Chapter 9 Humanistic Existential and Positive Aspects of

Existentialism An area of philosophy concerned with the meaning of human existence “Being-in-the-world” ◦

Humanism �An area of philosophy that emphasizes the personal worth of the individual and

Humanism Our existence comes from our relations with others I-Thou dialogue—direct, mutual relationship I-It

Humanism The human potential movement ◦ People are encouraged to realize their inner potentials

Erich Fromm Love ◦ Allows us to overcome our isolation but still maintain our

Existential Alienation: 1950 2000 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Erich Fromm Dialectical humanism ◦ Reconciles the biological, driven side of human beings and

Carl Rogers Responsibility ◦ People have an inherent tendency toward growth and maturation ◦

Carl Rogers �Rogerian psychotherapy derives from Rogers’ personality theory �For constructive personality change: ◦

Carl Rogers Importance of “congruence” ◦ For therapist (and client) ◦ Accurate self-perception ◦

Anxiety and Dread Rollo May Anxiety is triggered by a threat to the core

Anxiety and Dread Victor Frankl ◦ Importance of personal choice ◦ Logotherapy Emphasizes the

Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Only selfactualization is at the “being-level” (B -motive). The

Self-Actualization �The innate process by which a person tends to gain spiritually and realize

Self-Actualized Historical Figures (from Maslow) Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Abraham Maslow Peak experiences ◦ Powerful experiences in which people seem to transcend the

Measuring Self-Actualization Maslow used interviews, observations, projective tests, biographical studies, etc. Personal Orientation Inventory

Happiness and Positive Psychology Who is happy? ◦ Not a function of being in

Suggestions for Pursuing Happiness 1. Help others 2. Monitor one's wealth-seeking 3. Seek spiritual

Suggestions for Pursuing Happiness 5. Avoid television 6. Set long-term goals and move on

Positive Psychology Explores ◦ ◦ the positive forces of life Hope Creativity Wisdom Spirituality

The American Paradox Our society embodies progress on many different levels: technology, wealth, and

Timeline: Humanistic-Existential Approach Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Humanistic-Existential Approach Analogy ◦ Humans as free, sentient beings seeking spiritual fulfillment Copyright

The Humanistic-Existential Approach Advantages ◦ Emphasizes courageous struggle for self -fulfillment ◦ Appreciates the

The Humanistic-Existential Approach Limits ◦ May avoid quantification and scientific method ◦ Sometimes insufficiently

The Humanistic-Existential Approach View of free will ◦ Free will is essential to being

The Humanistic-Existential Approach Common assessment techniques ◦ Interview, self-exploration, art, literature, biographical analysis of

The Humanistic-Existential Approach Implications for therapy ◦ Encourages self-knowledge through experiences (including spiritual experiences)

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Chapter 9: Humanistic, Existential, and Positive Aspects of Personality This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: (1) Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; (2) Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; (3) Any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Humanism Our existence comes from our relations with others I-Thou dialogue—direct, mutual relationship I-It monologue—utilitarian view of another Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Humanism The human potential movement ◦ People are encouraged to realize their inner potentials ◦ Uses group meetings, self-disclosure, and introspection Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Erich Fromm Love ◦ Allows us to overcome our isolation but still maintain our individual integrity ◦ Loving is an art ◦ Modern society encourages existential alienation Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Carl Rogers Responsibility ◦ People have an inherent tendency toward growth and maturation ◦ “Becoming one’s self” ◦ People must strive to take responsibility for themselves Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Only selfactualization is at the “being-level” (B -motive). The other needs are “deficiency needs” (D-needs or Dmotives) Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 selfactualized Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Suggestions for Pursuing Happiness 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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Humanistic-Existential Approach 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 Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Humanistic-Existential Approach Limits ◦ May avoid quantification and scientific method ◦ Sometimes insufficiently concerned with reason ◦ Theories are sometimes ambiguous or inconsistent Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Humanistic-Existential Approach Common assessment techniques ◦ Interview, self-exploration, art, literature, biographical analysis of creativity and special achievement, self-report tests, observation Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Humanistic-Existential Approach 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. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.