Analyzing Humanistic Theories

Analyzing Humanistic Theories

Think about words that relate to the term humanistic. There is human, of course. There are also humanity and humane. Consider how these words offer powerful clues to what humanistic theories explore and the views of people and personality they present.

From your work in Week 3 and the information you have gained in this week’s studies, you should know there are profound differences between psychoanalytic theories that perceive people as driven by

internal conflicts and humanistic theories that see people in a different—and kinder—light. Yet how do humanistic theories help us understand human behavior and what it means to be human—in mind, body, and spirit?

In this Assignment, you will explore the usefulness of this approach and how it compares to the trait and psychoanalytic approaches that we have already studied.

Analyzing Humanistic Theories

• Review Chapter 11 of your course text, considering the ideas and goals associated with existentialism, optimistic humanism, personal constructs, and positive psychology.
• Choose the area of humanistic psychology (existentialism, optimistic humanism, personal construct or positive psychology) that you find the most interesting to discuss in this Assignment.
• Review trait approaches (Chapters 4-6) and psychoanalytic approaches (Chapters 9-10) and evaluate their strengths and limitations in comparison to humanistic approaches.

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Analyzing Humanistic Theories

The Assignment

In a 2- to 3-page paper, address the following:

• Identify the area of humanistic psychology you selected. Explain why it interests you.
• Explain how useful this area of humanistic psychology is for understanding self and others.
• Explain one strength for each approach: trait, psychoanalytic, and humanistic with supporting evidence from the learning resources.
• Explain one limitation for each approach: trait, psychoanalytic, and humanistic with supporting evidence from the learning resources.
• In this Assignment, you will explore the usefulness of this approach and how it compares to the trait and psychoanalytic approaches that we have already studied.