Humanistic Approach in Psychology

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, theorists, principles, critiques, and applications of the humanistic approach in psychology.

Humanistic Psychology

A perspective that focuses on innate goodness, free will, personal agency, and the drive toward self-actualization.

Third Force

Nickname for the humanistic approach, which emerged as an alternative to psychoanalysis and behaviorism.

Self-Actualization

The process of realizing and fulfilling one’s potential and pursuing personal growth; central goal in humanistic theory.

Free Will

The capacity to make autonomous choices that guide one’s own development and fulfillment.

Personal Agency

The sense that individuals can intentionally influence their life direction and outcomes.

Holistic Approach

Understanding people as integrated wholes—thoughts, feelings, experiences, and environments—rather than isolated behaviors.

Empathy

The therapist’s ability to understand and share a client’s inner experience; a core condition in Rogers’s therapy.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Non-judgmental acceptance and support of a person regardless of what they say or do; essential for growth.

Congruence

Genuineness or realness of the therapist; alignment between one’s inner experiences and outward expression.

Abraham Maslow

American psychologist who proposed the Hierarchy of Needs and emphasized studying healthy, thriving individuals.

Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s pyramid model where lower physiological and safety needs must be met before higher psychological growth needs.

Deficiency Needs

Basic survival requirements (physiological, safety, esteem) that arise from deprivation and must be satisfied first.

Growth Needs

Higher-level needs linked to personal development and self-actualization, driven by a desire for fulfillment, not lack.

Actualizing Tendency

Rogers’s concept of an inherent drive in people to grow, improve, and realize their potential.

Carl Rogers

Humanistic psychologist who developed Client-Centered (Person-Centered) Therapy and emphasized the importance of self-concept.

Self-Concept

An individual’s organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself formed through experience.

Client-Centered Therapy

Rogers’s therapeutic approach that relies on empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence to foster growth.

Core Conditions for Therapeutic Change

Rogers’s trio of Unconditional Positive Regard, Empathy, and Congruence necessary for effective therapy.

Gestalt Therapy

A humanistic approach focusing on present-moment awareness and integrating fragmented parts of the self.

Empty Chair Technique

Gestalt exercise where clients dialogue with absent parts of themselves or others to resolve inner conflicts.

Phenomenology

Study of subjective, first-person experiences; valued in humanistic psychology over objective measurement.

Qualitative Methods

Research approaches (e.g., interviews, case studies) favored by humanistic psychologists for capturing lived experience.

Ethnocentrism Critique

Concern that humanistic ideas reflect Western individualism and may not align with collectivistic cultures.

Darker-Aspects Critique

Argument that the humanistic approach can be naïve or insufficient for severe pathology or destructive behaviors.

Organizational Applications

Use of humanistic principles in workplaces—e.g., Google’s employee-centered culture promoting autonomy and creativity.

Educational Applications

Classroom practices that emphasize student choice, self-directed learning, and supportive teacher-student relationships.

Career Pathways in Humanistic Psychology

Fields such as counseling, psychotherapy, social work, healthcare, education, and HR/organizational development where principles are applied.