Today’s humanity, although it has made great achievements in science and technology, has not yet managed to build a human society where all people live in harmony with each other, and with the rest of the living creatures. Several questions cloud the human mind and create limiting feelings. These feelings, which prevent us from realizing the fundamental unity that exists between all beings, have caused various conflicts, wars, and imbalances in the world throughout history. This is the reason why the humanistic approach originated, which intended for human beings to understand themselves more by finding a meaning of life in their existence.
If you want to know everything about humanism, its definition, theories and characteristics, keep reading this PsicologíaOnline article where we explain it to you.
What is humanism and its definition
Some of the techniques used by humanism are mentioned in this work and are focused on making the client aware of their actions while taking responsibility for their freedom in the search for the meaning of life. The basic principles of the humanistic psychotherapyas well as some criticisms regarding the appropriate application in certain areas and that it must be adjusted to the needs of each person.
Instead Neo-Humanism makes a exhaustive analysis of all feelings that limit our intellect, and offers us the elements for the liberation of the intellect from all those limiting feelings. Neo-Humanism or the cult of love for all creation is an instrument for the analysis of society and the origin of conflicts that could be the philosophical link between all the people and groups that today work for a better world. The ideology of this theory is also a help for those who are on the spiritual path. Especially for those who work for the service of humanity at the same time for their self-realization. It offers a vision that helps us protect the inner treasure of our spiritual realizations while we live in society working to improve.
Background of humanistic psychology
As Caparrós (1979) has pointed out, the humanistic psychologists They recognize the influence that those throughout the history of psychology have had on them who have resisted, on each occasion in different ways, its reduction to a simple natural science. Despite this, certain authors or guidelines can be pointed out that had previously developed, in a particular way, essential points for Humanistic Psychology. So Franz Brentano He had criticized the mechanistic and reductionist approach to psychology as a natural science, and proposed the psychological study of consciousness as an intentional act and not as a molecular and passive content. Oswald Kúlpe suggested that not all conscious experience could be reduced to elementary forms or explained in terms of content, and authors such as Wilhelm Dilthey or William James They argued against mechanism in psychology, proposing to focus on consciousness and the total individual. However, it is advisable to adopt a certain caution at this point: the fact that some contemporary humanists recognize these authors as their predecessors, and that they have effectively maintained in their writings points of view similar to phenomenological ones, does not authorize us to speak of an influence direct from his works on the creators of Humanistic Psychology.
More recently the Gestalt psychology He proposed that a molar approach to consciousness had to be adopted and insisted, in contrast to behaviorism, on the study of conscious experience as a legitimate and useful psychological area. There are also several antecedents of Humanistic Psychology in the psychoanalytic ranks, through the work of Adler. Horney and Erikson. These authors, as is known, are from orthodox psychoanalysis in that personality is determined in an important way by forces; they also include, it is important to mention, Otto Rank—whose influence on humanistic psychology is often forgotten—mainly for his non-directive approach to psychotherapy and its recognition of the creative potential of every person. (Carpintero, Mayor and Zalbidea, 1990). Humanistic Psychology originates in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States, subject to influences of three types: philosophical, social-cultural, and psychological. (González, 2006).
It arose from the rejection of the two dominant psychologies, behaviorism and psychoanalysis, for offering a dehumanized, reductionist, mechanistic and deterministic vision of the human being (González, 2006). Humanistic psychology will be presented as a “third force.” This type of psychology presents a great variety, so it is more appropriate to talk about a movement than a school (Carpintero, Mayor and Zalbidea, 1990). As well as social and cultural factors such as discouragement and restlessness after the Second World War, the atomic threat, the Cold War and social dissatisfaction. The roots of the humanist movement were William James, the Gestalt Theory, Adler, Jung, Horney, Ericsson, Allport, in Europe, Ludwig Bingswanger and Medar Boss who understand in their works the human being, as the object and method of psychology. , pathology and its treatment are related to the humanist philosophical tradition.
It also arises from concepts of Phenomenology, precursor of Gestalt, whose main representatives were Husserl, Muller, Stumpf, and which studies the phenomenon or immediate experience as it occurs independently of the past. The Gestalt approach sees the human being as a subject tending to complete his existence. The Gestalt therapy proposes 3 tasks specific to facilitate the integration of desires and needs:
- Assessment of current events; In the here and now, you work with the material set aside, not with the past or the illusion of the future.
- Assessment of awareness and acceptance of experience; working with sensory and emotional experience and avoiding intellectual discourse or interpretations.
- Assessment of responsibility and integrity; Each one is responsible for their behavior, no matter how illogical or extreme it may seem.
The purpose is for the individual to become aware in the here and now.
humanistic psychology
The term humanism is related to philosophical conceptions that place the human being as the center of their interest. Philosophical humanism highlights the dignity of the human being, although interpreted differently in the different forms of humanism (Christian, socialist, existentialist, scientific, etc.). Humanism can be understood as a certain conception of the human being, and also as a method. For example, humanism understood as a method is present in the psychology of William James, who rejected all absolutism and all denial of the variety and spontaneity of experience and, consequently, claimed flexibility in describing the richness of the real, even at the cost of losing accuracy (Rossi, 2008). For the humanistic approach, the relevant knowledge about the human being will be obtained by focusing on purely human phenomena such as love, creativity or anguish. To refer to the humanistic approach in psychology, the titles are used: humanistic psychology, existentialist psychology, humanistic-existential psychology.
The humanistic approach is concerned with developing human potential and is not content with its proper functioning. In a word, humanistic psychology represents a commitment to becoming human, an accentuation of the totality and uniqueness of the individual, a concern for improving the human condition, as well as for understanding the individual (Carpintero, Mayor and Zalbidea, 1990).
The basic foundations of humanistic psychology
The humanistic psychology It is more a movement than a school, and even more the reflection of an attitude about the human being and knowledge. The ideas that emerge most from the humanistic approach are:
- The importance assigned to the individual, to personal freedom, free will, individual creativity and spontaneity.
- Emphasis is placed on conscious experience.
- Emphasis is placed on everything related to human nature.
Humanists want to highlight mental health and all the positive attributes of life, such as happiness, contentment, ecstasy, kindness, generosity, affection, etc. Additionally, the members of the movement share:
- The desire to focus on the person, their inner experience, the meaning that the person gives to their experiences and the self-presence that this entails.
- Emphasis on distinctive and specifically human characteristics: decisiveness, creativity, self-realization, etc.
- Maintenance of the criterion of intrinsic significance in the selection of problems to be investigated, against a value inspired solely by the value of objectivity.
- Commitment to the value of human dignity and interest in the full development of the potential inherent in each person; The person as he discovers himself and in relation to other people and social groups is central.
Influences on the development of humanistic psychology
According to Martorell and Prieto (2006), the third force or humanistic psychology receives influences from psychology by rejecting the two influences that dominated when it appeared, behaviorism and psychoanalysis, due to the vision that these two approaches held. Another influence was the social and cultural factorssince at that time various events occurred such as the discouragement and restlessness of the Second World War, the atomic threat, the Cold War, social dissatisfaction, etc.
Humanistic psychology was also influenced by humanistic philosophy which in Europe directly influenced the development of existential psychology. Existentialism places particular emphasis on the existence of people, how they live their lives and their freedom. His theory speaks of the fact that the human being cannot be reduced to any entity, whether it is a rational animal, a social being, a psychic or biological entity.
While phenomenology is the most appropriate method to approach man, it seeks to discover what his experience offers him, to approach the contents of consciousness without prejudices or preconceived theories on the part of the observer. It is one of the theories used in humanistic psychology. since it focuses exclusively on the person and allows them to develop personal growth that allows them to find happiness.
Basic postulates of humanistic theory
Some of the basic postulates that humanistic psychology offers about man are:
- It is more than the sum of its parts.
- It carries out its existence in a human context.
- You have the ability to choose.
- It is intentional in its purposes, its evaluative experiences, its creativity and the understanding of meanings.
In addition to these postulates, the supporters of this theory share four fundamental characteristics:
- They show a…