The humanistic perspective focuses on the ‘self’ that defines “you”, “your perception” and “your experiences”. The basic motive behind this approach is the facilitation of personal development. There are two theorists who put forward their studies in this regard, Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers is not only the founder of the Humanistic studies but also one of the most influential theorists and therapists of the 20th century. Carl Rogers was of the view that every human being has a distinctive frame of reference from which he operates. This frame of reference builds his self-regard and self-concept. Self-concept varies from person to person and is not pre-determined. Every individual tend to see congruence between what he really is and what he actually want to become. Since people are not always successful in perceiving perfect congruence, the relative extent of congruence is the health growth indicator.
This is a belief that develops the perception of “unconditional positive regard” and “conditional positive regard”. Unconditional positive regard generates in situations where people like parents exhibit unconditional love for their progeny. Conditional positive regard is observed when the feelings of love are showed in only certain conditions. The theory of Cal Rogers states that people who are psychologically fit and healthy have the potential to live at life at the fullest. These people can be called as “fully functioning people”.
Secondly, Rogers presented the idea of conditions for healthy growth and how can a therapist assist in it. He said that through “person-centered therapy”, a therapist can provide sympathy, openness and unconditional positive regard. Rogers called his technique as “non-directive therapy” which is based on the concept that a therapist is a mirror in which the image of an individual is reflected.
Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow, on the other hand, believed that every individual has certain needs that are to be fulfilled in hierarchical manner from the lowest level to the highest. He classified the needs (from basic to advance) as:
- Physiological needs
- Safety needs
- Social needs
- Self-achievement
- Self-actualization
According to Maslow, these needs should be achieved in their respective order; otherwise they will not be effective enough to make a difference. For example if the basic physiological needs are not met then a person will not be able to satisfy his safety needs as well.
Abraham Maslow’s theory of regarding “hierarchical need” received world wide acclaims and was regarded as most effective theories of all time. But Maslow’s was still not applicable in all the aspects of life. Malsow proclaimed the idea of a step-by-step need fulfillment whereas the needs specified in the Maslow’s hierarchy can generate at any point and time in life, irrespective of its previous requirement. Moreover, the hierarchy comes to an end at the last stage of self-actualization but the fact is that the “needs” are generated in the form of a cycle rather than a hierarchy. At the point of self-actualization, the physiological needs of a person do not die; in fact they attain a higher degree of standard.
The story of the film ‘Angry Boy’ circled around a kid who due to emotional disturbance at home faces emotional disorder at school and is involved in stealing. It also portrays how the flashbacks of past memories haunted the kids mind and his reactions to those memories. The role of the psychologists who helped him in getting out of that vicious circle was the main focus in the entire film and exhibits the case of conditional positive regard.
‘Journey into self’ on the other hand was a sixteen hour group discussion that was organized by Carl Rogers and Richard Farson. It involved eight people from various walks of life who interacted with each other and discussed their deepest and most desperate desires. According to Maslow, they were at the stage of self-actualization but the desires they expressed varied from the very basic to the most advanced