Humanistic Psychology

• In the 1960’s people became sick of

Freud’s negativity and trait
psychology’s objectivity.

•Along came psychologists wanted to

focus on “healthy” people and how to
help them strive to “be all that they
can be”.
 Abraham Maslow’s Self
Actualizing Person
• Hierarchy of Needs
•Ultimately seek self-
actualization (the
process of fulfilling our
potential).
•Maslow developed
his ideas by studying
what he termed
“healthy people”.
 Self-Actualized People
They share certain characteristics:
•They are self aware and self accepting
•Open and spontaneous
•Loving and caring
•Not paralyzed by others’ opinions.
•They are secure in who they are.
•Freud studied the ill,
Humanists studied the well.
 Self-Actualized People
• Problem centered rather than self-centered.

Focused their energies on a particular task.

Few deep relationships, rather than many

superficial ones.
 Self-Actualization
• These are the qualities that
make up a mature adult.

•These people have found their

calling in life.

Is this a goal worth striving

for?
 Carl Rogers:
The Humanistic Approach

Rogers believes that all creatures strive to make the

very best of their existence

If they fail to do so, it is not for a lack of desire!

Carl Rogers- humanist believed we have free will,
we need unconditional positive regard, need
congruence btween our ideal and actual self.
 Carl Rogers:
The Humanistic Approach

Two Basic Human Needs

Self Actualization: the need to fulfill all of
one’s potential.
Positive Regard: the need to receive
acceptance, respect, and affection from
others.
Positive regard often comes with conditions attached (“Conditions
of Worth”): We must meet others’ expectations to get it. This is
called Conditional Positive Regard.
B. Self concept (two parts)
1. Real self
-The you that you are meant to become

2. Ideal self
-The self we think we should be (unattainable)

Goal: Fully functioning Individual (congruency)

Uniting your real and ideal self
Basic Human Problem: The two needs are
often in conflict. Satisfying one may
mean giving up the other.
Effect on Personality: We get a false
picture of who we are—our interests,
motivations, goals, abilities.
Our Two Selves
Real Self
(“Organism”): all Ideal Self: the
our experiences person we think we
(feelings, wishes, are (e.g., “I am...”)
perceptions)
 Losing Touch with the
Real Self
 We have a need for positive self-regard (to like
and respect ourselves).
 Conditional positive regard from others becomes
conditional positive self-regard.
 This means we will like and accept only those
parts of ourselves that other people like and
accept.
 The self-concept pulls away from the real self;
we get a false picture of who we really are.
 This mismatch is called Incongruence.
 Person-Centered Therapy:
The Goal is Congruence
Incongruence has many harmful effects. One is
that it prevents self-actualization. You have to
know who you are to fulfill your potential.
The therapist tries to bring the self-concept
closer to the real self:

Real Self Congruence Ideal Self

 Two Features of
Person-Centered Therapy
1. Empathic Understanding:
the therapist shows
emotions similar to the
client’s.
2. Unconditional Positive Regard: the therapist
shows respect and acceptance regardless of what
the client says; e.g., nods, says “Mm-hmm, I
see”.

The client wants the therapist’s approval and respect.

This is given unconditionally. The client can now respect
and like him/herself unconditionally. This allows the self-
concept to move closer to the real self.