Humanistic Approaches

By the end of this section, you will be able to: * Discuss the contributions of Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers to personality development

As the “third force” in psychology, humanism{: data-type=“term” .no-emphasis} is touted as a reaction both to the pessimistic determinism of psychoanalysis, with its emphasis on psychological disturbance, and to the behaviorists’ view of humans passively reacting to the environment, which has been criticized as making people out to be personality-less robots. It does not suggest that psychoanalytic, behaviorist, and other points of view are incorrect but argues that these perspectives do not recognize the depth and meaning of human experience, and fail to recognize the innate capacity for self-directed change and transforming personal experiences. This perspective focuses on how healthy people develop. One pioneering humanist, Abraham Maslowpastehere, studied people who he considered to be healthy, creative, and productive, including Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and others. Maslow (1950, 1970) found that such people share similar characteristics, such as being open, creative, loving, spontaneous, compassionate, concerned for others, and accepting of themselves. When you studied motivation, you learned about one of the best-known humanistic theories, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, in which Maslow proposes that human beings have certain needs in common and that these needs must be met in a certain order. The highest need is the need for self-actualization, which is the achievement of our fullest potential.

Another humanistic theorist was Carl Rogers. One of Rogers’s main ideas about personality regards self-concept{: data-type=“term”}, our thoughts and feelings about ourselves. How would you respond to the question, “Who am I?” Your answer can show how you see yourself. If your response is primarily positive, then you tend to feel good about who you are, and you see the world as a safe and positive place. If your response is mainly negative, then you may feel unhappy with who you are. Rogers further divided the self into two categories: the ideal self and the real self. The ideal self{: data-type=“term”} is the person that you would like to be; the real self{: data-type=“term”} is the person you actually are. Rogers focused on the idea that we need to achieve consistency between these two selves. We experience congruence{: data-type=“term”} when our thoughts about our real self and ideal self are very similar—in other words, when our self-concept is accurate. High congruence leads to a greater sense of self-worth and a healthy, productive life. Parents can help their children achieve this by giving them unconditional positive regard, or unconditional love. According to Rogers (1980), “As persons are accepted and prized, they tend to develop a more caring attitude towards themselves” (p. 116). Conversely, when there is a great discrepancy between our ideal and actual selves, we experience a state Rogers called incongruence{: data-type=“term”}, which can lead to maladjustment. Both Rogers’s and Maslow’s theories focus on individual choices and do not believe that biology is deterministic.

Summary

Humanistic psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers focused on the growth potential of healthy individuals. They believed that people strive to become self-actualized. Both Rogers’s and Maslow’s theories greatly contributed to our understanding of the self. They emphasized free will and self-determination, with each individual desiring to become the best person they can become.

Question

Self-concept refers to ________.

our level of confidence in our own abilities

all of our thoughts and feelings about ourselves

the belief that we control our own outcomes

the belief that our outcomes are outside of our control {: type=“a”}

Question

The idea that people’s ideas about themselves should match their actions is called ________.

confluence

conscious

conscientiousness

congruence {: type=“a”}

Personal Application Questions

Respond to the question, “Who am I?” Based on your response, do you have a negative or a positive self-concept? What are some experiences that led you to develop this particular self-concept?

congruence: state of being in which our thoughts about our real and ideal selves are very similar ^
ideal self: person we would like to be ^
incongruence: state of being in which there is a great discrepancy between our real and ideal selves ^
real self: person who we actually are ^
self-concept: our thoughts and feelings about ourselves

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