Humanistic psychology is an approach in psychology that emerged in the 1950s as an alternative to the behaviorism and psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud. This article will tell about this interesting psychological direction, its history and features.
The task of humanistic psychology
This type of psychology seeks to understand people as unique among other living beings, with consciousness, with free will and responsibility for their own choices. The goal of humanistic psychology is to understand the individual and to help each individual develop their full potential and thus be able to contribute most effectively to the wider community. This type of psychology considers human nature to be qualitatively different from the nature of other living organisms. However, humanistic psychology lacks an understanding of the fundamental importance of social relationships in the he althy psychological development of the individual.
Teaching postulates
The next five postulatesform the basis of humanistic psychology briefly:
- Man as an integral being exceeds the sum of its parts. People cannot be reduced to components (divided into separate mental parts).
- Human life happens in the context of relationships.
- Human consciousness includes awareness of oneself in the context of other people.
- People have choices and responsibilities.
- People are purposeful, they are looking for meaning, value, creativity.
Humanistic psychology emphasizes the study of the entire mental structure of a person. This teaching affects the behavior of a person, directly related to his inner feelings and self-esteem. This type of psychology explores how people are affected by their self-perception and self-worth associated with their life experiences. It addresses conscious choices, responses to inner needs and current circumstances that are important in shaping human behavior.
Qualitative or descriptive research methods are usually preferred over quantitative methods because the latter loses unique human aspects that are not easy to quantify. This is reflected in the emphasis of humanistic psychology - the bias is on the real life of people.
Influence of philosophers
This trend has roots in the existentialist thought of various philosophers such as Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. It reflects many of the values expressed by Jews, Greeks and Europeans.the Renaissance. They tried to study those qualities that are unique to a person. These are such human phenomena as love, personal freedom, lust for power, morality, art, philosophy, religion, literature and science. Many believe that the message of humanistic psychology theory is a response to the affront to the human spirit so often implied in the image of man as portrayed by the behavioral and social sciences.
Development of the doctrine
In the 1950s, there were two opposing forces in psychology: behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Humanistic psychology has become a completely new trend.
Behaviorism grew out of the work of the great Russian physician Ivan Pavlov, especially the work on the theory of the conditioned reflex, and laid the foundation for this trend in psychology in the United States. Behaviorism is associated with the names of Clark Hull, James Watson, B. F. Skinner.
Abraham Maslow later gave behaviorism the name "first force". The Second Force came out of Sigmund Freud's work on psychoanalysis and psychology by Alfred Adler, Erik Erickson, Carl Jung, Erich Fromm, Otto Rank, Melanie Klein and others. These theorists focused on the "depth" or unconscious realm of the human psyche, which they emphasized must be combined with the conscious mind in order to create a he althy human personality. The "third force" was the humanistic theory. One of the earliest sources for this trend was the work of Carl Rogers, which was heavily influenced by Otto Rank. He broke in the mid-1920swith Freud. Rogers focused on how the processes of personality development lead to he althier, more creative functioning of the personality. The term "actualizing tendency" was also developed by Rogers, and was the concept that eventually led Abraham Maslow to explore the notion of self-actualization as one of the needs of humans. Rogers and Maslow, as the main representatives of humanistic psychology, developed this theory in response to psychoanalysis, which they considered too pessimistic.
Influence of Carl Rogers
Rogers is an American psychologist and one of the founders of the humanistic approach (or client-centered approach) to psychology. Rogers is considered one of the founding fathers of psychotherapeutic research, and was awarded the American Psychological Association (APA) Award for his pioneering research and outstanding scientific contributions in 1956.
Humanistic direction in psychology, human-centered, its own unique view of human relations, has been widely used in various fields, such as psychotherapy and counseling (client-centered therapy), education (student-centered learning). For his professional work, he was awarded the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award in Psychology in 1972 by many non-profit organizations. Rogers has been recognized as the sixth most prominent psychologist of the 20th century. The humanistic psychology of Rogers gave impetus to the development of psychology inoverall.
Rogers' opinion of personality
As a representative of humanistic psychology, Rogers proceeded from the fact that any person has a desire and aspiration for personal self-development. Being a being with consciousness, he determines for himself the meaning of existence, its tasks and values, and is the main expert for himself. The central concept in Rogers's theory was the concept of "I", which includes representations, ideas, goals and values through which a person defines himself and creates prospects for his development. His contribution to the development of humanistic psychology cannot be underestimated.
Movement among psychologists
In the late 1950s, several meetings were held in Detroit among psychologists who were interested in creating a professional association dedicated to a more humanistic vision in psychology: what had to do with self-awareness, self-actualization, he alth, creativity, nature, being, self-development, individuality and awareness. They also sought to create a complete description of what a person should be like and explored unique human phenomena such as love and hope. These psychologists, including Maslow, believed that these concepts were likely to form the basis of the psychological movement known as the “third force.”
These meetings eventually led to other events, including the launch of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology in 1961. This publication was very popular in the psychoanalytic environment. Behind this soonThe Humanistic Psychology Association was formed in 1963.
In 1971, an exclusive division devoted to the humanistic current within the American Psychological Association was created, which publishes its own academic journal called The Humanistic Psychologist. One of the main advantages of humanistic theory is that it emphasizes the role of man. This school of psychology gives people more power to control and determine their mental he alth. Personality in humanistic psychology is seen as a holistic phenomenon.
Counseling and Therapy Methods
This course includes several approaches to counseling and therapy. The main methods of humanistic psychology include the principles of Gest alt therapy, which helps to understand that the present also affects the past. Role play plays an important role in Gest alt therapy and provides an adequate expression of feelings that would not be expressed in other conditions. In Gest alt therapy, verbal expressions are important indications of the client's feelings, even if they contrast with what the client actually expressed. Humanistic psychotherapy also includes elements such as deep therapy, holistic he alth, body therapy, sensitivity, and existential psychotherapy. Existentialist-integrative psychotherapy, which was developed by Schneider, is one of the new methods of humanistic psychology, as well as existential psychology. Existentialism emphasizes the notion that people are freecreate their own understanding of life, that they can define themselves and do what they choose to do. This is an element of humanistic therapy that encourages you to understand your life and its purpose.
There is some conflict regarding freedom and restrictions. Limitations appear to include genetics, culture, and other related factors. Existentialism aims to address such problems and limitations. Empathy is also a core element of humanistic therapy. This approach emphasizes the psychologist's ability to assess the situation and the world based on the client's feelings and perceptions. Without this quality, the therapist cannot fully appreciate the client's condition.
The work of a psychologist in this direction
Therapeutic factors in the work of a humanistic psychotherapist and psychoanalyst are, first of all, unconditional acceptance of the client, support, empathy, attention to inner experiences, stimulation of choice and decision-making, authenticity. However, despite its apparent simplicity, the humanistic theory is based on a serious philosophical and scientific basis and uses a fairly wide range of therapeutic techniques and techniques.
One of the main conclusions of humanistically oriented psychoanalysts was that any person contains the potential to change thinking and restore mental state. Under certain conditions, a person can freely and fully use this potential. Therefore, the activity of a psychologist of this orientation is aimed primarily at creating positive conditionsfor the integration of the individual in the process of consultation meetings.
Psychotherapists using humanistic psychology should be more willing to listen and ensure the comfort of patients by allowing real emotions and feelings to be shared. These therapists must ensure that they are focused on what the client is feeling, that they have a clear understanding of the client's concerns, and that they provide a warm and accepting environment for the client. Therefore, the specialist is required to abandon the biased attitude towards the client. Instead, sharing warmth and acceptance is the basis of this psychological direction.
Another element of humanistic psychology is self-help. The psychologists Ernst and Goodison were practitioners who applied humanistic approaches and organized self-help groups. Psychological counseling has become a valuable tool in humanistic psychology. Psychological counseling is also used in self-help groups. In addition to psychological counseling, the humanistic concept has also influenced the work of psychologists around the world in general. In fact, the influence of this direction was significant in other areas of psychological practice.
The Goal of Humanistic Therapy
The overall goal of humanistic therapy is to give a holistic description of the person. Using certain techniques, the psychologist tries to see the whole person, and not just fragmented parts of the personality.
This therapy also requires the integration of the whole person. This is called Maslow's self-actualization. Humanistic psychology states that every person has built-in potential and resources that could help create a stronger personality and raise self-esteem. The mission of a psychologist is to direct a person towards these resources. However, in order to realize latent possibilities, he may have to give up the security of a certain stage of personality in order to embrace a new and more integrated stage. This is not an easy process as it may involve considering new life decisions or rethinking your outlook on life. This type of psychology sees psychological instability and anxiety as normal aspects of human life and development that can be worked through in therapy.
The humanistic approach in psychology is unique because its terms and concepts are based on the assumption that all people have their own view of the world and unique life experiences.
