Humanistic and Self- Actualization

Frias, Ian Lou

Gallardo, Gwen Rouze
Custodio,Aileen
Taňio, Neovic
Duerme, Remielyn
Condesa, Galrich Cid
Cinconiegie,Argie
Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers
were proponents of humanistic view
The History of Humanistic Theory
•Abraham Maslow(1943) developed a hierarchical theory of
human motivation.
•Abraham Maslow is considered to be the “Father of
Humanistic Psychology’’. His theory is premised on the
philosophies of humanism and existentialism that proposed that it
is the unique experience of the individual that is the most
important phenomenon in the study and analysis of human
behavior.
.
 Maslow was most famous for his proposal that human
motivation is founded on a hierarchy of needs. The fundamental
principle behind this hierarchy is that people are born with
certain needs, the fulfillment of which allows us to move
forward and fulfill other more complex needs
 As a leader of humanistic psychology, Abraham Maslow
approached the study of personality psychology by focusing on
subjective experiences and free will. He was mainly concerned
with an individual’s innate drive toward self-actualization—a
state of fulfillment in which a person is achieving at his or her
highest level of capability.
Carl Rogers’ humanistic personality theory emphasizes the
importance of the self-actualizing tendency in forming a self-
concept.
Carl Rogers (1946) publishes Significant aspects of client-
centered therapy (also called person centered therapy).
In 1957 and 1958, at the invitation of Abraham Maslow and Clark
Moustakas, two meetings were held in Detroit among
psychologists who were interested in founding a professional
association dedicated to a more meaningful, more humanistic
vision.
HUMANISTIC-is a psychological approach which studies the
whole person, and the uniqueness of each individual.

Humanistic psychology expanded its influence

throughout the 1970s and the 1980s. Its impact can be
understood in terms of three major areas:
1) It offered a new set of values for approaching an
understanding of human nature and the human condition.
2) It offered an expanded horizon of methods of inquiry in the
study of human behavior.
3) It offered a broader range of more effective methods in the
professional practice of psychotherapy.
Humanistic Theories
 In humanistic psychology it is emphasized people have
free will and they play an active role in determining
how they behave.
 Humanistic psychologists try to see people’s lives as
those people would see them. They tend to have an
optimistic perspective on human nature
 Accordingly, humanistic psychology focuses on
subjective experiences of persons as opposed to
forced, definitive factors that determine behavior.
Humanistic Theories
 The humanistic approach states that the self is composed of concepts
unique to ourselves.
The self-concept includes three components:
 Self worth – what we think about ourselves. Rogers believed feelings of
self-worth developed in early childhood and were formed from the
interaction of the child with the mother and father.
 Self-image – How we see ourselves, which is important to good
psychological health. Self-image includes the influence of our body
image on inner personality.
 Ideal self – This is the person who we would like to be. It consists of
our goals
 and ambitions in life, and is dynamic – i.e. forever changing. The ideal
self in childhood is not the ideal self in our teens or late twenties etc.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed
by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human
Motivation” in Psychological Review.Maslow subsequently
extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate
curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of
human developmental psychology, some of which focus on
describing the stages of growth in humans. Maslow used the
terms "physiological", "safety", "belonging and love",
"esteem", "self-actualization", and "self-transcendence" to
describe the pattern through which human motivations
generally move. The goal of Maslow's Theory is to attain the
sixth level or stage: self actualization needs.
 The original five-stage
1. Physiological needs- are the physical requirements for human
survival. If these requirements are not met, the human body cannot
function properly and will ultimately fail. Physiological needs are
thought to be the most important; they should be met first. This is
the first and basic need on the hierarchy of needs. Without them, the
other needs cannot follow up. Physiological needs include:
 (Breathing)
 Water
 Food
 Sleep
 Clothing
 Shelter
 Sex
2.Safety needs
Once a person's physiological needs are relatively satisfied, their
safety needs take precedence and dominate behavior. If a person
does not feel safe in an environment, they will seek to find safety
before they attempt to meet any higher level of survival, but the
need for safety is not as important as basic physiological needs.
 Safety and Security needs include:
 Personal security
 Emotional security
 Financial security
 Health and well-being
 Safety needs against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts
3.Social belonging
After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third level of
human needs is interpersonal and involves feelings
of belongingness. This need is especially strong in childhood and it
can override the need for safety as witnessed in children who cling
to abusive parents. Deficiencies within this level of Maslow's
hierarchy – due to hospitalism, neglect, shunning, ostracism, etc.
– can adversely affect the individual's ability to form and maintain
emotionally significant relationships in general.
Social Belonging needs include:
 Friendships
 Intimacy
 Family
4. Esteem
Esteem needs are ego needs or status needs develop a concern
with getting recognition, status, importance, and respect from
others. All humans have a need to feel respected; this includes the
need to have self-esteem and self-respect. Most people have a need
for stable self-respect and self-esteem. Maslow noted two versions of
esteem needs: a "lower" version and a "higher" version. The "lower"
version of esteem is the need for respect from others. This may
include a need for status, recognition, fame, prestige, and attention.
The "higher" version manifests itself as the need for self-respect
5. Self-actualization
"What a man can be, he must be." This quotation forms the basis of
the perceived need for self-actualization. This level of need refers
to what a person's full potential is and the realization of that
potential. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish
everything that one can, to become the most that one can be
Changes to the original five-stage model are highlighted
and include a seven-stage model and an eight-stage
model; both developed during the 1960's and 1970s.
1. Biological and physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth,
sex, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law,
stability, etc.
3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, trust, and
acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating,
being part of a group (family, friends, work).
4. Esteem needs - which Maslow classified into two categories: (i)
esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence)
and (ii) the desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g.,
status, prestige).
5. Cognitive needs - knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration,
need for meaning and predictability.
6.Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.
7. Self-actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment,
seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
8. Transcendence needs - A person is motivated by values which transcend
beyond the personal self (e.g., mystical experiences and certain
experiences with nature, aesthetic experiences, sexual experiences,
service to others, the pursuit of science, religious faith, etc.).
SELF- ACTUALIZATION
is a term “first coined by Kurt Goldstein” that most often
refers to Abraham Maslow’s use of the term while outlining
his hierarchy of needs. In his seminal paper about
human motivation where he first introduced his hierarchy of
needs, Maslow defined self-actualization by claiming that
“[w]hat a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-
actualization” (Maslow, 1943).
Characteristics of self-actualized people
1. They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty;
2. Accept themselves and others for what they are;
3. Spontaneous in thought and action;
4. Problem-centered (not self-centered);
5. Unusual sense of humor;
6. Able to look at life objectively;
7. Highly creative;
8. Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional;
9. Concerned for the welfare of humanity;
10. Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience;
11. Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few
people;
12. Peak experiences;
13. Need for privacy;
14. Democratic attitudes;
15. Strong moral/ethical standards.
Behavior leading to self-actualization:
(a) Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and
concentration;
(b) Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths;
(c) Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead
of the voice of tradition, authority or the majority;
(d) Avoiding pretense ('game playing') and being honest;
(e) Being prepared to be unpopular if your views do not coincide
with those of the majority;
(f) Taking responsibility and working hard;
(g) Trying to identify your defenses and having the courage to give
them up.
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
was a humanistic psychologist who agreed with
the main assumptions of Abraham Maslow, but added
that for a person to "grow", they need an environment
that provides them with genuineness (openness and
self-disclosure), acceptance (being seen with
unconditional positive regard), and empathy (being
listened to and understood).He believed that humans
have one basic motive, that is the tendency to self-
actualize - i.e., to fulfill one's potential and achieve the
highest level of 'human-beingness' we can. This means
that self-actualization occurs when a person’s “ideal
self” (i.e., who they would like to be) is congruent with
their actual behavior (self-image).
The humanistic approach states that the self is composed of
concepts unique to ourselves. The self-concept includes three
components:
Self-worth
Self-worth (or self-esteem) comprises what we think about ourselves.
Rogers believed feelings of self-worth developed in early childhood and
were formed from the interaction of the child with the mother and
father.
Self-image
How we see ourselves, which is important to good psychological health.
Self-image includes the influence of our body image on inner
personality.
At a simple level, we might perceive ourselves as a good or bad person,
beautiful or ugly. Self-image affects how a person thinks, feels and
behaves in the world.
Ideal-self
This is the person who we would like to be. It consists of our goals and
ambitions in life, and is dynamic – i.e., forever changing.
 Positive Regard and Self Worth

Carl Rogers (1951) viewed the child as having two basic needs: positive
regard from other people and self-worth.
How we think about ourselves, our feelings of self-worth are of
fundamental importance both to psychological health and to the likelihood
that we can achieve goals and ambitions in life and achieve self-
actualization.
Unconditional Positive Regard

Unconditional positive regard is where parents, significant others

(and the humanist therapist) accepts and loves the person for
what he or she is. Positive regard is not withdrawn if the person
does something wrong or makes a mistake.
The consequences of unconditional positive regard are that the
person feels free to try things out and make mistakes, even
though this may lead to getting it worse at times.
People who are able to self-actualize are more likely to have
received unconditional positive regard from others, especially
their parents in childhood.
Conditional Positive Regard

Conditional positive regard is where positive regard, praise, and

approval, depend upon the child, for example, behaving in ways
that the parents think correct.
Hence the child is not loved for the person he or she is, but on
condition that he or she behaves only in ways approved by the
parent(s).
At the extreme, a person who constantly seeks approval from other
people is likely only to have experienced conditional positive
regard as a child.
Congruence -A person’s ideal self may not be consistent with what
actually happens in life and experiences of the person. Hence, a
difference may exist between a person’s ideal self and actual
experience. This is called incongruence.
 Rogers identified five characteristics of the fully functioning person:
 1. Open to experience: both positive and negative emotions accepted. Negative
feelings are not denied, but worked through (rather than resorting to ego defense
mechanisms).
 2. Existential living: in touch with different experiences as they occur in life,
avoiding prejudging and preconceptions. Being able to live and fully appreciate the
present, not always looking back to the past or forward to the future (i.e., living for
the moment).
 3. Trust feelings: feeling, instincts, and gut-reactions are paid attention to and
trusted. People’s own decisions are the right ones, and we should trust ourselves to
make the right choices.
 4. Creativity: creative thinking and risk-taking are features of a person’s life. A
person does not play safe all the time. This involves the ability to adjust and change and
seek new experiences.
 5. Fulfilled life: a person is happy and satisfied with life, and always looking for new
challenges and experiences.
 For Rogers, fully functioning people are well adjusted, well balanced and interesting to
know. Often such people are high achievers in society.
 Critics claim that the fully functioning person is a product of Western culture. In other
cultures, such as Eastern cultures, the achievement of the group is valued more highly
than the achievement of any one person.
 References:
 https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-
psychology/chapter/assessing-personality/
 https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/abraham-maslows-
humanistic-psychology
 https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-
psycholohy/chapter/humanistic-perspectives-on-personality/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27hierarchyofneeds
 www.simplypsychology.org
"When I look at the world I'm pessimistic, but when I look at
people I am optimistic.“Carl Rogers
"The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not
a destination" – Carl Rogers
"For any man of good will, there is work to be done here,
effective, virtuous, satisfying work which can give rich meaning
to oe's own life and to others"- Abraham Maslow

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