Humanistic Psychology

In any psychology class, theories are usually discussed. The viewpoint and techniques are always talked about and sometimes even the main contributors. Though knowing those theories have been made and exist, learners seldom wonder how they originated. Knowing the theory is of good use, but in order to really understand it people must first learn about the origins. Learning the reasons of why, where, and how a theory was started really gives a bigger spectrum that helps know it a little deeper. Humanistic Psychology is one of the practices that helps knowing its beginnings to fully comprehend it.

What exactly is Humanistic Psychology? That is a question that cannot be so easily defined. The question to be asked first before any other is answered

The two most popular psychological viewpoints of the early 20th century were behavioral and psychoanalytic, or the “First Force” and “Second Force” (O’ Hara, 2014; Elkins, 2012; Wertheimer, 2014). These two psychologies dominated the field, with contributors such as Pavlov and Freud being key players of the science. Though very different in theory and techniques, they both had one thing in common. These approaches served more as a challenge than an inspiration. Humanist psychology came about as a disagreement to these practices (Elkins, 2012). Though they were the most popular, they had their defects that did not cater to their changing

With the rising popularity of Humanistic Psychology in the 1970s, several workshops in the United States started to flourish, mainly discussing concepts that the approach was concerned about at the time such as intimacy, assertiveness, and anger. The concept of the psychology was shown in 1977 in the American Psychological Association (APA) convention program book under the Association for Humanistic Psychology, along with a mission statement of the approach (Wertheimer, 1978). Petitions from several AHP members and a letter from Professor Don Gibbons in 1971 urged the APA to establish a division of Humanist Psychology, and in that same year Humanistic Psychology became the 32nd division of the American Psychological Association (APA) (Elkins, 2012; Aanstoos,