Humanistic psychology started in the mid-1900s as a new way to look at psychology. It offered a different way to understand people compared to the earlier theories called psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Each of these older theories had unique ideas about how people behave, but humanistic psychology wanted to fix their weaknesses.
1. Critique of Psychoanalysis and Behaviorism
Psychoanalysis was started by Sigmund Freud. He believed that our unconscious mind and our childhood experiences greatly influence how we act as adults. While this idea gave us some useful insights, some people thought it focused too much on negative things in life. Freud often talked about problems and traumas that people face, which might have ignored how individuals can grow and become better over time.
On the flip side, behaviorism was created by people like B.F. Skinner and John Watson. This theory focused only on what we can see—like people's actions—while ignoring what they think and feel inside. Behaviorism helped with clear, measurable outcomes, which is great for scientific study, but it missed out on the rich emotions and thoughts that make us human. For example, if a child is solving a puzzle, behaviorists would look only at how the child moves the pieces. They wouldn't consider what the child is thinking or feeling about solving the puzzle.
2. Birth of Humanistic Psychology
To address these issues, important figures in humanistic psychology, such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, wanted to look at the whole person. They brought forward ideas that celebrated what people can achieve and the importance of self-actualization. Self-actualization means reaching your fullest potential.
Maslow created a tool called the hierarchy of needs. It shows that after we meet basic needs, like food and safety, we want to feel like we belong, gain respect, and ultimately realize our full potential. This idea highlights how important personal growth, creativity, and being spontaneous are in our lives.
3. Focus on Subjectivity and Individual Experience
Humanistic psychology takes a more complete view of people, valuing how each person experiences life and their own unique perspective. Carl Rogers’ client-centered therapy is a great example. It creates a caring environment where people can share their thoughts and feelings without judgment. This approach is very different from psychoanalysis, which can be more distant, and behaviorism, which focuses only on observable actions.
To sum it up, humanistic psychology came about as a positive response to earlier ideas from psychoanalysis and behaviorism. It emphasizes human potential, personal experiences, and our natural drive to grow and improve. This approach changes how we think about mental health, showing a brighter view of human nature.
Humanistic psychology started in the mid-1900s as a new way to look at psychology. It offered a different way to understand people compared to the earlier theories called psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Each of these older theories had unique ideas about how people behave, but humanistic psychology wanted to fix their weaknesses.
1. Critique of Psychoanalysis and Behaviorism
Psychoanalysis was started by Sigmund Freud. He believed that our unconscious mind and our childhood experiences greatly influence how we act as adults. While this idea gave us some useful insights, some people thought it focused too much on negative things in life. Freud often talked about problems and traumas that people face, which might have ignored how individuals can grow and become better over time.
On the flip side, behaviorism was created by people like B.F. Skinner and John Watson. This theory focused only on what we can see—like people's actions—while ignoring what they think and feel inside. Behaviorism helped with clear, measurable outcomes, which is great for scientific study, but it missed out on the rich emotions and thoughts that make us human. For example, if a child is solving a puzzle, behaviorists would look only at how the child moves the pieces. They wouldn't consider what the child is thinking or feeling about solving the puzzle.
2. Birth of Humanistic Psychology
To address these issues, important figures in humanistic psychology, such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, wanted to look at the whole person. They brought forward ideas that celebrated what people can achieve and the importance of self-actualization. Self-actualization means reaching your fullest potential.
Maslow created a tool called the hierarchy of needs. It shows that after we meet basic needs, like food and safety, we want to feel like we belong, gain respect, and ultimately realize our full potential. This idea highlights how important personal growth, creativity, and being spontaneous are in our lives.
3. Focus on Subjectivity and Individual Experience
Humanistic psychology takes a more complete view of people, valuing how each person experiences life and their own unique perspective. Carl Rogers’ client-centered therapy is a great example. It creates a caring environment where people can share their thoughts and feelings without judgment. This approach is very different from psychoanalysis, which can be more distant, and behaviorism, which focuses only on observable actions.
To sum it up, humanistic psychology came about as a positive response to earlier ideas from psychoanalysis and behaviorism. It emphasizes human potential, personal experiences, and our natural drive to grow and improve. This approach changes how we think about mental health, showing a brighter view of human nature.