Key Concepts in Freudian and Humanistic Psychology

Freudian Theory Overview

• Freud's contributions to psychology, despite limitations.
• Key critiques mention Freud's narrow capture of human nature.
• Leads to humanistic theories by Maslow and Rogers, which focus on individuality.

Humanistic Psychology

• Emphasis on the conscious individual:
• Individuals are responsible for their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Importance of free will in decision-making.

Self-Actualization

• Definition: Becoming the best version of oneself after meeting basic needs.
• Necessity of self-acceptance for self-actualization:
• Understanding and embracing one’s true self.
• Importance of acceptance from others in the journey to self-acceptance.
• Concept of unconditional positive regard:
• True acceptance regardless of what one shares.

Humanistic Theory Characteristics

• Top-down approach to personality:
• Starts with the theory of free choice and self-actualization.
• Challenges:
• Lack of clarity on what ‘best version of oneself’ means.
• Absence of defined standards to judge what’s ‘best’.

Critiques of Humanistic Theory

• Bottom-up approach contrast:
• This would describe variations in personality before explaining them.

Personality Traits Research

• Francis Dalton's proposal about personality traits’ language representation:
• Need to summarize extensive language about traits.
• Challenge: Over 18,000 words to describe human traits in English.
• Reduction to around 71 distinct traits after filtering synonyms.

Five Factor Model of Personality

• Summary of five main personality traits:
• Openness: Interest in novel experiences, e.g., appreciation for modern art.
• Additional personality factors will be discussed in subsequent materials.