Humanistic Perspective

Carl Rogers

&

Abraham Maslow

The Humanistic Perspective

Humanistic Perspective

• A perspective that focuses the individual’s self awareness and freedom to choose.

• Believe people are free to choose what to do with their lives are responsible for the choices they make.

• Interested in how people try to reach self-fulfillment.

• Sees people as innately good.• Studies fulfilled and healthy individuals rather

than troubled people

Humanistic Measures

• Humanistic measures of personality center on evaluating a person’s self concept--all of our thought and feelings about ourselves

• Answer the question “Who Am I?”

The Humanistic Perspective:

Abraham Maslow and Self-Actualization

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

• Humanistic psychologist who developed the hierarchy of needs

• Believed that self-actualization (reaching your full potential) is the ultimate psychological need

Hierarchy of Needs

• Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs, proceeding through safety needs and then to psychological needs

• Higher-level needs won’t become active until lower-level needs have been satisfied.

Self-Actualization

• According to Maslow, the need to live up to one’s fullest and unique potential

• Characteristics include:

– Self aware and self accepting

– Open, spontaneous, loving, and caring

– Not paralyzed by other’s opinions

– Focused on a particular task

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Another Way to Think about the Hierarchy of Needs

The Humanistic Perspective:

Carl Rogers and the Person-Centered

Approach

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

• Humanistic psychologist who stressed the importance of acceptance, genuineness, and empathy in fostering human growth

• Believed a person must know their genuine feelings and act upon them.

Carl Rogers• Self-concept—The impression you have of

yourself as an individual.– This is formed by recognizing what you value

and through you relationships with others.

• Congruence – Key to happiness. When your view of yourself what you experience from others is consistent or the same.– See yourself as outgoing and you have good

relationships with others then you are congruent and happy.

– Incongruence is when these don’t match. It will cause you to be anxious and upset.

Our Need for Self-Esteem

• Rogers said we all need to believe in our self and have self respect.

• This self respect depends largely on how others treat us.

• Two things that influence our self-esteem– Conditional Positive Regard– Unconditional Positive Regard

Conditional Positive Regard

• Person is valued and loved only when the he/she behaves in a way that is acceptable to others.

• Rogers felt we cannot live up to the wishes of others and remain true to ourselves. We’ll only end up disappointed and incongruent.

Unconditional Positive Regard

• An attitude of total acceptance toward another person despite their faults and failings

• This leads to high self esteem and confidence in oneself.

• However, Rogers did not believe in permissive parenting. He said parents can disapprove of a behavior without completely rejecting the child.

Genuineness

• Freely expressing one’s feelings and not being afraid to disclose details about oneself

Empathy

• Sharing thoughts and understanding

• Listening and reflecting the other person’s feelings

Unconditional Positive Regard will help to create…

• Congruence – A person’s sense of self is consistent with their emotions & experiences.

Comparing Rogers to Freud• Rogers – Viewed people as positive, forward-

moving, constructive, realistic and trustworthy.– People are innately good

– Humans will choose to act in ways that serve to improve society and perpetuate the human race.

• Freud – Pessimistically viewed humans as hostile, antisocial, destructive & evil– We need society restraints/laws to keep humans in line

and prevent the destruction of the human race.

The Humanistic Perspective:

Evaluating the Perspective

Evaluating Humanistic Perspective

• Humanistic Approach focuses on the consciousness and stresses human freedom.

• Critics argue that because it focuses on consciousness that it can never be a science because what a person thinks and feels cannot be scientifically studied.

• Critics also point out that it does not explain the development of traits and personality types.