Humanistic Personality AP Psychology

Consider this…. People have the ability to accomplish great things when they put their minds to it. Did you ever think that you could do something that could change the world? Doing something important takes DETERMINATION and HARD WORK.

In the humanist view… People have the freedom and will to change behavior (you choose/create your personality). We have Free Will! Humans CAN think and control their urges. Our environment is less important to shaping our personality….our self-concept is MORE important in shaping our personality.

Humanistic Psychology Rebellion against: Behaviorism and Psychoanalytical Psychology. Humanistic Psych= emphasizes personal growth and the achievement of maximum potential by each unique individual.

Two important Humanists scholars 1. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) Deliberately set out to create a “third force” in psychology….challenge to Freud and Skinner. Maslow’s theory/research is based on examining healthy, creative, self-actualizing people. Not based on the studies of disturbed individuals.

Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs We must satisfy our basic needs before we can try to meet higher-level needs. How we meet these needs can help explain our personality and how we obtain personal growth.

Self-Actualized People Are….. Self-aware and self-accepting Great deal of spontaneity Loving and caring Not paralyzed by other’s opinion Involved in FEW deep relationships, do not engage in superficial relationships They transcend the environment rather than just coping with it..

Maslow believed… To become self-actualized, a person MUST first satisfy the four preceding levels (hierarchy of needs). Most humans only make it to the third level (Belongingness and Love needs)

2. Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Person Centered Perspective Studied to be a Christian pastor. Left theology school primarily because he believed that “People CAN NOT sin”….we are all basically good people, but sometimes we make bad decisions. Psychologists should call the people they are counseling “Clients” not “patients”.

Carl Rogers Many people suffer from a conflict b/w what they value in themselves and what they believe others value in them. We struggle to become more complete and perfect. Your personality is composed of the SELF (humanist version of the ego)= your image of who you are and what you value in your self.

Carl Rogers The SELF is acquire gradually over the years by observing how other people react to you. We all have a Self-Concept= our perceptions and beliefs about our selves. Phenomenal Field= our psychological reality based on perceptions and feelings. Subjective.

Healthy personality To become a FULLY FUNCTIONAL INDIVIUAL [unit the self (what I am striving to be) with what I truly am], we need Unconditional Positive Regard= love or support given to another person with no conditions attached

Carl Rogers According to Rogers, unfortunately most people receive CONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD (CPR)= examples…”I’ll love you if you behave well”….”do well in school and I will pay attention to you”. With CPR, Love is based on conditions Your personality is in part shaped by if you receive unconditional positive regard or conditional positive regard.

Standard critiques of Humanistic Theories Pros: upbeat approach/positive/healthy individuals. Pros: focus on present and future possibilities Pros: Focus on the individual Cons: Difficult to empirically study, concepts are unclear??? Cons: Western approach