chapter 9: humanistic, existential, and positive aspects

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Chapter 9:

Humanistic, Existential,

and Positive Aspects of

Personality

Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2014). Personality: Classic theories and modern research (5th ed.). Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

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Existentialism

An area of philosophy concerned with the

meaning of human existence

“Being-in-the-world”

◦ Must examine human beings in their world

◦ The self cannot exist without the world

Phenomenological approach

◦ Subjective realities are important

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Humanism

An area of philosophy that emphasizes the personal worth of the individual and the importance of human values

“The third force”

◦ Emphasizes the creative, spontaneous, and active nature of human beings

◦ Third after psychoanalysis and behaviorism

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Humanism

Our existence comes from our relations with

others

I-Thou dialogue—direct, mutual relationship

I-It monologue—utilitarian view of another

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Humanism

The human potential movement

◦ People are encouraged to realize their inner

potentials

◦ Uses group meetings, self-disclosure, and

introspection

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Erich Fromm

Love

◦ Allows us to overcome our isolation but still maintain

our individual integrity

◦ Loving is an art

◦ Modern society encourages existential alienation

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Existential Alienation: 1950-2000

Social Indicator Change from 1950 to 2000

Divorce rate doubled

Out of wedlock birth rate up 7 times

Percent of population in prison up 5 times

Reported anxiety and depression up 5-10 times

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Erich Fromm

Dialectical humanism

◦ Reconciles the biological, driven side of human beings

and the pressure of societal structure

◦ Believes people can transcend these forces through

free will

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Carl Rogers

Responsibility

◦ People have an inherent tendency toward growth and

maturation

◦ “Becoming one’s self”

◦ People must strive to take responsibility for

themselves

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Carl Rogers

Rogerian psychotherapy derives from Rogers’

personality theory

For constructive personality change:

◦ Therapist is supportive and nondirective

◦ Therapist is client-oriented

◦ Therapist provides the client with unconditional

positive regard

◦ Therapist provides empathetic understanding of

client's internal frame of reference

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Carl Rogers

Importance of “congruence”

◦ For therapist (and client)

◦ Accurate self-perception

◦ Accurate communication

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Anxiety and Dread

Rollo May

◦ Anxiety is triggered by a threat to the core values of

existence

◦ We search for meaning in our lives when anxious

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Anxiety and Dread

Victor Frankl

◦ Importance of personal choice

◦ Logotherapy

Emphasizes the importance of choosing to find

meaning in life

Existential-humanistic approaches and support

groups

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Abraham Maslow

Hierarchy of Needs

Only self-actualization is

at the “being-level” (B-

motive). The other needs

are “deficiency needs”

(D-needs or D-motives)

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Self-Actualization

The innate process by which a person tends to

gain spiritually and realize his or her potential

Self-actualized people are spiritually fulfilled,

comfortable with themselves, loving, ethical,

creative, and productive

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Self-Actualized Historical

Figures (from Maslow)

Self-Actualized

Person

Self-Actualizing

Accomplishment

Albert Einstein Applied his creative genius to

rethink fundamental assumptions

Eleanor Roosevelt Concern for all of humankind and

worked to improve human lives

Abraham Lincoln Fought for a moral idea of freedom,

at a great personal cost

George Washington

Carver

Great creativity and achievement, in

the face of discrimination

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Abraham Maslow

Peak experiences

◦ Powerful experiences in which people seem to

transcend the self, be at one with the world, and feel

completely self-fulfilled

Common to people who are self-actualized

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Measuring Self-Actualization

Maslow used interviews, observations,

projective tests, biographical studies, etc.

Personal Orientation Inventory (POI)

◦ Self-report questionnaire

◦ Seems to capture some aspects of a healthy

personality

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Happiness and Positive Psychology

Who is happy?

◦ Not a function of being in favorable circumstances

Subjective well-being (self evaluated)

◦ Combination of characteristics:

personal traits

optimistic cognitions (i.e., believing things usually

work out for the best)

internal psychological processes

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Suggestions for Pursuing Happiness

1. Help others

2. Monitor one's wealth-seeking

3. Seek spiritual or awe-inspiring experiences in life

4. Keep lists or journals of your accomplishments

5. Avoid television

6. Set long-term goals and move on quickly after any

short-term failures

7. Recognize that many people have tendencies to be

relatively unhappy, due to a combination of biology, early

experiences, thoughts and abilities, and current situations

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Positive Psychology

Explores the positive forces of life

◦ Hope

◦ Creativity

◦ Wisdom

◦ Spirituality

Application to mental health

◦ Studies of wisdom, thriving, and excellence in

performance

◦ Escape focus on mental illness, pathological behavior,

failures of motivation and control

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The American Paradox

Our society embodies progress on many

different levels: technology, wealth, and freedom

Yet, we are not necessarily more happy;

progress comes with a new set of problems

often conceptualized as a moral decline

Possible solutions: altruism, fidelity, family,

community, spirituality

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Timeline:

Humanistic-Existential Approach

Developments in Humanistic-Existential Aspects

Societal and Scientific Context

Philosophers and theologians discuss the good and evil natures of individuals

Ancient times and Middle Ages

Humans are seen primarily in religious terms, as created by a divine presence

The individual is increasingly understood to have a unique nature, entitled to pursue happiness

1700s -1800s

Increasing emphasis on reason and rationality, philosophers search for the core of human nature

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Timeline:




Radical alternative world-views discussed, in reaction against positivism and the dominance of empirical science

1920s-1940s

Experimental Psychology dominated by behaviorism, clinical psychology dominated by psychoanalysis; rise of fascism

Influence of Existentialism grows, as philosophers emphasize individual choice and responsibility

1940s-1950s

Intellectual reactions against fascism; world war followed by US dominance

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Timeline:




Humanistic psychology flourishes as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow emphasize self-trust and self-actualization

1960s Clinical psychology becomes more science-based and experimental psychology considers clinical applications

Encounter groups, support groups, and other manifestations of the human potential movement emerge

1960s-1970s

New roles for women's rights and family structures; cultural revolutions

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Timeline:




Studies of happiness, flow, and religiosity increase; Positive Psychology founded.

1990s-2000s

Concern with the dignity of the individual in an increasingly technological world; ethical considerations accompany medical breakthroughs

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The Humanistic-Existential Approach

Analogy

◦ Humans as free, sentient beings seeking

spiritual fulfillment

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Advantages

◦ Emphasizes courageous struggle for self-fulfillment

◦ Appreciates the spiritual nature of a person

◦ Based on healthy, well-adjusted individuals

◦ Considers each individual’s experience unique

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Limits

◦ May avoid quantification and scientific method

◦ Sometimes insufficiently concerned with reason

◦ Theories are sometimes ambiguous or inconsistent

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View of free will

◦ Free will is essential to being human

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Common assessment techniques

◦ Interview, self-exploration, art, literature, biographical

analysis of creativity and special achievement, self-

report tests, observation

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Implications for therapy

◦ Encourages self-knowledge through experiences

(including spiritual experiences) appropriate to the

individual.

◦ Roger’s client-centered therapy offers a genuine,

empathetic therapist who offers unconditional

positive regard.

chapter 9: humanistic, existential, and positive aspects

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