The two historical contexts that began the development of the humanistic approach were the need for another aspect of psychology focused on learning behavior in simpler terms and the philosophical idea in the Europe of existentialism. Some psychologists disagreed with other approaches such as behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Behaviorism focused too much on data and did not study the person as a whole. These psychologists also believed that psychoanalysis was too fixed and negative. The humanistic approach was a new perspective formed to focus on a more positive approach to people. Existential philosophy addresses questions such as; the meaning of our existence, the role of free will, and the uniqueness of every human being (Burger, 2014, p. 278). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The humanistic approach to personality is directly related to human behavior. The main distinction between the humanistic approach and other personality theories such as behaviorism and psychoanalysis is that people are assumed to be largely responsible for their own actions (Burger, 2014, p. 277). In general, humans choose what they do despite environmental factors and are for the most part conscious beings. Two humanistic theorists who have made an impact in this theory of personality are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. They believed that the way a person sees the world subjectively is better than the objective reality of the world. The humanistic approach encourages that there is more to behavior than what we can observe. When I think about my personality and how I relate to the world, the humanistic approach is the most recognizable compared to behaviorism and psychoanalysis. According to Jerry M. Burger (2014), there are four key elements of the humanistic approach. The first key element of the humanistic approach is personal responsibility. Unlike the behavioral approach, which states that humans react based on things they cannot control, the humanistic personality theory states that people shape their own lives (Burger, 2014, p. 279). People also possess the freedom to change that can only be limited by physical restrictions. The second key element of the humanistic approach is the emphasis on the here and now. This approach focuses on how a person feels “here and now” instead of trying to understand what happened in the past that led a person to those types of feelings. Human beings cannot fully function until they focus on living their lives as they happen. The third key element of the humanistic approach is the experience of the individual. This theory would argue that the objective reality of the world is less important than the subjective reality of the person. This individual experience makes it more difficult to study the objectivity of behavior because it is based on a person's subjective reality. The final key element of the humanistic approach is personal growth. This is sometimes called “fully functioning” by Carl Rogers and “self-actualization” by Abraham Maslow. We are all motivated to progress toward an ultimately satisfying state of being (Burger, 2014, p. 281). Fulfillment in life is a fundamental human motivation that concerns psychological growth and satisfaction in life. There are strengths and limitations in the humanistic approach. One of the main strengths of this approach is that it encourages the belief that there is much more to behavior than what we can observe. Behaviorism and psychoanalysis view behavior as the result of influences, 41(6), 863-870.
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