psychology are
phenomenological in their orientations by valuing subjective
experience over objective reality. Accordingly, the two approaches
have been jointly referred to as ‘‘the phenomenological approach’’.
 Divergence

 Accordingly, some have proposed that existential psychology is

concerned with the ‘‘dark and bleak’’ aspects of human
experience, such as anxiety and death.
 Humanistic psychology focuses on the positive aspects of
human experience, such as growth and self-actualization.
 Others have observed that, in contrast to humanists who
believe that people are ‘‘basically good’’.
 existentialists, in recognizing man’s potentialities for growth
and greatness, as well as for evil and destruction, make no
assumptions about the essential goodness or badness of human
nature.
 Subject Of inquiry of Existential psychology is Human
existence whereas Humanistic psychology Human self.
 Strengths of the model:
 H-E emphasizes the individual and taps into domains
missing from other theories
 This is a nondeterministic model and, as such, is more
optimistic than most models seen in abnormal psychology
 The emphasis of this model is on health rather than illness
 Weaknesses of the model:
 H-E focuses on abstract issues and has been criticized for
not dealing with “serious” mental health problems,

 The model has not had much influence on the field, due, in
part, to its disapproval of the scientific approach, but this is
changing somewhat.