| Psychology - Unit 5 Section 1 Page 6/6 |  |
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| Psychology - Unit 5 Section 1 Page 6/6 | |
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Humanistic Psychology
Another branch of psychology are the various Humanistic Schools of
Psychology. These schools arose in response to the growing stress on Behavioral
psychology and primarily concentrate on self-image and human perceptions. For example, Abraham
Maslow (1908-1970) built a theory of a hierarchy of needs that
began with food and shelter and ended with the need for self-actualization. Another
prominent Humanist Psychologist was Carl R. Rogers (1902-87) who created
the therapy known as "client-centered" therapy, which allows
the relationship between therapist and client to develop and to guide the client within
the therapy. Rogers believed that the individual always tried to enhance the self, and
conducted group therapy sessions as well. His methods are predominant in psychotherapy
today in the United States.
One of the lesser know but positive therapies to arise from Humanistic psychology was Gestalt
Therapy, which attempts to use a heightened sense of awareness to increase
self-perception and perception of the world. Look at the two figures below this line and
then read the excerpt from Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth
in the Human Personality (Source: Perls,
Hefferline and Goodman)
 Figure 1 |
 Figure 2 |
| The gestalt movement did exert a lasting influence on psychology by wounding mortally the tendency to "atomistic," building-block constructions . . . .Since we shall make extensive use of the gestaltist's concepts of figure and ground, we present several illustrative visual examples. Figure 1 is a well-known textbook example of the figure-ground phenomenon. In this drawing the figure may be seen as a white chalice on a black ground; or, if the white area be taken as ground, then the figure becomes two heads in profile silhouette. One may, upon continued inspection of this ambiguous picture, become adept at shifting from one way of organizing it to the other, but one can never organize it both ways at once. . . . Figure 2 again presents an ambiguous picture, this time one in which there is more detail. In glancing at this, you will partly see at once a young woman in three-quarter view to the left. On the other hand, you may be that one person in about five who immediately sees an old hag facing to the left and forward. . . . by now you probably have seen the second picture. It will have come suddenly, perhaps startling you into a little exclamation of surprise. This is what gestalt psychologists call the "aha!" experience. Their formal name for it is insight. |
| Definition | Beginnings | Functionalism | Psychoanalysis | Behaviorism | Humanism |