520 CHAPTER 13
What kind of people are considered to be fully
functioning? Is it the same thing as being self-actualized?Although the two concepts are highly related, there are some sub-
tle differences. Self-actualization is a goal that people are always striving
to reach, according to Maslow (1987). to Learning Objective 9.5.
In Rogers’s view, only a person who is fully functioning is capable of
reaching the goal of self-actualization. To be fully functioning is a neces-
sary step in the process of self-actualization. Maslow (1987) listed several
people who he considered to be self-actualized people: Albert Einstein,
Mahatma Gandhi, and Eleanor Roosevelt, for example. These were peo-
ple who Maslow found to have the self-actualized qualities of being
creative, autonomous, and unprejudiced. In Rogers’s view, these same
people would be seen as having trusted their true feelings and innermost
needs rather than just going along with the crowd.Current Thoughts on the Humanistic View of Personality
- 8 Evaluate the strengths and limitations of the humanistic view
of personality.
Humanistic views of personality paint a very rosy picture. Some critics
believe that the picture is a little too rosy, ignoring the more negative
aspects of human nature. For example, would humanistic theory easily
explain the development of sociopathic personalities who have no con-
science or moral nature? Or could a humanist explain the motivation
behind terrorism?
Some aspects of humanistic theory are difficult to test scientif-
ically, and it has been suggested this viewpoint could be considered more a phil-
osophical view of human behavior than a psychological explanation. Despite the
challenges, how people view themselves continues to be central to many aspects of
psychology and the study of personality (Leary & Toner, 2015). Overall, humanistic
theory’s greatest impact has been in the development of therapies designed to pro-
mote self-growth and to help people better understand themselves and others. For
example, when viewed through the lens of psychotherapy and therapist variables,
there appears to be a consistent relationship between Rogers’s ideas of unconditional
positive regard and the level of therapist empathy perceived by clients, positively
contributing to improvements in clients’ self-evaluation and improving clients’ rela-
tionships with others (Watson et al., 2014). to Learning Objective 15.3.
Some of the premises of positive psychology have their roots in humanistic psy-
chology. The term “positive psychology” was first used by Maslow in 1954 when he
stressed the need for psychology to focus on human potential rather than on prob-
lems (Maslow, 1954). And some have pointed out that related views go back to the
work of William James and beyond (Froh, 2004; Taylor, 2001). However, the field of
positive psychology itself has emerged more recently and strives to understand how
human beings prosper during difficult times and focuses on the science of subjective,
individual, and group factors that foster positive experiences (Seligman & Csiksz-
entmihalyi, 2000). There has been debate between the two fields, primarily on the
choice of research approaches and some philosophical nuances, but nonetheless, pos-
itive psychology shares many facets with humanism and other areas in psychology in
its focus on human potential, identification of strengths, and the positive aspects of
what it means to be a human (Mahoney, 2005; Seligman, 2005; Snyder & Lopez, 2005;
Wa t e r m a n , 2 0 1 3 ).
These proud parents are giving their
daughter unconditional positive regard.