Humanistic perspective

1. Abraham Maslow

1.1. Proposed that we are motivated by a hierarchy of needs.

1.2. Offered a third-force perspective that emphasized human potential and seeing the world through the person's eye.

1.3. Developed his ideas by studying healthy, creative people rather than troubled clinical cases.

2. Carl Rogers

2.1. Believed that people are basically good and are endowed with self-actualizing tendencies.

2.2. People nurture our growth by being genuine, being open with their own feelings, dropping their facades, and being transparent and self-disclosing.

3. Unconditional positive regard- an attitude of grace, that values us even knowing our failings.

4. Central feature of personality is one's self-concept, all the thoughts and feelings we have in response to the question "Who Am I?"

4.1. If our self-concept is positive, we tend to act and perceive the world positively.

5. Focuses on the ways "healthy" people strive for self-determination and self-realization.

6. Study people through their own self-reported experiences and feelings.

7. Characteristics

7.1. Self aware and self accepting, open and spontaneous, loving and caring, not paralyzed by others opinions. These are "healthy" people.