Title: The Psychology of the Person Chapter 11 Humanistic Approach
1The Psychology of the PersonChapter 11
Humanistic Approach
- Naomi Wagner, Ph.D
- Lecture Outlines
- Based on Burger, 8th edition
2The 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.
3Deterministic Perspective of Human Nature
- The role of the unconscious is a hypothetical
concept that cannot be empirically validated - The manipulation of human beings on the basis of
classical and operant conditioning was an ideas
based on studies of rats that learned to run in
a maze to find food. - The food was the reward that affected the
learning
4The Skinner BoxPicture shows a rat pulling as
lever in a box
5Roots 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.
6Existential Anxiety- What is there to
life?Munch The Scream
- Picture is multicolor, shows a man standing on a
bridge, covering his ears, and seems to be
screaming
72. 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
self-exploration.
8The Freudian Model of Psychotherapy
- The therapist as the know- al expert
- Picture shows a woman lying on a sofa and a man
is sitting behind her.
9Viktor Frankl
- All of Frankls family died in the Nazi
concentration camp - Frankl survived, and struggled to search for
meaning in the face of horrible adversity - He believed the examining the finiteness of our
existence and inevitable mortality adds meaning
to life, as we ask ourselves- Why do we exist?
What do we want from life?
10What is the best way to spend the time that is
left?
- Frankl concludes that the meaning of life is
found in every moment of living life never
ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and
death - http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man27s_Search_for_Me
aning
11From the Ashes to HopePicture shows Jewish
prisoners in Nazi death campsAnother picture of
a bird perched on a barbed wire
12Viktor Frankl Conclusion
- Love is the highest and ultimate goal to which
man can aspire - The Salvation of man is in love and through love
- A man who has nothing left in this world still
may know bliss, if only for a brief moment in the
contemplation of the beloved - Frankl's meaning in life is to help others find
theirs.
13Cognitive-Restructuring
- Frankls ideas have been translated into the
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy - Picture shows Viktor Frankl
14Key Elements of the Humanistic Approach
- The Humanistic Perspective has not presented a
comprehensive framework, but rather a collection
of major principles that can be seen as directive
to life.
15Key Elements of the Humanistic Perspective
- Emphasis on personal responsibility (You dont
have to do your homework, you have chosen to do
so). You are not a victim of circumstances! - Picture shows a boy falling asleep on pile of
books on his desk
16Key Elements (cont-d)
- Emphasis on functioning in the here and now Do
not be a captive of your past! - Picture shows an elderly woman watching her image
in the mirror, that sews a young reflection
17Key Elements (cont-d)
- Acknowledging the phenomenology of the
individual- - the fact that it is only the client
(in therapy) that can make decision for
him/herself. - Picture shows an elderly woman looking in the
mirror and a caption reads Who am I?
18Key Elements (cont-d)
- Emphasis on personal growthRogers called this
becoming a fully functioning, while Maslow
referred to this idea as self-actualization. - Picture shows a man standing on the top of a
cliff raising both hands
19Self-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 self-actualization - To become that best we can become, in the context
of our life (you do not have to receive the Nobel
Prize).
20Carl 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
21Rogers (cont-d)
- Note his emphasis on social-environmental 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.
22Abraham 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.
23Maslows 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
24Hierarchy of Needs
25Misconceptions 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
26 The psychologically-Healthy People
- Maslows study of the psychologically- healthy
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
27Attributes 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.
28The 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?
29The 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). -
30Applications
- 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.
31Current 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.
32Limitations 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.
33(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 naïve assumptions about the goodness of
individuals.