Humanistic Approach

The humanistic approach to psychology emerged as a response to what some psychologists saw as the limitations of behaviourist and psychoanalytic psychology. Following psychoanalysis and behaviourism, the humanistic approach is sometimes referred to as the “third force” in psychology. Maslow proposed this in 1968. It emphasises people’s agency, including their ability to be creative, self-determining, and attain self-fulfilment in the face of adversity. This contrasts with Freud’s psychodynamic school, which saw people negatively and believed their behaviour was guided by unconscious drives, and behavioural psychology, which saw people’s behaviour influenced by external forces beyond their control. 

History of humanistic approach:

According to humanistic psychology, personality development is viewed as a growth process in which a person is motivated to develop themselves and reach their greatest potential.” In the field of personality psychology, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were two of the most influential humanistic theorists.”Maslow had a big influence on Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist.

Maslow’s theory:

During the early twentieth century, Abraham Maslow, a pioneer of humanistic psychology, lived from 1908 until 1970. Maslow began establishing humanistic psychology in the 1940s due to the prevalent psychology schools in America. According to Maslow’s new theory of motivation, people are motivated by various desires. Self-actualisation or self-fulfilment being the highest order needed is said by Smith et al. in 2012. According to Maslow, people will seek to meet their physical, safety, connection, esteem, and the highest wants, self-actualisation. Only once our basic needs are met, according to Maslow, can we move on to self-actualisation. 

Carl Rogers theory:

Rogers created a theory of personality development in which a child needs empathy, positive respect, and honesty from their parents and caregivers to develop confidence, self-acceptance, and a healthy personality. When parents and caregivers create the conditions of understanding, positive regard, and authenticity, a kid will be helped to become a healthy, integrated person who is conscious of their feelings and experiences and will reach their full potential. When these requirements are not met, a kid will struggle to accept themselves, understand their feelings, and be conscious of their experiences, thus unable to reach their full potential. The influence of existential-phenomenological psychology served to deepen the humanistic approach, and the Third Forcepsychologists (e.g., Maslow 1987) revised their theories to better account for the psychology of evil.

Humanistic approach to personality:

Abraham Maslow is widely recognised as the father of the humanistic approach to personality. His thesis distinguishes people from animals and suggests that humans may change the personality traits and actions that they desire. The good aspects of a humanistic approach to personality are numerous. Humanists think that by cultivating openness, empathy, and really pleasant settings, anyone can begin to create consistent self-perceptions and progress toward self-actualisation. The humanistic approach to personality makes two significant contributions: (a) a comprehensive model for conceptualising the person as an individual, context-dependent dynamic process that transcends the limitations of static, moral, categorical constructs and their risk of overgeneralization; and (b) acceptance and tolerance – not intended to replace existing strategies and applications of psychology and their theories of personality, but rather to subsidise and supplement them.

Humanistic approach to counselling:

A humanistic approach to counselling allows one to explore creativity, personal growth, and self-development while recognising a range of options. The humanistic approach’s underpinnings give clients a better awareness of who they are and how they feel and explore the potential of making personal choices. It promotes self-awareness and self-discovery. A humanistic approach to counselling is distinctive in that it focuses on an individual’s unique, personal ability to explore creativity, growth, love, and psychological understanding.

The humanistic approach to counselling can take many forms, but they all entail a close counselling relationship between the counsellor/therapist and the client. Gestalt Counselling is one of them. The three ego states that run through every relationship a person has with others are recognised by Transactional Analysis. These are the ego states of Parent, Adult, and Child. The client is urged to reflect on previous decisions and analyse and comprehend the repercussions and subsequent course of action. This type of humanistic approach to counselling method also aids clients in being more aware of their thinking and acting abilities.

Humanistic approach-Contribution to society:

The primary application of the humanistic approach has been to therapeutic treatment.1. Client-centred therapy (CCT),2. Gestalt therapy.

Conclusion

The concept acknowledges both nature and nurture, with nurture referring to the impact of experiences on a person’s acknowledging and outlook on the world, and nature referring to biological impulses and wants (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs). In comparison to the other approaches, the humanistic approach has only been used in a few areas of psychology. As a result, it can only contribute to therapy, abnormality, motivation, and personality. Client-centred therapy is frequently employed in health, social work, and industry. This therapy has aided many people in overcoming life’s challenges, which has made a substantial contribution to people’s quality of life.