Humanistic Theories

[Ready for Fall 2026]

Modified: 2026-08-03 9:01 PM CDST

• Humanistic psychology or the "third force" arose in reaction to the perceived sterility of behavioral explanations of personality.
  • Maslow, discussed elsewhere, personified the movement as he abandoned his training as a behaviorist after having a child.
    • He simply could no longer explain the totality of human experience through stimulus-response methods.

• However, it is Carl Rogers who probably advanced the cause of humanistic psychology the furthest.
  • His client-centered therapy and person-centered psychology demonstrated the extent of the differences between humanistic psychology and both behavioral and psychodynamic approaches to personality.
    • His optimistic outlook on the human condition, combined with his belief in humans as rational creatures beset by irrational needs characterized his views.
      • Coming to understand and remedy the destructive power of those irrational needs on one's behavior was the effort of humanistic therapy.
• In general, humanistic psychologists attempt to delve deeply into the lives and minds of their clients.
  • Their methods are unlike those of other personality theorists and are often described as phenomenological.
    • Another way to characterize humanistic psychology is through its emphasis on the self.
  • Thus, constructs like: self-concept, self-esteem, and self-image are part of their vocabulary.
    • Society's concern with such concepts today in settings like schools is testimony to the success of humanistic psychology.