____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subject PSYCHOLOGY Paper No and Title Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No and Title Module No 19: Introduction to Humanistic-Existential Approach Module Tag PSY_P5_M19 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Learning Outcomes 2. Introduction 2.1 Humanistic psychology 2.3 Existential psychology 3. Humanistic theories of personality 3.1 Maslow’s theory 3.2 Roger’s theory 4. Existential views on personality 4.1 Swiss School of Dasein analysis 4.1.1 Ludwig Binswanger 4.1.2 Medard Boss 4.2 Viennese School of Logotherapy 4.2.1 Viktor Frankl 4.3 American branch of existentialism 4.3.1 Rollo May 6. Summary PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories MODULE No.19:Introduction to Humanistic –Existential Approach ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Learning Outcomes After studying this module, you shall be able to Know the background of humanistic and existential psychology Learn about the factors contributing to the emergence of these schools of psychology Identify the contributions of different humanistic and existential psychologists 2. Introduction 2.1 Humanistic Psychology Humanistic psychology is a part of the third force movement in contemporary psychology. It emerged as a school of thought in psychology in reaction to the pessimistic views held by behaviorism and psychoanalysis about human nature. The term “humanistic” was first given by Abraham Maslow “to describe a position that focuses on the creative potentialities inherent in human beings, and that seeks ways to help them realize their highest and most important goals” (Ryckman, 2007, pg.417). The major theme of all humanistic theories is that all of us have an innate tendency to grow which helps us to move towards the realization of our inner potentialities, given that the environment is conducive. Different theorists have given different names to this innate growth process, such as the drive towards self-actualization, self-realization and selfhood. The roots of humanistic school of thought can be found in the writings of Maslow, Rogers, Jung, Kohut, Horney and Allport. They emphasized on the uniqueness of individuals and said that every person has a free will that they must exercise to make the choices in their lives. Instead of society controlling them, it is important that they govern their own lives and take responsibility of their own choices. When society tries to coerce individuals into behaving what is considered as appropriate and normal, it can stifle a person’s personal growth and the result is an average law abiding citizen, who obeys the moral diktats of the majority without any question (Ryckman, 2007). They believe that each individual strives for happiness and creativity, and excellence in his/her pursuits. They also believe that it is possible to specify a specific set of values, which are rooted in biology, that would allow people to choose what is right and wrong, instead of relying on the moral standards set by the society. Humanistic school of thought raised many questions on the tenets of orthodox psychology. Firstly, they challenged mainstream psychology’s views about human beings, especially the assumptions that behaviorism and psychoanalysis made about human nature. They said that traditional psychology presents a very limited and partial view about human functioning, which needs to be revised. Special focus should be given to the formation and development of human personality. As Maslow pointed out, Freud only paid attention to the unconscious forces that shape human personality and ignored the rational, conscious processes. Similarly, Watson and Skinner defined human personality in terms of learning and believed that it is shaped by the external forces; whereas most humanists believe that human personality is innate and remains stable. They also said that psychology should focus on topics like love, affiliation, creativity, spontaneity and personal growth, which have largely been ignored in mainstream psychology. Secondly, they pointed out that in the PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories MODULE No.19:Introduction to Humanistic –Existential Approach ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ process of treating psychology as a natural science and using methods consistent with the study of physics, chemistry, and biology, psychologists have lost out on the full range of human experience and behavior, which are vital to understand human beings in their true essence. They believed that by adopting this naturalistic approach, we tend to degrade the worth of the individual and his or her inner potential. Rather we should develop a science of psychology which focuses within the individual. Although humanistic theories differ widely in concepts, there are some common elements that constitute the major tenets of this school of thought: 1. The experiencing person is of primary interest. Humans are not simply objects of study; they must be understood in terms of their own subjective view of the world, their perceptions of self and their feelings of self-worth. Immediate, personal, subjective experience is considered as a major determinant of behaviour. 2. Focus is on the present. Although the importance of past experiences is not denied, the focus is on the present. Past influences are important only to the extent that they have brought the person to the present situation. Past experiences don’t shape the entire adult lives and the capacity to go on is both real and powerful. 3. Emphasis is on personal growth. People have a need to develop their potentials and capabilities. Once freed from negative situational conditions, the actualizing tendency should actively guide people to choose life-enhancing situations. Thus, growth and self- actualization are the criteria of psychological health, not merely ego control or adjustment to the environment. 4. Personality is viewed as holistic. People are not seen as the sum of discrete traits that each influence behaviour in different ways. People’s separate acts are explained in terms of their entire personalities. 5. Emphasis is on personal responsibility. Each of us is largely responsible for what happens to us. Our fate is mostly in our own hands; we are not merely chips driven here and there by dark forces within our personalities. 6. Ultimate value is placed on the innate qualities and dignity of the person. People are basically good and possess inherent positive qualities. The objective of psychology is to understand, not to predict or control people. 7. Focus is directly on improvement. The goal of psychology is to make life more palatable – not to dredge up painful memories that are sometimes better left repressed. Emphasis is on the person’s ability to grow to higher levels of functioning. 2.2 Existential Psychology The term existentialism has been defined as a philosophical movement which emphasized on how an individual’s existence is “characterized by a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world” (Solomon, 1974). Soren Kierkegaard is considered as the first existentialist philosopher, but he did not use the term existentialism. He talked about the basic realities of human existence, or Dasein. Thus, existentialism as a school of thought is concerned with the nature of being. Existentialism has been interpreted by various psychologists and philosophers in different ways. But there are some common elements that constitute the major tenets of this school of thought: PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories MODULE No.19:Introduction to Humanistic –Existential Approach ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Existentialists believe that existence take precedence over essence. The term existence here means ‘to emerge’ or ‘to become’, while essence refers to a static state (Feist & Feist, 2008). Thus, existence connotes change and development, while essence signifies finality or saturation. 2. Existentialists believe that humans are both subjective and objective and they must lead an authentic and active life to search the truth of their existence (Feist & Feist, 2008). They oppose the split between the subject and the object. 3. Humans are always searching for the meaning of their existence. They are consciously or unconsciously asking questions related to their being like, Who am I? What is the purpose of my life? What does humanity mean to me? 4. Humans are themselves the reason of what they are and what they become. Though they form healthy and productive interpersonal relationships with others, ultimately they are alone. The choices that they make in their lives are solely theirs. 5. Existentialists believe that theories tend to dehumanize individuals and objectify them. Thus, they are strongly against theories. For them, authentic experiences matter more than the artificial explanations of the human nature. The major applications of existentialism to personality and psychotherapy have come from the work of the people who have been trained in classical psychoanalysis. One of these individuals was Rollo May, who believed that an individual can be understood in terms of his subjective sense of self. Abnormal behavior arises from the need to protect this sense of subjective self from the outer threats. So, the person may give up on his self-growth in order to protect