I am a humanistic psychologist, meaning I follow the humanistic perspective in my work, which can be woven through many approaches and methods. Although I integrate many other approaches, this approach is central to my practice. Thus, I wanted to present this overview. The humanistic approach, also known as humanistic psychology or humanism, is an approach to psychotherapy that emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction to psychology’s more deterministic and behavioristic models. Humanistic theory emphasizes a person’s inherent capacity for personal growth, self-awareness, and self-determination. It focuses on the individual’s subjective experience and views each person as unique, with the potential for positive growth and fulfillment.
The humanistic perspective is often used to address a wide range of issues, including personal development, self-esteem, relationships, and existential concerns. It is particularly well-suited for individuals seeking personal growth and self-discovery. While it may not be the primary choice for all mental health issues, the humanistic perspective can complement other therapeutic approaches and provide valuable insights into an individual’s inner experience. Later in this post, I provide a humanistic psychology example so you can see how this method works in practice.
What Does Humanistic Psychology Focus On?
This approach emphasizes the study of the whole person and individuals’ unique qualities and potential. It focuses on understanding human experience, consciousness, and self-awareness. The basic tenets include:
- Self-Actualization: A humanistic psychologist emphasizes individuals’ innate drive to achieve their fullest potential and become their best version. This concept is known as self-actualization.
- Holism: The humanistic approach focuses on each individual, considering the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. We emphasize the importance of understanding the complete human experience.
- Personal Responsibility: Humanism encourages individuals to take responsibility for their actions and choices. It emphasizes the idea that individuals have the power to shape their destinies. The focus is on personal growth, self-improvement, and realizing one’s unique abilities. A humanistic psychologist emphasizes potential and engagement in self-discovery.
- Subjective Experience: A humanistic approach emphasizes the value of individuals’ subjective experiences, including emotions, perceptions, and personal meanings attached to events. It is a highly nonjudgmental approach.
- Rejecting Determinism: One of the basic tenets of this method is that it rejects strict determinism and the idea that external factors solely determine behavior. It emphasizes free will and the ability of individuals to make choices.
Summary of the Basic Tenets
Overall, humanistic psychology emphasizes individuals’ subjective experiences, personal growth, and the pursuit of one’s full potential. It stands in contrast to more behaviorist or psychodynamic perspectives that might focus more on observable behaviors or unconscious processes. What I like about the humanistic perspective is that the basic tenets of humanism allow me to weave in other methods, even if they do not follow them. This is key in an integrative psychology practice like mine and many others.
Humanistic Approach Examples
The humanistic psychology focus approach is broad and encompassing, but some examples of the humanistic perspective and philosophy help show the approach. It often refers to any form of therapy that is future-oriented, client-centered, and more focused on current dynamics than past experiences’ effects. These approaches share a common belief in the importance of understanding an individual’s subjective experience, fostering self-awareness, and promoting personal growth. At the same time, their techniques and emphases differ, but they share a holistic perspective that values the uniqueness and potential of each person.
- Positive Psychology: While not exclusive to humanistic psychology, the field often aligns with the positive psychology movement, which seeks to understand and enhance human strengths, virtues, and overall well-being. The work of positive psychologists provides a core humanistic psychology example that can be combined with other approaches.
- Client-centered therapy: Carl Rogers, one of the influential figures in humanism, developed client-centered therapy. This therapeutic approach emphasizes empathy, unconditional positive regard, and active listening to help individuals explore and understand themselves.
- Gestalt Therapy: This method is a great example of a humanistic perspective. It emphasizes the importance of the present moment and your current subjective inner experience. This approach asks clients to understand their experiences as an integrated entity rather than a collection of smaller, separate parts.
- Existential Therapy and Logotherapy: Based on the theories of Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, and Irvin D. Yalom, these methods focus on existential concerns such as freedom, choice, responsibility, and the search for meaning in life. It encourages clients to confront the anxieties and uncertainties of human existence. This approach follows the humanistic theory and involves philosophical dialogue, exploring life choices, and examining the client’s responsibility for their own actions.
Humanistic Psychology Example in Practice
A young professional named Sarah feels unfulfilled in her career despite achieving external success. She experiences anxiety, a lack of motivation, and a sense of disconnection from her true self. Sarah decides to seek therapy to explore these feelings. Sarah and I decided on the client-centered approach (also known as person-centered therapy), a humanistic approach developed by Carl Rogers. This humanistic psychology example is general and brief but designed to give you an idea of how it works.
A Humanistic Psychologist Approach
I will provide a non-judgmental, empathetic, and supportive environment, allowing Sarah to express her thoughts and emotions freely. I will practice the humanistic perspective of unconditional positive regard, meaning I accept Sarah without judgment, regardless of what she shares. Instead of directing the conversation, I actively listen, reflecting on Sarah’s feelings and helping her explore her experiences more deeply.
I encourage Sarah to explore her values, desires, and what truly matters to her. This helps her identify the disconnect between her career and her sense of self. This is called self-actualization.
Humanistic Psychology Example Results
Through this process and the humanistic perspective, Sarah begins to recognize that her current job, though successful, does not align with her deeper passions or purpose. Over time, Sarah gains clarity about what she truly wants in life, such as pursuing a career that aligns with her passion for helping others. I support Sarah in exploring potential career changes, emphasizing that the decision should come from within her, reflecting her authentic self.
With my support, Sarah decided to shift her career toward a field that feels more meaningful to her. She begins to feel more fulfilled, motivated, and connected to her sense of purpose, reflecting the goal of self-actualization.
Humanistic Psychology Example Summary
As you can see from that brief humanistic psychology example, this therapy method is based on the following principles:
- Empathy and Compassion: I deeply understand Sarah’s feelings and perspectives, helping her feel heard and validated.
- Unconditional Positive Regard: I accept Sarah as she is, fostering a safe self-exploration environment.
- Self-Actualization: I focus on helping Sarah realize her potential and align her life with her true self.
This humanistic psychology example exemplifies how humanistic theory can be applied in therapy to help individuals achieve personal growth and a deeper understanding of themselves.
What Drives Humanistic Theory
Humanistic theory is driven by a set of core beliefs and principles. These principles emphasize the importance of understanding and promoting individuals’ well-being and potential.
Humanistic Theory Tenets
- Belief in Human Potential: Humanistic Theory believes in individuals’ inherent potential for growth, self-improvement, and self-actualization. It is motivated by the idea that people can strive to become their best selves.
- Nonjudgement and Humanistic Theory: Emphasizing subjective experience, including emotions, perceptions, and personal meanings, drives a humanistic psychologist. This means they believe in being fully nonjudgmental and find it important for the client to realize that.
- Promotion of Personal Responsibility: One of the basic tenets of this approach is empowering individuals to take responsibility for their own lives. Thus, humanistic theory is motivated to help people recognize their agency and make choices that align with their values and goals.
- Positive Approach: Many psychologists align with the positive psychology movement, focusing on strengths, virtues, and well-being. They are motivated to contribute to individuals’ positive experiences and to enhance overall life satisfaction.
- Rejecting Determinism: The humanistic perspective rejects strict determinism. It advocates for the importance of free will and the capacity of individuals to make meaningful choices that shape their lives. The example above illustrates this.
- Cultural Sensitivity: A humanistic psychologist often emphasizes cultural sensitivity and recognizes the importance of understanding individuals within their cultural context. They are motivated to appreciate diversity and promote inclusivity.
Humanistic Perspective on Human Nature
Overall, a humanistic psychologist is motivated by a deep concern for the well-being and fulfillment of individuals. Their approach is characterized by a positive and empowering perspective on human nature, valuing the richness of personal experiences and the potential for growth and self-realization. It’s not that we ignore barriers and challenges, but rather that we see you as having the potential to overcome them or find ways around them. We don’t focus on the past, but that does not mean we ignore it or how it influences us in the present time.
Summary and My Work
While I consider myself a humanistic psychologist, my practice is quite integrative. Thus, I do braid in other theories, even some that, on the surface, contradict the focus. Some examples include psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy. I also use supportive psychotherapy techniques when a client has a specific issue to work through. I firmly believe that the basic tenets can hold true even when other techniques are used – just because we explore the past does not mean we are embracing determinism, for example.
How I Use This Approach
In my practice, I am a humanistic psychologist, and this carries over into some of my specialty areas, including assessing people for emotional support animals. I use it for individual therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy. I hope the humanistic psychology example above helps you see how this method works, but I welcome more specific questions.
Please feel free to contact me or schedule a consultation to discuss humanistic psychology and what it might mean for your therapy.
