Humanistic therapies focus on self-development, growth, and helping individuals recognize their strengths and potential. The humanistic approach developed in response to limitations in behaviorism and psychodynamic theories. Key aspects of humanistic theories include an emphasis on self-actualization as a drive towards fulfilling one's potential, and unconditional positive regard for oneself and from others. The goal of humanistic therapy is to help clients achieve self-realization and promote constructive forces in human nature.

1. Humanistic Therapies
• Humanistic therapies focus on self-development,
growth and responsibilities. They seek to help
individuals recognise their strengths, creativity
and choice in the 'here and now’
• The humanistic approach in psychology developed
as a rebellion against what some psychologists
saw as limitations of the behaviorist and
psychodynamic psychology. The humanistic
approach is thus often called the “third force” in
psychology after psychoanalysis and behaviorism
(Maslow, 1968).

2. Features of Humanistic Theories
• For Carl Rogers (1902–1987), the self is a central
concept for personality
• self signals a key feature of all humanistic
theories, which is an emphasis on the drive
toward self-actualization
• Self-actualization is a constant striving to realize
one’s inherent potential
• The striving toward self-fulfillment is a
constructive, guiding force that moves each
person toward generally positive behaviors and
enhancement of the self.

3. • The drive for self-actualization at times comes
into conflict with the need for approval from
the self and others eg: when a child
misbehaves, parents should emphasize that it
is the behavior they disapprove of, not the
child
• As an adult, you need to give to and receive
unconditional positive regard from those to
whom you are close. Most important, you
need to feel unconditional positive self-regard,
or acceptance of yourself, in spite of the
weaknesses you might be trying to change

4. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Basic Needs
Self-actualization Needs
Esteem Needs
Love & Belonging Needs
Safety Needs
Biological Needs

5. • In addition,humanistic theories have been
described as being holistic, dispositional and
phenomenological
• Holistic :-Humanistic theories are holistic
because they explain people’s separate acts in
terms of their entire personalities; people are
not seen as the sum of discrete traits that each
influence behavior in different ways
• Dispositional :-Humanistic theories are
dispositional because they focus on the innate
qualities within a person that exert a major
influence over the direction behavior will take

6. • Phenomenological :-Humanistic theories are
phenomenological because they emphasize an
individual’s frame of reference and subjective
view of reality—not the objective perspective
of an observer or of a therapist

7. Unconditional positive regard
• We need this to accept all parts of our
personality.
• With this we know we are loved & valued for
being who we are.
• Parents can do this, by it clear that their love
is not contingent on the child’s behavior (even
when such behavior is abhored).

8. • Humanistic theorists emphasized each
individual’s drive toward self-actualization.
This group recognized, however, that people’s
progress toward this goal is determined, in
part, by realities of their environments. We
turn now to theories that directly examine
how individuals’ behaviors are shaped by their
environments.

9. Goal of Humanistic Therapy
• the goal of a humanistic therapy was to help the
individual achieve the joy of self-realization and
promote the inherent constructive forces in human
nature that support a striving for self-fulfillment
• Believe in Free Will
– Humanist do not believe that human being are pushed and
pulled by mechanical forces, either of stimuli and
reinforcements (behaviorism) or of unconscious instinctual
impulses (psychoanalysis).
• Emphasize the uniqueness of each individual
• Believe that humans strive for an upper level of
capabilities.
• Humans seek the frontiers of creativity, the highest
reaches of consciousness and wisdom.