The foundation of the humanistic approaches started in response to the concerns by a group of psychologists against the supposed shortcomings of the psychodynamic theories, more so from the psychoanalysis school. People such as Carl Rodgers and Abraham Maslow felt that the current psychodynamic theories failed to tackle concepts effectively like behavior and growth. The outcome after the contribution by these psychologists not only caused variations, but they gave the humanistic approach a new meaning. Several factors differentiate the humanistic theories from other approaches such as the focus on subjective meaning, dismissal of determinism, and the need for growth rather than dwelling on the pathology. Both Carl Rodgers and Abraham had a different explanation of humanistic behavior and the needs that drive them to acquire different personalities. Therefore, the essay will talk about and compare person-centered theory and the Maslow hierarchy of needs, and their contribution to personality development.
Comparison
Both theories believed in the concept of self-actualization, which offers a traditional approach to motivation. Rodgers and Maslow concentrated on the individual's strengths and emphasized on their growth. The two psychologists hold the belief that people are innately good and mental and social problems they experience are an outcome of the deviations from this natural propensity. According to them, self-actualization is the process by which an individual realizes their potential and achieve their ultimate goal. Maslow asserts that if individuals fail to do whatever they are meant to do, they become restless and unhappy and may experience stagnation in the future. Both the psychologists agree that people are born good and can achieve self-actualization.
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In his hierarchy of needs, Maslow explains that the lower level needs must be fulfilled first before satisfying the upper ones (Maslow & Lewis, 2007). He explained that these needs are very important because they are needed for survival. They include the basic physiological needs such as breathing, food, water, sex, and shelter. The process of satisfaction is gradual and as one undergoes development and the needs have to be attained chronologically to avoid disruptions to self-actualization. Just like Maslow, Rodgers believed that a person who is fully functioning is capable of easily attaining self-actualization (Rodgers, 2000).
Furthermore, the theories by the two proponents are similar because they assert that the need for acceptance is stronger than that of actualization. The self-esteem needs of Maslow can be compared to Rodger’s conditions of worth.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Personality Development
The basic belief of Maslow as seen is in the hierarchy of needs pyramid is that the bottom physiological needs have to be satisfied before fulfilling the transcendence needs as well as self-actualization. According to Maslow, the successful attainment of need level is crucial in the development of personality. Most of his focus was on the characters of achievers of self-actualization. For instance, people in this category had an increased sense of awareness and maintained consistent awe in life. Besides, they constantly performed activities enhanced unity and productivity because they were motivated by improving the lives of others. In a more comprehensive way, self-actualized individual displayed a coherent personality syndrome, which represented optimal psychological functioning.
Rodgers’s Person-Centered Theory and Personality Development
Rodgers humanistic personality theory focuses on the significance of self-actualizing ability towards the formation of self-concept. According to the theory, personality development mainly dwelt on the subjective experience. Rodgers believed that individuals established personalities based on their new experiences. Normally, a person will react to the environmental changes and their internal cognitions and emotions. The interactions between these different experiences often lead to the formation of the structure of the self-concept. Self-concept plays an important in the development of personality and emotions (Fitts, 1971). For instance, if an individual possesses a positive self-concept, they are likely to have a positive attitude towards life maintain good self-esteem and confidence. On the other hand, if a person has a negative self-concept, they are likely to experience negative emotions.
Rodger divided the self-concept into the ideal self and the real self. The ideal self-refers to the person one wishes to be whereas the real self is who the person is. Carl stressed that consistency must be maintained between the two to achieve congruency. When there-there lack of consistency, the individual is will experience incongruence, which may lead to the acquisition of maladaptive behaviour thereby affecting personality. Moreover, the concept of unconditional positive regard encouraged the development of secure personalities.
The theory I relate to most is the person-centred theory because it goes beyond explaining the concept of self-actualization. It presents a deeper understanding of the conditions of worth and the self-structure. Besides, the theory gives me further insights while trying to understand my personality. For instance, I have realized the ideal self-controls and my self-actualization motivations.
Conclusion
The focus of humanistic approaches is on the person’s role in contributing to the external and the internal world. Usually, human beings are active and creative people who live in the present subjectively react to their current encounters. Rodger and Maslow transformed psychology through eliminating initial pathology assessment and introducing human behaviours. All of them believed that human beings are motivated to achieve growth and realize self-actualization (Fitts, 1971). Whenever individuals feel frustrated or fail to achieve the needs in the lower level of the pyramid, they cannot reach their full potential. Therefore, individual experiences should be considered when progressing towards self-actualization.
References
Fitts, W. H. (1971). The self-concept and self-actualization. Studies on the Self-Concept.
Maslow, A., & Lewis, K. J. (1987). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Salenger Incorporated, 14.
Rogers, C. (2000). Person-centred therapy. Six Key Approaches to Counselling and Therapy, 98.
