Humanistic Theory

Why was the humanistic theory developed?
During the first half of the twentieth century, American psychology was dominated by two schools of thought: behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Neither fully acknowledged the possibility of studying values, intentions and meaning as elements in conscious existence. Although various European perspectives such as phenomenology had a slight amonunt of influence, on the whole mainstream American psychology had been captured by the mechanistic beliefs of behaviorism and by the biological reductionism and determinism of classical psychoanalysis.

The Development of the "Third Force"
Ivan Pavlov's work with the conditioned reflex (induced under rigid laboratory controls, empirically observable and quantifiable) had given birth to an academic psychology in the United States led by John Watson which came to be called "the science of behavior" (in Abraham Maslow's later terminology, "The First Force"). Its emphasis on objectivity was reinforced by the success of the powerful methodologies employed in the natural sciences and by the philosophical investigations of the British empiricists, logical positivists and the operationalists, all of whom sought to apply the methods and values of the physical sciences to questions of human behavior. Valuable knowledge, particularly in learning theory and the study of sensation and perception was achieved in this quest. But if something was gained, something was also lost. The "First Force" excluded the subjective data of consciousness and much information pertaining to the complexity of the human personality and its development.

The "Second Force" emerged from Freudian psychoanalysis and the depth psychologies of Alfred Adler, Erich Fromm, Karen Horney, Carl Jung and others. These theorists focused on the dynamic unconscious and the depths of the human psyche whose contents. They proposed subconsious thoughts need to be integrated with those of the conscious mind in order to produce a healthy human personality . The founders of the depth psychologies believed that human behavior is principally determined by what occurs in the unconscious mind. So, where the behaviorists ignored consciousness because they felt that its essential privacy and subjectivity rendered it inaccessible to scientific study, the depth psychologists tended to regard it as the relatively superficial expression of unconscious drives.

By the late 1950's a "Third Force" was beginning to form. In 1957 and 1958, at the invitation of Abraham Maslow and Clark Moustakas, two meetings were held in Detroit among psychologists who were interested in establishing a professional association dedicated to a more humanistic vision. They discussed several themes such as self, self-actualization, health, creativity, intrinsic nature, being, becoming, individuality, and meaning, all of which they believed were likely to become central concerns of such an approach to psychology. In 1961, with the sponsorship of Brandeis University, this movement was formally launched as the American Association for Humanistic Psychology. The first issue of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology appeared in the Spring of 1961.

How do the Humanists View Human Behavior?
Humanistic psychology is a value orientation that holds a hopeful, constructive view of human beings and of their substantial capacity to be self-determining. This psychology is guided by the convention that intentionality and ethical values are strong psychological forces and are among the fundmental determinants of human behavior. This conviction leads to an effort to enhance such distinctly human qualities as choice, creativity, the interaction of the body, mind, and spirit; and the capacity to become more aware, free, responsible, life-affirming and trustworthy.

Humanistic psychology acknowledges that the mind is strongly influenced by determining forces in society (nurture view) and in the unconscious, and that some of these factors are negative and destructive. Nevertheless, humanistic psychology emphasizes the dignity and worth of all human beings and their conscious capacity to develop personal competence and self respect. This concentration on self-worth has led to the development of therapies to help facilitate personal and interpersonal skills and to enhance the quality of every individual's life.

Since there is much difficulty involved in understanding one's inner growth, humanistic psychologists often stress the importance of courageously learning to take responsibility for oneself as one confronts personal transitions. The difficulty of encouraging personal growth is further matched by the difficulty of developing appropriate institutional and organizational environments in which human beings can flourish. Clearly, society both helps and hinders human growth. Since nourishing environments can create an important contribution to the development of healthy personalities, human needs should be given priority when developing social policies. This theory becomes increasingly critical in our rapidly changing world which is threatened by such dangers as nuclear war, overpopulation and the collapse of traditional social structures.

Many humanistic psychologists stress the importance of societal progression, the challenge of modifying old institutions and inventing new ones able to sustain both human development and organizational efficiency; thus the humanistic emphasis on individual freedom should be enhanced by a recognition of our interdependence with society and our responsibilities to one another. culture, and to the future.

Methods of Inquiry
Humanists believe there is need for a more complete knowledge of the quality of human experience. Humanistic psychology is well known for its theory as well as successful branches of psychotherapy. Research is conducted by humanists with the purpose of providing to provide a level of understanding that can promote the power of personal choice, and the care and effectiveness of social groups.

Humanistic psychology recognizes that human existence consists of multiple layers of reality: the physical, the organic and the symbolic. When considering these components, these psychologist advocate the use of a variety of research approaches to study their characteristics and intentions. It contests the idea traditionally held by the behavioral sciences that the only legitimate research method is an experimental test using quantified data; there is a move away from the objective. It argues for the use of additional methods specifically designed to study the organic and symbolic realms.

Humanistic psychology is strongly supportive of phenomenological and clinical approaches to the study of the human position in the order of life. This psychological approach also encourages the discovery of new research which can aid us in further understanding the richness in the depth of human being.

What do humanists think about consciousness
The symbolic dimension of consciousness is of special interest . It is in this realm of our lives meaning value, culture, personal decision, and responsibility are expressed and manifested; therefore the humanities are important resources in humanistic psychology research. Another thing the humanistic approach undertakes is the fact that society's ideas about what counts as legitimate knowledge constitutes a certain kind of power over our lives. The assumption that knowledge is confined to what can be directly perceived and publicly measured leads easily to the conclusion that personal values, meaning and decision lack significance or interpretation. The value-based position taken by humanistic psychology embraces a commitment to the use of research approaches that provide access to all characteristics of human existence.

How did Humanistic Psychotherapies develop?
During the 1950s and 60s, Carl Rogers introduced Person Centered Psychotherapy, Roll May imported Existential Psychoanalysis from Europe, and Fritz Perls developed therapy in his workshops and training programs at the Eselan Institute and elsewhere. In the decades to follow, humanistic psychologists have transformed the field of psychotherapy by breaking down the societal implications attached to "therapy", thus popularizing the use of humanistic approaches in personal healing.

The whole person, multi-dimensional perspective of (humanistic) has generated a broad spectrum of approaches that enormously expand the range of options for dealing with psychological, psychosomatic, psychosocial and psycho-spiritual conditions. In addition, it has emphasized that psychotherapy is of value to everone, not just the emotionally disturbed. Of equal relevance for relatively healthy people who are interested in exploring greater depths of human potential and examining the intrinsic role we have as humans in maintaining homeostasis on the planet is ecopsychology. Approaches embraced by humanistic therapists include: Bioenergetics, Sensory Awareness Through Movement, Focusing, Authentic Movement, Encounter, Rational-Emotive Therapy, Reality Therapy, Analytical & Archetypal Psychology, Psychosynthesis, Gestalt Art Therapy, Existential Analysis, Logotherapy, Self-Disclosure, Conjoint Family Therapy, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

A Synopsis of Humanistic Values

Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers is the person with whom the phenomenological theories of personality are most closely identified. Rogers viewed authentic personal experience as the fundamental constituent of growth and well-being. Combining his experience and one's self-concept can become distorted when others make the positive regard we need dependent on conditions that require the suppression of true feelings.

Rogers believed that one of the most fundamental needs is that of positive regard- being liked, warmth, being respected, obtaining sympathy. Parents are among the most important suppliers of positive regard. He believed that greater degrees of unconditional positive regard leads to better adjusted children later in life.

Client-centered therapy was developed by Rogers in an environment suitable to the psychologist demonstrationg empathy and unconditional positive regard. The goal of this form of therapy is to enable the client to have the self-confidence to express his or her true feelings and beliefs; Rogers strongly emphasized frankness and open expression in group therapy, too.

ABRAHAM MASTORO