1. Humanistic & existential approaches to personality All you need is love Dr Niko Tiliopoulos Room 448, Brennan McCallum building Email: nikot@psych.usyd.edu.au

2. Now what’s up doc?  Psychoanalysis (1 st force) Negative (pessimistic) view of personality Negative (pessimistic) view of personality Focus on the unconscious Focus on the unconscious Downplays the role of consciousness Downplays the role of consciousness  Behaviourism (2 nd force) Simplistic (reductionistic) Simplistic (reductionistic) Mechanistic Mechanistic Ignores subjective experiences Ignores subjective experiences Ignores the existence/role of consciousness Ignores the existence/role of consciousness  Both approaches are deterministic

3. Enter the 3 rd force!  Influenced by Civil rights movement Civil rights movement Feminism Feminism The holocaust The holocaust Eastern philosophies Eastern philosophies Postmodernism Postmodernism Hippy movement Hippy movement Experiences with mind-altering drugs Experiences with mind-altering drugs

4. Some quotes  “An assumption unusual in psychology today is that the subjective human being has an important value which is basic; that no matter how he may be labelled and evaluated, he is a human person first of all and most deeply.“ (Rogers, 1962)  “It is as if Freud supplied to us the sick half of psychology and we must now fill it out with the healthy half.” (Maslow, 1968)  “If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself.” (May, 1958)  “[We are] subjects to illness, death, limitations of intelligence and experience and other deterministic forces, but at the same time realising we have the subjective freedom to choose how we relate to these objective and deterministic forces. We alone can assign meaning to them and are responsible for own destinies.” (Ryckman, 1995)  “Humanistic psychology is a value orientation that holds a hopeful, constructive view of human beings and of their substantial capacity to be self- determining. […] This conviction leads to an effort to enhance such distinctly human qualities as choice, creativity, the interaction of the body, mind and spirit, and the capacity to become more aware, free, responsible, life- affirming and trustworthy.” (Association for Humanistic Psychology, 2010)

5. Assumptions in H-E I  Focus on the creative potentials inherent in humans  Seeks to help individuals realise their highest and most important goals (growth & psychological health)  Emphasis on the dignity and worth of humans and the conscious capacity to develop competence and self- respect  Focus on: The good side of human nature (Humanism) The good side of human nature (Humanism) Existence (dasein = being-in-the-world) Existence (dasein = being-in-the-world) The now and here The now and here and on such things as: and on such things as: Love, affiliation, creativity, spontaneity, joy, courage, humour, independence, morality, and personal growthLove, affiliation, creativity, spontaneity, joy, courage, humour, independence, morality, and personal growth

6. Assumptions in H-E II  Each human being is a unique individual (idiographic approach)  Humans are good and (should) always strive to be happy (optimistic view)  Freedom to choose one’s own behaviour and control (responsibility) over one’s life: How you act (freedom of doing) How you act (freedom of doing) What you become (freedom of being) What you become (freedom of being) If you are to be self-actualized or accept conditions of worth If you are to be self-actualized or accept conditions of worth

7. Assumptions in H-E III  Personality a unified whole and inseparable from the physical and social environment The whole is greater than the sum of its parts The whole is greater than the sum of its parts  Existence of innate (personality) growth mechanism  The growth process is the drive towards: Self actualisation Self actualisation Self-realisation Self-realisation Selfhood Selfhood  Total personality development is achieved when we realise and utilise in full our abilities and potentialities

8. Assumptions in H-E IV  Society (the bad guy) restricts personal growth through its rules and laws  Obedience to (social) rules leads to dull, conventional, mediocre, and submissive individuals  Realisation of the individual’s potentialities if environmental conditions are right

9. Assumptions in H-E V  Rejects the medical model of mental illness  But then, how does one become ill? Incongruence (aka incongruity) Incongruence (aka incongruity) Disharmony within cognitive elements of experienceDisharmony within cognitive elements of experience Discrepancy between one’s experiences and their self-conceptDiscrepancy between one’s experiences and their self-concept Leads to anxiety Leads to anxiety Can cause low self-esteem Can cause low self-esteem (Rational) distortion of experience (Rational) distortion of experience D-Needs (deficiency needs) D-Needs (deficiency needs) Physiological, safety, love, esteemPhysiological, safety, love, esteem Failure to satisfy them can lead to (mental) health problems Failure to satisfy them can lead to (mental) health problems Terror management (awareness of and response to death) Terror management (awareness of and response to death) Nothingness vs. beingNothingness vs. being Existential guilt and angstExistential guilt and angst

10. Contribution  The first holistic personality theories  The first theories of personality to capitalise on subjective (free) will, personal responsibility, and conscious choice  The first non-deterministic theories of personality  They gave rise to positive psychology, transpersonal psychology (the 4 th force), and holistic approaches to medicine  Major contributions to social care systems, humanitarian interventions, and the treatment of (primarily) substance abuse and relational problems E.g. Person-Centred Therapy E.g. Person-Centred Therapy Gestalt Therapy Gestalt Therapy Logotherapy Logotherapy Conjoint Family Therapy Conjoint Family Therapy

11. Criticism  Society is bad, individuals are good  What is conventional is mediocre  Too much reliance on the individual’s self- reported conscious experience  Methodology is often too vague, unscientific, and untestable  Theories lack falsifiability Qualitative research methods Qualitative research methods more suitable

12. Famous theorists in the humanistic & existential approach  Gordon Allport (1897-1967)  Abraham Maslow (1909-1970)  Carl Rogers (1902-1987)  Rollo May (1909-1994)