Father of Humanistic Psychology Abraham Maslow Father of Humanistic Psychology

Third Wave Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) Forerunner of positive psychology. Radically different view of human nature. Rejected ideas of Freud and Skinner.

Harry Harlow’s lab Maslow worked in Harlow’s lab as a student at the University of Wisconsin. Harlow famous for the monkey studies using wire and cloth mothers. Maslow didn’t see his future in experimental psychology.

Maslow at Brandeis Maslow began teaching in NYC area. Met many leading neo-Freudians, including Alfred Adler and Erich Fromm. In 1951, Maslow became the chairman of the psychology department at Brandeis University. Met Gestalt Psychologist Kurt Goldstein who introduced him to the idea of self-actualization. Goldstein first trained as a neurologist and was an early advocate of holistic medicine. Have to deal with the whole organism.

Maslow rejected Freud’s ideas Psychoanalysis based on what went wrong. Theories based on clinically ill patients. Repressing strong sexual urges. Animal passions. “Why pick the wolf?”

Humanistic Psychology Positive instincts to fulfill human potential. Theories based on study of successful, healthy people (interviews). Albert Schweitzer, Eleanor Roosevelt. Strong motivating force to do good. Be the best that they could be. Self-actualization.

Case studies Began with study of two close friends. Expanded to 10 other anonymous living persons. Historical figures: Lincoln, Jefferson. Important personalities: Einstein. Examined biographies, writings and interviewed those still living. Biographic analysis: Qualitative research

Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs

Guiding principles 1. Needs arranged according to potency and strength. Lower needs stronger and more urgently felt. 2. Lower needs appear earlier in development. Babies concerned with biological, toddlers with safety, seniors more likely to be self-actualized.

Hierarchy of needs 3. Needs are filled sequentially, lowest to highest. Maslow did not believe that you had to completely satisfy each level before moving to a higher one. Example: work for safety when 60% of physiological needs met.

Physiological needs Body needs Hunger and thirst Need met by most people in US. But may take dominance in emergencies. Natural disasters. Hurricane Katrina

Safety needs Security in our environment. Stability and protection. Job security, insurance, retirement plans. Stock market crash wipes out nest egg. Pathologies: OCD: no sense of security, PTSD and panic attacks. Black Monday, 1987

Love and Belongingness Friends, life partner, children, social clubs, religious communities. Stunting of this need leads to most behavior problems. Importance of social bonds. Some question whether you can love others until you love yourself  Esteem needs

Esteem needs has two levels Lower level  need for respect from others Such as recognition, attention, appreciation. Higher level  self respect Such as confidence, competence, mastery. Pathologies: inferiority complex, depression. Question: Can others respect you if you don’t respect yourself?

Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs

Cycle of D-motives Deficit needs. Deprivation leads to drive to satisfy need. Achieve homeostasis. Not just biological needs. Essential for survival. Even instinctual.

Being motives Once D-needs fulfilled, being needs emerge. Growth motivation Not governed by homeostasis. Becomes stronger as you fulfill them. Strive now to be all that you can be. Self-actualizers.

Portrait of self-actualizers Small group according to Maslow. 1-2% of the adult population. Generally 60 plus years old Reality and problem centered. Enjoy solitude and have deep personal relationships with a few close friends.

Self-actualizers (cont.) Autonomous, resisted enculturation. Acceptance of self and others. Strong ethics, spiritual, seldom religious. Prefer spontaneity and simplicity. Unhostile sense of humor. Source: Prof. George Boeree http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/maslow.html

Peak experiences Moments of transcendence. To climb above culture. Perceptual experiences, largely passive. Spiritual realm for some but not necessarily religious. People may be reluctant to report. Unlike FLOW where you have superior functioning, self-absorbed.

Peak experiences described Davis (1991) interviewed 250 people. 80% reported having a peak experience. Might share contents with close friend. Experience special, intimate and personal. Not easy to describe in words. Transcend normal language.

Failure to actualize Maslow many fail to actualize because 1) Growth tendency is weaker than deficiency motives. Hard to transcend hunger. 2) Normal culture downplays the importance of the inner life (voice). Just trying to gain control of our impulses. 3) Growth requires taking risks than many are unwilling to do. Example: international education. Study in another culture.

Jonah Complex Maslow used biblical story of Jonah to illustrate those unwilling to take risks. Jonah tried to run away from risk. Only after spending some time in the whale did he agree to complete his mission. Maslow called this reluctance the Jonah Complex.

Maslow’s critics Need hierarchy is wildly popular. Education, management, psychotherapy, and nursing. Any research to suggest it’s true? Maslow’s research case studies. Others have done studies or larger and more diverse groups.

Hierarchy of needs (5 or 2) Little empirical support for 5 stages. Stronger evidence for two levels: deficiency and growth. Developmental growth does have much support either. Older adults rate self-actualization as their lowest NOT highest need. College students most concerned about esteem and security

Other criticisms Elitist (1-2%): Very small club. Growth motivation more wide spread than Maslow believed. Carl Rogers: “every person has one basic tendency and striving– to actualize, maintain, and enhance the experienced self.”

Client-Centered Therapy Carl Rogers (1902-1987) Humanistic attitude. Unconditional positive regard. Nondirective approach. Reflective listening. Healing will occur naturally.

Winter at Valley Forge Washington’s Army was hungry, cold, away from families, in fear for their lives. Mostly volunteers. Some deserted but enough remained to form the core of a new army. Sacrifice lower needs to meet those of a higher calling.

Bias towards Western Culture Emphasis on individual achievement, getting credit for new idea. Esteem in standing out. Asian cultures all succeed together. Emphasis on team work. Japanese saying: “The nail that sticks up gets pounded down.”

Third Wave Positive side Optimistic view of humankind. Human abilities. Growth potential. Healthy personality. Pyramid of needs Negative side Non-scientific. Philosophy rather than psychology. Need evidence to support beliefs. Self-actualizers rare. Practical applications.

Fourth Wave Positive Psychology Martin Seligman Learned Optimism Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi Flow Humanistic Psychology with empirical methods. Practical applications for many, not just a few.