Maslow acknowledged humans naturally have a tendency to grow and realize their fullest potential, however unfavorable conditions may exist in the environment that may push a person outside of this realization (Gewirth, 1998). Individuals who truly ascribe to the idea of individuation and self-actualization should in theory engender a lifetime of learning that is virtually boundless (Kiel, 1999:1)
The purpose of therapy from a psychological perspective in this respect, is to help offer empathy and complete acceptance as well as unconditional regard for clients (Cummins, 1996). Carl Jung made popular the notion of individuation, which refers to the idea of personality transformation and cultural regeneration (Pietikainen, 2001)
Motivation was then not also due to instincts or environmental pulls, but was also fueled by the need to become something more than a cog in a machine and a need to find deeper meanings to life and existence, something not well explained by the previous two paradigms. The humanistic paradigm was also extremely accomplished in the area of psychotherapy thanks to Carl Rogers being the first therapist to apply experimental methodologies to psychotherapy outcomes (Barry, 2002)
, 1998). The basic principles from the humanistic psychological paradigm such as the importance of the subjective aspect of experience will continue to exert a strong influence over both qualitative research and quantitative research studies in the future (Bernard & Bernard, 2013)
Other humanistic -- related trends in psychotherapy that will continue to spark research and attention in the future include emotion -- focused therapy where the therapist attempts to change basic emotional structures and clients (Greenberg, Watson, & Lietaer, 1998). This humanistic theoretical framework has ties with neuroscience and more popular lay theories such as emotional intelligence (Chiao, 2009; Davidson, & Begley, 2012)
This mode of investigation has become complete with its own scientific tools of measurement, statistics, assessment, and inquiry (Wertz, 2011). Qualitative research is a direct outgrowth of the humanistic psychological notion that strictly nomothetic methods of inquiry lack the richness of an idiographic approach (Coles, 2013; Wertz, 2011)
Humanistic Psychology Theoretical and practical applications in psychology, especially in clinical psychology, have been dominated by a small number of major paradigms. The major paradigms have related offshoots but typically historians consider the first two major paradigms in psychology to have been the psychodynamic and behavioral paradigms respectively (Hall, Lindzey, & Campbell, 1998)
, 1958). Other humanistic -- related trends in psychotherapy that will continue to spark research and attention in the future include emotion -- focused therapy where the therapist attempts to change basic emotional structures and clients (Greenberg, Watson, & Lietaer, 1998)
Thus, future research and thought into the effectiveness of psychotherapy will continue to be driven by principles from humanistic psychology such as (see May, Angel, & Ellenberger, 1958). For example, the writings of Rolo May suggest that clients in psychotherapy must be engaged, understood, and approached on a collaborative plane in order for psychotherapy to be effective (May et al
The major paradigms have related offshoots but typically historians consider the first two major paradigms in psychology to have been the psychodynamic and behavioral paradigms respectively (Hall, Lindzey, & Campbell, 1998). The "third force" in psychology was the humanistic movement (Mcleod, 2007)
On behavior. Biological correlates or even believed to drive such humanistic psychological concepts such as empathy (Rameson, Morelli, & Lieberman, 2012)
Their ideas were initially a reaction to the psychodynamic notion that instincts direct behavior and the behaviorist notion that the environment shapes personality. Therefore the humanistic model sought to put the control of people's lives back in their own hands and concentrated on issues such as the need to meet basic human needs such as food and shelter, but also the human need to strive for other more abstract goals such as a sense of belongingness, creativity, and becoming more in tune with the greater meanings of life (Rogers, 1961)
Their ideas were initially a reaction to the psychodynamic notion that instincts direct behavior and the behaviorist notion that the environment shapes personality. Therefore the humanistic model sought to put the control of people's lives back in their own hands and concentrated on issues such as the need to meet basic human needs such as food and shelter, but also the human need to strive for other more abstract goals such as a sense of belongingness, creativity, and becoming more in tune with the greater meanings of life (Rogers, 1961)
There are broad and nonspecific effects of the humanistic paradigm that will continue to exert their effects in the future. For instance, the notion of the importance of context in emotion and other human experiences can be directly related to the person -- centered approach of humanistic psychology (Sipiora, 2012)
The future of education will more than likely move to an understanding and conceptualizing the learning process as an interpersonal process where learning information is viewed as affecting both the person learning it and their environment. The research that has observed that the learning process is optimal when the material is relevant to the learner and has a strong sense of personal identity has led to the understanding that teachers can help their students understand the value of learning classroom material by understanding the personal needs of the particular student in focusing on developing learning plans that can address these (Sullo, 2007)
Todd & Bohart (2006) suggested that there is a paradigm shift occurring in psychotherapy research from the strictly cognitive -- behavioral oriented approach toward a more holistic understanding of clients in psychotherapy and the relational process. This is certainly a person -- centered approach and past and current research indicates that the factors that are emphasized by person -- centered psychotherapists interact with other factors to produce the greatest amount of therapeutic change in psychotherapy (Todd & Bohart, 2006)
The reductionist, quantitative tradition in psychological research has been challenged in recent years and the notion of qualitative inquiry and phenomenological experience and has gained quite a following. This mode of investigation has become complete with its own scientific tools of measurement, statistics, assessment, and inquiry (Wertz, 2011)