Humanistic Theory

People are Basically Good

Humanistic Psychology gets its name from its belief in the basic goodness and respect of humankind.  Its roots are based in existential psychology or the understanding and acceptance of one's own existence and responsibility.  Two American psychologists, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers paved the way for this new approach to understanding personality and improving the overall satisfaction of individuals.

When conflict between war and peace arose in the early to mid 1960s, so to did the need to understand human nature.  Humanistic theory gave us an understandable way to look at man's need for war for the sake of peace.  It is a simplistic theory that has become one of the most popular topics in self-help style books and man's struggle for meaning has been and will always be a major part of literature and entertainment.

The basic ideas behind humanistic psychology are simple, some may say overly simple.  Humanists hold the following beliefs:

1. The present is the most important aspect of the person and therefore humanists focus on the here and now rather than looking at the past or trying to predict the future.
2. Humanistic theory is reality based and to be psychologically healthy people must take responsibility for themselves, whether the person's actions are positive or negative.
3. The individual, merely by being human, posses an inherent worth.  Actions may not be positive but this does not negate the value of the person.
4. The goal of life should always be to achieve personal growth and understanding.  Only through self-improvement and self-knowledge can one truly be happy.

King of the Mountain

Perhaps the most well known contribution to humanistic psychology was introduced by Abraham Maslow.  Maslow originally studied psychology because of his intrigue with behavioral theory and the writings of John B. Watson.

Maslow grew up Jewish in a non-Jewish neighborhood.  He spent much of his childhood alone and reported that books were often his best friends.  Despite this somewhat lonely childhood, he maintained his belief in the goodness of mankind.  After the birth of his first child, his devotion to Watson's beliefs began a drastic decline.  He was struck with the sense that he was not nearly in control as much as Watson and other behaviorists believed.  He saw more to human life than just external reinforcement and argued that human's could not possibly be born without any direction or worth.

At the time when he was studying psychology, behaviorism and psychoanalysis were considered the big two.  Most courses studies these theories and much time was spent determining which theory one would follow.  Maslow was on a different path.  

He criticized behaviorism and later took the same approach with Freud and his writings.  While he acknowledged the presence of the unconscious, he disagreed with Freud's belief that the vast majority of who we are is buried deep beyond our awareness.  Maslow believed that we are aware of our motives and drives for the most part and that without the obstacles of life, we would all become psychologically healthy individuals with a deep understanding of ourselves and an acceptance of the world around us.  Where Freud saw much negativity, Maslow focused his efforts on understanding the positives of mankind.  It could be said that psychoanalytic thought is based on determinism, or aspects beyond our control, and humanistic thought is based on free will.

Maslow's most well known contribution is the Hierarchy of Needs and this is often used to summarize the belief system of humanistic psychology.  The basic premise behind this hierarchy is that we are born with certain needs.  Without meeting these initial needs, we will not be able to continue our life and move upward on hierarchy.  This first level consists of our physiological needs, or our basic needs for survival.  Without food, water, sleep, and oxygen, nothing else in life matters.

Once these needs are met, we can move to the next level, which consists of our need for safety and security.  At this level we look seek out safety through other people and strive to find a world that will protect us and keep us free from harm.  Without these goals being met, it is extremely difficult to think about higher level needs and therefore we can not continue to grow.

When we feel safe and secure in our world then we begin to seek out friendships in order to feel a sense of belonging.  Maslow's third level, the need for belonging and love, focuses on our desire to be accepted, to fit in, and to feel like we have a place in the world.  Getting these needs met propels us closer to the top of this pyramid and into the fourth level, called esteem needs.  At this level we focus our energy on self-respect, respect from others, and feeling that we have made accomplishments on our life.  We strive to move upward in careers, to gain knowledge about the world, and to work toward a sense of high self-worth.

The final level in the hierarchy is called the need for self-actualization.  According to Maslow, may people may be in this level but very few if anybody ever masters it.  Self-actualization refers to a complete understanding of the self.  To be self-actualized means to truly know who you are, where you belong in the greater society, and to feel like you have accomplished all that you have set out to accomplish.  It means to no longer feel shame or guilt, or even hate, but to accept the world and see human nature as inherently good.

Application to Real Life

As you read through the section above, many likely tried to place themselves on one of the five levels of the pyramid.  This may be an easy task for some, but many struggle with the ups and downs of life.  For many of us, life is not that straight forward.  We often have one foot in one level, the other foot in the next level, and are reaching at times trying to pull ourselves up while making sure we don't fall backward at other times.

As we climb the pyramid, we often make headway but also notice that two steps forward can mean one step back.  Sometimes it even feels like two steps forward means three steps back.  The goal of mankind, however, is to keep an eye on the top of the pyramid and to climb as steadily as possible.  We may stumble at times and we may leap forward at times.  No matter how far we fall backward, however, the road back up is easier since we already know the way.

The Person-Centered Approach

While Maslow was more of a theorist, Carl Rogers was more of a therapist.  His professional goal was more on helping people change and improve their lives.  He was a true follower of humanistic ideation and is often considered the person who gave psychotherapy it's basic humanistic undertones.

Rogers believed in several key concepts that he believed must be present in order for healthy change to take place.  His approach to treatment is called Client or Person-Centered-Therapy because it sees the individual, rather than the therapist or the treatment process as the center of effective change.  These basic concepts include:

1. Unconditional Positive Regard: The therapist must believe that people are basically good and must demonstrate this belief to the client. Without unconditional positive regard, the client will not disclose certain information, could feel unworthy, and may hold onto negative aspects of the self.  Accepting the client as innately worthwhile does not mean accepting all actions the client may exhibit.
2. Non-Judgmental Attitude:  Along with seeing the person as worthy, the therapist should never pass judgment on the individual.  Roger's believed that people are competent in seeing their mistakes and knowing what needs to change even if they may not initially admit it.  He also believed that by judging a person, you are more likely to prevent disclosure.
3. Disclosure:  Disclosure refers to the sharing of personal information.  Unlike Psychoanalysis and many other approaches to therapy, Roger's believed that in order for the client to disclose, the therapist must do the same.  Research has shown that we share information at about the same level as the other person.  Therefore, remaining secretive as a therapist, encourages the client to hold back important information.
4. Reflection: Rogers believed that the key to understanding the self was not interpretation, but rather reflection.  By reflecting a person's words in a different manner, you can accomplish two things.  First, it shows the client that you are paying attention, thinking about what he or she is saying, and also understanding the underlying thoughts and feelings.  Second, it allows the client to hear their own thoughts in a different way.  Many people have said that their beliefs become more real once they are presented back to them by someone else.

By following these concepts, therapy becomes a self-exploration where the therapist is the guide rather than the director.  The client, according to Rogers, has the answers and the direction.  It is the therapist's job to help them find it.

The fictitious therapy session below shows how a typical Rogerian session might go.  Notice that the therapist never provides answers or interpretation and never assumes he knows more than the client.  Assuming this is a first session, the therapist would likely start by revealing some information about himself.  He may discuss his education, therapeutic philosophy and other professional aspects, but may also talk about his family, how his day is going, and his goals for the future.

Therapist:	I'm very curious about what's going on with you.  What do you see as your reason for your coming in to talk with me today?
Client:	Well, I see myself as a loser.  I can't seem to accomplish anything and my husband says he wants a divorce because I just sit around all day doing nothing.  I just don't see any way out of this whole mess.
Therapist:	That's a lot to deal with, it sounds like you are quite overwhelmed right now.
Client:	Exactly.  Sometimes I hate myself because of it and other times I think its his fault that I can't get anything done.
Therapist:	You're not sure how much of this is because of your actions and how much is because of your husband.
Client:	I go from angry to sad and back again many times a day.  I just can't take it any more.
Therapist:	Extreme emotions are difficult to deal with.  I know when I get angry I seem to like myself less.
Client:	Oh yeah, I can relate to that.
Therapist:	What solutions have you come up with, even if you don't think they'll work.  I'm curious where you are right now as we speak.
Client:	I could divorce him, but if the problem is all me, I'll probably be even more depressed.  I could take medication, but I heard that just covers up emotions.  I guess I could sit down and talk with him about it more, but he doesn't seem to really listen to me.  I don't know what to do.
Therapist:	It sounds to me like you do know what to do.  At least you have some ideas on where to start.
Client:	I guess, but how would I make him listen to me?
Therapist:	You want to force him to listen to you?
Client:	No, not force, I want him to want to listen to me.
Therapist:	And for him to want to listen to you, you would do what?
Client:	Maybe listen more to him.
Therapist:	So you're thinking that by listening to his side of things, he would be more likely to listen to your side?
Client:	Yeah, maybe.  It's worth a shot, don't you think?
Therapist:	You know yourself and your husband much better than I do.
Client:	You're right.  I think this will help me figure out where the blame really lies.  I imagine its with both of us.
Therapist:	So if you both accept some changes and make and effort...
Client:	Then we both will feel better.  I guess someone has to start it, it might as well be me.
Therapist:	Sounds like you've got some direction now.
Client:	Yeah, I know what I'm going to do.

Against the Basics of Science

Humanistic theory is not one that was easily researched in the beginning.  First of all, there are few tests that a humanists would use due to their main belief that people are basically good and the focus of treatment should be on the positive rather than the negative.  Secondly, by using assessment you are basically telling the client that you know more than the client does about his or her own thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.  This in itself would be a contradiction of humanistic belief.

So, many theorists, especially those prescribing to the behavioral viewpoint, discounted humanistic theory due to its reduced capacity for research.  But like psychoanalysis, it was not impossible to gather important data on the efficacy of the theory's application.  In fact, like psychoanalysis, new tests had to be developed that emphasized the specific theory and what the theory was designed to do.  For psychoanalysis it was tests such as the Rorschach and TAT.  For humanistic theory, we talk about the Q-Sort.

Q-Sort

The Q-Sort assessment was developed by Stephenson (1953) and it was quickly adopted into Client Centered Therapy by Carl Rogers.  The Q-Sort consists of a deck of 100 cards, each containing a fairly specific quality within an individual's personality.  Examples would be "very outgoing and social," "organized and detail oriented," or "high self-esteem."  The goal of the assessment is to determine where a person is at relative to these qualities at the beginning of treatment and then to re-assess at various intervals and at the end to determine progress.

The client is instructed to read each of the cards and to place them on a nine-point continuum ranging from "very much not like me" to "very much like me."  On the initial sort, they are asked to place them according to how they are at that very moment; their true self.  There is a preset limit as to how many cards can be placed at each point representing a normal curve.  In other words, the client is permitted to place the most cards in the middle and less on each point as they get closer to the extremes.

Once all of the cards are placed, they are recorded and the cards are once again shuffled.  At this point, the client is asked to redistribute the cards on the same nine-point continuum.  This time, however, they are to do so according to their ideal self, or where they want to be once therapy is complete.  These two sorts allow the client and the therapist to know where the client is at in the present and what direction the client would like to take in treatment.  And, since the therapist has no say in where the cards are placed, distortions, exaggerations, and misperceptions about the self get factored into treatment.  In other words, as treatment progresses, some positive qualities may actually move backward as they discover their real self.

According to Rogers and others, the healthy person is one who's idea self and true self are very similar.  The closer one gets to the person he or she wants to be, the more self-actualized they become.  A truly self-actualized person is one who knows himself completely and accepts himself for all his strengths and weaknesses.  As the ideal and true self get closer and closer together, he or she climbs closer and closer to the top of Maslow's hierarchy. 

Strengths and Weaknesses of Humanistic Theory

Strengths of Humanistic Theory.  Like every theory, some people find the humanistic approach to be valid while others see it for the numerous inherent flaws.  Some of the strengths of this theory include the focus on both the positive nature of humankind and the free will associated with change.  Unlike Freud's theory and the biological approach, which focus on determinism or our lack of power over ourselves, Maslow and others see the individual as very powerful.

A second positive aspect of humanistic theory is the ease in which many of its aspects fit well with other approaches.  Many therapists have adopted a humanistic undertone in their work with clients.  While they may argue humanistic theory does not go far enough, they see the benefit of the core components in helping people change.

Finally, most have seen the benefits of humanism carries over into different professions.  If you take a health class, you are likely to discuss Maslow's hierarchy.  If you study economic or business, you will also focus on moving upward in our lives in order to be more aware of who we are and where we fit in with the world.  The same holds true with other professions, including literature, criminology, and history, among others, as the basics of humanistic thought strike an undertone in all of what is considered human.

Weaknesses of Humanistic Theory.  With the good, always comes the bad, and this theory is no different.  The biggest criticism of humanistic thought appears to center around it's lack of concrete treatment approaches aimed at specific issues.  With the basic concept behind the theory being free will, it is difficult to both develop a treatment technique and study the effectiveness of this technique.

Secondly, there are those who believe humanistic theory falls short in it's ability to help those with more sever personality or mental health pathology.  While it may show positive benefits for a minor issue, using the approach of Roger's to treat schizophrenia would seem ludicrous.  

Finally, humanistic theory makes some generalizations about human nature that are not widely accepted as complete.  Are people basically good or are their some individuals who are not capable of this?  Can we adequately argue that everyone follows the same levels as Maslow explained, or are these levels, and even what they stand for, be determined by the individual?  Why do some people seem to make negative choices even when positive solutions are staring them in the face?  These questions plague humanistic thought and the difficulty in researching the theory does not provide any freedom.  

Despite these problems, humanistic theory has been incorporated into many differing views on psychotherapy and human change.  Many argue now that a humanistic undertone in treatment provides a nice foundation for change.  While it may not be sufficient, it may still be necessary for a significant personality change to occur.