Foundation of Human Behavior

Humanistic Approach to Psychology

Introduction
In the1950s, some psychologists became aware of what in their opinion, were serious
limitations of the Behavioristic and the psychodynamic theories. They found out that these
theories were unable to account for certain qualities inherently present in all humans, as well as
certain unique qualities present in some very highly regarded people of the time. Such as the
perseverance of Albert Einstein, the brilliance of a Michelangelo, and the kindness of Mother
Teresa. Thus they developed the humanistic approach, which focused on the inherent qualities of
individuals.

Explanation
The Humanistic Approach focuses mainly on the human “self”. The Humanistic approach
aims to study the structure of the whole person pointing out various unique inherent qualities
found in each person. This approach aims to investigate and comprehend why humans behave
how they do in certain situations. Humanism emphasizes on the human behavior not only
through the person observing the behavior, but also through the individual portraying the
behavior. Humanism is extremely useful in the study of human behavior because it does not
focus on the behavior, consciousness or thinking process of the individual or the workability of
the human brain. The humanistic theory focuses on learning how certain individua perceive and
construct a certain event. There is a huge proportionality of the theory that directs the application
of psychology towards the “self”. This is important in studying the varied behavior displayed by
humans.

Humanistic Psychology is a perspective that emphasizes on looking at the whole

individual and stresses concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization. Rather
than focusing on dysfunction, humanistic psychology strives to help people fulfill their potential
and maximize their well-being. The humanists are of the opinion that Humans have and
inherently “good” disposition, and that humans have an innate desire to better themselves
achieve their maximum potential.
 Foundation of Human Behavior

Humanistic Approach and the other Approaches to Psychology

According to the Humanist psychologists, the limitations of the Behaviorist perspective
to study the human behavior were that the theory focused primary on reinforcing the stimulus-
response performance and that the theory was hugely dependent on anal research. Which is
completely against the humanist concept since according to the humanists, humans are a
completely different species as compared to animals due to their conscious free-will i.e. personal
agency.

Humanistic psychology criticizes the psychodynamic theory in that it is deterministic,

offering unconscious instinctive and irrational forces that influence the human behavioral an
thought processes. Which is completely against what the humanistic approach focuses on, which
is the conscious “self”.

Another major difference is that the humanistic is mainly positive and optimistic,
whereas both the Behaviorist approach as well as the psychodynamic approach are pessimistic
having a negative outlook.

Fundamental Concepts of Humanistic Approach

 Self-Concept

 Personal Agency

 Self-Actualization

 Peak experiences

 Unconditional Positive Regard

 Hierarchy of Needs

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow can be regarded as the pioneers or the forefathers of t
Humanistic perspectives. They presented two most important theories which formed the
 Foundation of Human Behavior
framework of the Humanistic perspective. That is, Unconditional Positive Regard and Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs.

Unconditional Positive Regard

It is a way of viewing one’s self in which one is continually positive and accepting of
one’s short-comings and faults without being judgemental or overly harsh. According to Rogers,
this state of positive regard toward oneself is essential for psychological developments and
maintaining strong personal relationships.

Therapeutically, Rogers believed in a client-directed approach to matters. In a therapy

session, he would simply listen non-judgmentally and allows his clients to speak about anything
they wished, reasoning that with a little bit of guidance, people had the intelligence and self-
awareness to direct their own progress towards wellness. This degree of "patient control" in
clinical practice was revolutionary in the realm of psychology, and in the realm of humanistic
thought in general.

https://www.psychologistworld.com/issues/humanistic-approach

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

 Foundation of Human Behavior

Maslow categorized needs into different categories and then gave different levels to these
categories.

For Maslow, the goal of any human being is to reach a state of "self-actualization" at which they
can realize their full potential. However, these needs must be met in a particular order. The base
of the pyramid shows the physical needs that all humans share, such as the need to eat, drink,
have shelter from the elements, and so on. According to Maslow, higher forms of happiness are
not achievable so long as these needs are not met.

Moving up the pyramid from there, one must have safety needs met, then one must feel love
towards and from his friends and family. After this, one must receive self-validation and a
feeling of self-worth from one's self. Lastly, a state of self-actualization and creative work is
possible. However, if any of the levels of the pyramid goes unfulfilled at any time, the subject
must return to that level. In other words, self-actualization isn't a permanent state, but rather a
continuous battle. The primary idea to retain from this model is that human motivation is
complex, and while working towards the primary goal of self-actualization, their particular needs
and pursuits might change dramatically.

Self-Actualization
When most of the basic needs of a person are met, such a person begins to feel an intense
desire to better him/herself and achieve his/her maximum potential. This desire causes a person
to reflect upon his “self”, He starts to notice his flaws and sets about to correcting them. This is
what is called Self-Actualization.

Unlike the other needs and motivations, even after being fulfilled to a certain extent, the
desire and motivation to Self-Actualize never really goes away. In fact, it may even increase.
This is a fundamental concept of the humanistic perspective of Psychology.

Examples of Self-Actualized Individuals

Maslow conceived of the concept of self-actualization after observing the works, habits, daily
practices, attitudes, and beliefs of individuals he believed were self-actualized individuals.
 Foundation of Human Behavior
Some of his subjects include Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson.

Here’s What Maslow Discovered:

Self-actualized individuals are not afraid of the unknown. Ambiguity does not shake them. In
fact, these people tend to readily sacrifice the comfort of the familiar in favour of the thrill of the
unknown.

They are self-aware people who understand their strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly,
they are able to accept their weaknesses and choose instead to focus on developing their
strengths.

There is one remarkable difference between self-actualized people and those who are still
straddling the lower rungs. Self-actualized people live meaningful lives. They have a purpose in
life that goes beyond themselves and their mission is usually connected with the greater good.
Compassion, selflessness, and humanitarianism are their traits.

Because they have a purpose to fulfill, self-actualized people are not bothered by the trivial. If
you have met a self-actualized individual, you know it is a joy to be around these serene people
who don’t complain about minor annoyances.

http://selfactual.com/what-is-self-actualization-definition/

References
 McLeod, S. A. (2015). Humanism. Retrieved from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/humanistic.html
 https://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/humanistic-theory-summary-analysis-3042.php
 https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/humanistic-psychology
 http://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/personality/section4/
 http://selfactual.com/what-is-self-actualization-definition/
 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-humanistic-psychology-2795242
Foundation of Human Behavior