Positive psychology has been successful in drawing attention to the fact that psychologists had overlooked what makes life worth living. Show
At first, the relationship between positive psychology and humanistic psychology was difficult. But as positive psychology has developed and matured, it is clear that the idea we should be concerned with what makes for a good life was an idea also at the core of humanistic psychology in the 1950s and 1960s. The origins of humanistic psychologyHumanistic psychology developed around the middle of the twentieth century in part to address the fact that the previous ways of thinking in psychoanalysis and behaviourism had not been concerned with the full range of functioning. As Sutich and Vich (1969), editors of the influential, Readings in Humanistic Psychology, wrote:
Likewise, John Shlien, a Harvard psychologist and one of the early pioneers of person-centered psychology, originally writing in 1956, said:
First references to "positive psychology"Indeed, even the term positive psychology had been used in the 1950s. The final chapter of Maslow’s 1954 book, Motivation and Personality, was titled “Toward a Positive Psychology” where he called for greater attention to both the positive and negative aspects of human experience: As Maslow (1954) wrote:
Maslow seems to be the first to use the term positive psychology. Maslow wanted to create a psychology that was based not only on those who were dysfunctional but also upon those who were fully living the extent of their human potential. Now that positive psychology has become established, it is time for humanistic and positive psychology to come together to share ideas, methods and to learn from each other. In my forthcoming book, I explore some of these issues in relation to person-centered psychotherapy. Further readingJoseph, S. (in press). Positive therapy: building bridges between positive psychology and person-centred psychotherapy (second edition). Routledge. References Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper. Shlien, J. M. (2003). A criterion of psychological health. In P. Sanders (Ed.), To lead an honourable life: Invitations to think about Client-Centered Therapy and the Person-Centered Approach (pp. 15-18). PCCS Books: Ross-on-Wye. Sutich, A. J., & Vich, M. A. (1969). Introduction. In A. J. Sutich and M. A. Vich (Eds.), Readings in humanistic psychology. (pp. 1 – 18). Free Press: New York. What are the similarities and differences between humanistic and existential psychology?The major difference is that humanism assumes people are basically good, whereas existentialism assumes people are neither good nor bad (human nature has no inherent quality). Both place a priority on the meaning of life and purpose within life.
What are the similarities and differences between humanism and behaviorism?Behaviorism emphasizes the importance of observable actions and scientific studies and suggests that behavior is shaped by the environment. Humanism, on the other hand, emphasizes the study of the whole person and inner feelings.
What is the similarities between humanistic and cognitive psychology?It is suggested that humanistic and cognitive therapies share some similar goals. Both see the employment of rigid absolutistic “shoulds” as generative of dysfunctional behavior. Both value “self-acceptance,” in the form of discouraging the client from forming negative overgeneralized trait-like self-judgements.
Is positive psychology part of humanistic psychology?As such, the person-centered approach is often associated with humanistic psychology. While the relationship between humanistic and positive psychology has been contentious in the past, it is now widely accepted that positive psychology has largely followed in the footsteps of humanistic psychology.
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