Humanistic Psychology: Difference between revisions
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Humanistic Psychology emerged in the 1950s–60s as the “third force” in psychology, a deliberate break from behaviorism’s mechanistic control model and psychoanalysis’s pathology fixation. Its origin is inseparable from Abraham Maslow’s post-Pearl Harbor vow to create “a psychology for the peace table”—a science of human nature that could make war obsolete by fostering mutual understanding and self-actualizing persons. At its core, the movement insists that humanity supersedes the sum of his parts | Humanistic Psychology emerged in the 1950s–60s as the “third force” in psychology, a deliberate break from behaviorism’s mechanistic control model and psychoanalysis’s pathology fixation. Its origin is inseparable from Abraham Maslow’s post-Pearl Harbor vow to create “a psychology for the peace table”—a science of human nature that could make war obsolete by fostering mutual understanding and self-actualizing persons.<ref>Sosteric, Mike. “Abraham Maslow’s Vision for a Psychology of the Peace Table.” ''The Peace Table'', 2025. https://medium.com/the-peace-table.</ref> At its core, the movement insists that humanity supersedes the sum of his parts<ref>Bugental, J. F. “The Third Force in Psychology." ''Journal of Humanistic Psychology.'' Journal of Humanistic Psychology 4, no. 1 (1964): 19–26.</ref> and lives with intentionality—creating values, not merely seeking homeostatic satisfaction.<ref>Charlotte Buhler, “The Scope of Humanistic Psychology.,” ''Education'' 95, no. 1 (January 1, 1974): 2–8.</ref> Rejecting eight entrenched parameters from part-function models to statistical frequency as truth, humanistic psychologists championed phenomenological methods, authentic therapeutic encounter, and peak-experience analysis (Maslow’s B-cognition). The field was institutionalized with the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (1961) and the American Association for Humanistic Psychology (1962), forging a research program on self-actualization, B-values (truth, goodness, beauty, justice, play, etc.), and synergy—social conditions that fuse selfish and altruistic aims. Philosophically, it revived an Aristotelian essentialism;<ref>Robb, “The Hidden Philosophical Agenda: A Commentary on Humanistic Psychology.”</ref> humanity has an intrinsic nature whose fulfillment is the proper end of life, a doctrine that grounds its normative claim that frustration of metaneeds generates violence, while their gratification builds [[Eupsychia]], a peaceful, psychologically healthy society. By 1969 the movement naturally extended into Transpersonal Psychology, studying transcendent states without abandoning empirical, experiential validation. Humanistic psychology is therefore not merely a clinical orientation but a moral-scientific project to re-found civilization on an empirically grounded, dignity-affirming image of Homo sapiens at its most fully human. | ||
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==Concept Map== | == Concept Map == | ||
=== | === Key Terms=== | ||
[[Humanistic Psychology]] > {{#ask:[[Is a key term::Humanistic Psychology]]|format=ul}} | |||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
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Ultimately, the revolution failed not because of internal problems but because it was a threat to the status-quo. Ekins<ref>David Elkins, “Why Humanistic Psychology Lost Its Power and Influence in American Psychology,” ''Journal of Humanistic Psychology'' 49, no. 1 (2009): 267–91.</ref> suggests it was murdered, as a result. | Ultimately, the revolution failed not because of internal problems but because it was a threat to the status-quo. Ekins<ref>David Elkins, “Why Humanistic Psychology Lost Its Power and Influence in American Psychology,” ''Journal of Humanistic Psychology'' 49, no. 1 (2009): 267–91.</ref> suggests it was murdered, as a result. | ||
=== | ===Maslow's Vision=== | ||
Maslow's vision for a ''Psychology of the Peace Table'', experienced shortly after the US entry into WWII, changed the course of Maslow's life and drove him to help create [[Humanistic Psychology]] and [[Transpersonal Psychology]], both of which formed the theoretical foundations for a [[Eupsychian Psychology]] devoted to creating the [[Good Person]] and the [[Good Society]]. | |||
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One day just after Pearl Harbor, I was driving home and my car was stopped by a poor, pathetic parade. Boy Scouts and fat people and old uniforms and a flag and someone playing a flute off-key. As I watched, the tears began to run down my face. I felt we didn’t understand—not Hitler, nor the Germans, nor Stalin, nor the Communists. We didn’t understand any of them. I felt that if we could understand, then we could make progress | One day just after Pearl Harbor, I was driving home and my car was stopped by a poor, pathetic parade. Boy Scouts and fat people and old uniforms and a flag and someone playing a flute off-key. As I watched, the tears began to run down my face. I felt we didn’t understand—not Hitler, nor the Germans, nor Stalin, nor the Communists. We didn’t understand any of them. I felt that if we could understand, then we could make progress | ||
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==Quotes== | ==Quotes== | ||
==Abraham Maslow Index== | |||
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[[Is a related term::Transpersonal Psychology| ]] | [[Is a related term::Transpersonal Psychology| ]] | ||
[[Is a related term::Eupsychia| ]] | |||
[[Is a term::Abraham Maslow| ]] | [[Is a term::Abraham Maslow| ]] | ||
Latest revision as of 16:20, 21 December 2025
Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic Psychology emerged in the 1950s–60s as the “third force” in psychology, a deliberate break from behaviorism’s mechanistic control model and psychoanalysis’s pathology fixation. Its origin is inseparable from Abraham Maslow’s post-Pearl Harbor vow to create “a psychology for the peace table”—a science of human nature that could make war obsolete by fostering mutual understanding and self-actualizing persons.[1] At its core, the movement insists that humanity supersedes the sum of his parts[2] and lives with intentionality—creating values, not merely seeking homeostatic satisfaction.[3] Rejecting eight entrenched parameters from part-function models to statistical frequency as truth, humanistic psychologists championed phenomenological methods, authentic therapeutic encounter, and peak-experience analysis (Maslow’s B-cognition). The field was institutionalized with the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (1961) and the American Association for Humanistic Psychology (1962), forging a research program on self-actualization, B-values (truth, goodness, beauty, justice, play, etc.), and synergy—social conditions that fuse selfish and altruistic aims. Philosophically, it revived an Aristotelian essentialism;[4] humanity has an intrinsic nature whose fulfillment is the proper end of life, a doctrine that grounds its normative claim that frustration of metaneeds generates violence, while their gratification builds Eupsychia, a peaceful, psychologically healthy society. By 1969 the movement naturally extended into Transpersonal Psychology, studying transcendent states without abandoning empirical, experiential validation. Humanistic psychology is therefore not merely a clinical orientation but a moral-scientific project to re-found civilization on an empirically grounded, dignity-affirming image of Homo sapiens at its most fully human.
Concept Map
Key Terms
Notes
Humanistic Psychology was meant to be revolution. Those that participated in the early days were clear on this. The goal was to create an entirely new foundation for scholarly activity, a new revolution in our understanding of humanity as deep and wide as that provided by the Copernican Revolution.[5]
Ultimately, the revolution failed not because of internal problems but because it was a threat to the status-quo. Ekins[6] suggests it was murdered, as a result.
Maslow's Vision
Maslow's vision for a Psychology of the Peace Table, experienced shortly after the US entry into WWII, changed the course of Maslow's life and drove him to help create Humanistic Psychology and Transpersonal Psychology, both of which formed the theoretical foundations for a Eupsychian Psychology devoted to creating the Good Person and the Good Society.
One day just after Pearl Harbor, I was driving home and my car was stopped by a poor, pathetic parade. Boy Scouts and fat people and old uniforms and a flag and someone playing a flute off-key. As I watched, the tears began to run down my face. I felt we didn’t understand—not Hitler, nor the Germans, nor Stalin, nor the Communists. We didn’t understand any of them. I felt that if we could understand, then we could make progress
I had a vision of a peace table, with people sitting around it, talking about human nature and hatred and war and peace and brotherhood. I was too old to go into the army. It was at that moment that I realized that the rest of my life must be devoted to discovering a psychology for the peace table. That moment changed my whole life.[7]
Quotes
Abraham Maslow Index
- B-Cognition
- B-Realm
- B-Values
- Being-Guilt
- Big Problem
- D-Cognition
- D-Realm
- Deficiency Diseases
- Eupsychia
- Eupsychian Education
- Eupsychian Psychology
- Eupsychian Theory
- Eupsychian Therapy
- Good Person
- Good Science
- Good Society
- Good Specimen
- Growing-Tip Statistics
- Hierarchy of Basic Needs
- Hierarchy of Cognitive Needs
- Human Diminution
- Humanistic Psychology
- Inner Signals
- Intrinsic Conscience
- Jonah Complex
- Normalcy
- Normative Biology
- Peak Experience
- Plateau Experience
- Real Self
- Self-Actualization
- Transcending Self-Actualizers
- Transhumanistic
Citation and Legal
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Footnotes
- ↑ Sosteric, Mike. “Abraham Maslow’s Vision for a Psychology of the Peace Table.” The Peace Table, 2025. https://medium.com/the-peace-table.
- ↑ Bugental, J. F. “The Third Force in Psychology." Journal of Humanistic Psychology. Journal of Humanistic Psychology 4, no. 1 (1964): 19–26.
- ↑ Charlotte Buhler, “The Scope of Humanistic Psychology.,” Education 95, no. 1 (January 1, 1974): 2–8.
- ↑ Robb, “The Hidden Philosophical Agenda: A Commentary on Humanistic Psychology.”
- ↑ Willis W. Harman, “The New Copernican Revolution,” Stanford Today Winter Series II, no. 1 (1969): 127–34.
- ↑ David Elkins, “Why Humanistic Psychology Lost Its Power and Influence in American Psychology,” Journal of Humanistic Psychology 49, no. 1 (2009): 267–91.
- ↑ Edward Hoffman, The Right to Be Human: A Biography of Abraham Maslow (New York: McGraw Hill, 1999), p. 148-9.