Humanistic Psychology

My Life and Humanistic Psychology

I began my study for my doctorate in 1960 at Northern Illinois University. The basic philosophy of the Education Department was Humanistic Psychology. I had been introduced to this concept recently while teaching fourth grade at Barrington, Illinois Public Schools where I was involved with “Individual Instruction.” My masters’ paper (1957) is entitled Individualed Reading in the Fourth Grade.  I had 29 students and it may have been my best of 54 years in Education.

Dr. Raymond Fox, Department Chairman and Dr. Margaret Carrol, mentor and chairman of my dissertation committee were significant models of Student-Centered Learning. I joined ASCD and became a member of the chapter of Humanistic Psychology. Perceiving, Becoming, Becoming (see below) became my guide in coaching and teaching. 

Humanistic Psychology Definition

Humanistic psychology, a movement in psychology supporting the belief that humans, as individuals, are unique beings and should be recognized and treated as such by psychologists and psychiatrists. The movement grew in opposition to the two mainstream 20th-century trends in psychology, behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Humanistic principles attained application during the “human potential” movement, which became popular in the United States during the 1960s.

Founders

Abraham Maslow - Developed the hierarchical theory of human motivation,     known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, highlighting self-actualization as the ultimate psychological need.

Carl Rogers - Introduced client-centered therapy (also known as person-centered therapy), emphasizing empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence as crucial therapeutic elements.

Rollo May -  Known for integrating existential philosophy into psychology, contributing significantly to existential-humanistic psychology by focusing on meaning, anxiety, and human freedom.

Fritz Perls - Developed Gestalt Therapy, emphasizing holistic self-awareness and personal responsibility, often associated with humanistic approaches.

Jean Houston - A principal founder, scholar, and philosopher who helped define the vision for human capacities in humanistic ways.

Commentary

Humanistic psychology is an approach that focuses on individual potential and personal growth. It emphasizes free will, self-actualization, and the importance of a supportive environment for psychological well-being. It encourages understanding people as whole, unique individuals, striving to reach their fullest potential. The humanist is concerned with the fullest growth of the individual in the areas of love, fulfillment, self-worth, and autonomy.

  Abraham Maslow, one of the leading architects of humanistic psychology, proposed a hierarchy of needs or drives in order of decreasing priority or potency but increasing sophistication: physiological needs, safety, belongingness and love, esteem, and self-actualization. Only when the more primitive needs are met can the individual progress to higher levels in the hierarchy. People reaching self-actualization will have fully realized their potential.

Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming  -- ASCD Yearbook -- 1961         

A New Focus for Education Book         

Authors: Arthur Combs, Earl Kelly, Carl Rogers, Abraham  Maslow

Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming: A New Focus for Education is a foundational 1962 yearbook from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) that shifted educational focus toward humanistic psychology, emphasizing the development of the "fully functioning" individual. It insists that education should help students develop adequate, self-actualizing personalities, by understanding how perception and behavior shape learning. 

Philosophy

The concept of the self is a central focal point for humanistic psychologists. In the “self-centered” theory of American psychotherapist Carl Rogers, individuals perceive the world according to their own experiences. This perception affects their personality and leads them to direct their behavior to satisfy the needs of the total self. Rogers stressed that, in the development of an individual’s personality, the person strives for “self-actualization (to become oneself), self-maintenance (to keep on being oneself), and self-enhancement (to transcend the status quo).”

Positive Changes Coaches and Players

For the next few weeks we will be featuring Humanistic Psychology as the center for working with other psychological venues, such as Gestalt Therapy, with coaches and players throughout our world of sports. 

”An assumption unusual in psychology today is that the subjective human being has an important value which is basic; that no matter how he may be labeled and evaluated he is a human person first of all, and most deeply. ”  --- Carl Rogers, 1962.