7 - Humanistic Theories

The psychologists in this group believed that under the right circumstances people become happy, creative individuals who seek growth experiences. People are not evil by nature, the Humanists stated. Our inner nature is good and pulls us toward positive experiences that help us meet our needs and improve our own lives and those of others.

One very popular psychologist in the Humanistic field was Abraham Maslow. According to Maslow, each person follows an identical blueprint or pattern to satisfy physical and psychological needs. He arranged human needs in a pyramid shape because the lowest sections of the pyramid contain needs required by every human being in order to survive. Each category of needs becomes more difficult to attain, but at the same time it is more satisfying from the standpoint of personal growth. The needs at the bottom of the pyramid (food, water, air, warmth) are physiological needs that focus on the comfort and survival of the body. The lower needs must be satisfied first to some degree before the person can focus attention on the satisfaction of the next needs on the list.

Every human being has the same built-in pattern that is followed to satisfy needs. There are two important principles to remember when studying the pyramid. First, each need does not have to be satisfied completely before a person becomes challenged by the next level of needs. For example, a person requires food for survival before thinking of safety and security. The individual can still be a little hungry but be on the lookout for ways to meet security or even belonging needs. A second principle is that each person has a different threshold or capacity before deciding the particular need has been satisfied. For example, one individual might need a great deal of love and reassurances from family and friends before the need for social approval is satisfactorily fulfilled. The next person may be very independent requiring very little approval from others to satisfy social needs.

 

maslow2


Maslow’s pyramid is sometimes referred to as the hierarchy of needs because people progress from one level of needs to the next in a predictable, orderly fashion. A person cannot decide to select a level at random and concentrate on those needs before looking after the needs at the lower levels; more basic needs must be satisfied first, at least to some degree. Most of the categories in Maslow’s pyramid are fairly self-explanatory except for self-actualization. The term means total fulfillment as a human being, being aware of one’s potential and goals and reaching out to satisfy them. Self-actualization means using your talents and feeling good about yourself.

Maslow spoke of self-actualization in glowing terms using some of these descriptors: honesty, truth, beauty, uniqueness, humour, justice, fairness, gaiety, benevolence, individuality, exuberance, spontaneity, and self determination. Unfortunately, not every person will experience the joy of self-actualization. Other people will reach self-actualization only for a certain short period of their lives. What well-known people are thought to have been self-actualizing? A few examples are Mother Theresa, Terry Fox, and Mahatma Gandhi, but a self-actualizing person can also be your father, your aunt, or one of your close friends who has high principles and the strong will to make life better for themselves and for others.


Another Humanistic psychologist who deserves mention is Carl Rogers. He believed people have the power to form their own identity and not be shaped by the outside influences and expectations of others. One of the key ideas in Carl Rogers’ theory was the self-concept. The self-concept involves the attitudes and opinions people form about themselves. Personal feelings and emotions are also part of the self-concept. The self-concept has so much influence that a person tends to behave in ways that agree with the self-concept. What happens when one’s self-concept is out of tune with reality? One solution is to look for an excuse to explain the difference. Another is to alter your self-concept so it is more in tune with the facts. Will the self-concept change? Hopefully it will as the person matures, has new experiences, undergoes physical changes with age, and develops new knowledge. The ideal situation is to have a self-concept that is both positive and at the same time realistic.