Main directions of humanistic psychology. Humanistic direction in personality psychology

Humanistic psychology is an alternative to the two most important movements in psychology - psychoanalysis and behaviorism.

The main subject of humanistic psychology is personality and its uniqueness, a person’s experience of the world and awareness of his place in it. The theory is based on the assumption that a person has an innate ability to achieve the full disclosure of his spiritual potential, to solve all his personal problems, if he is in an optimal, friendly socio-psychological atmosphere for him.

In humanistic psychology, the main subjects of analysis are: highest values, self-actualization of personality, creativity, love, freedom, responsibility, autonomy, mental health, interpersonal communication.

The development of humanistic psychology was greatly influenced by personalism in the mid-20th century. Humanistic science appeared as an alternative direction to all existing ones in the middle of the century psychological schools(behaviourism, personalism and psychoanalysis), while forming their own concept of personality and the stages of its development. The main representatives of humanistic psychology were: A. Maslow, K. Rogers, G. Allport and R. May. New directions in this science predetermined their own programs through opposition to previously established ones, since she observed the inferiority of psychological directions. Their own aspirations contributed to the defusion internal tension to achieve balance when interacting with environment. Humanistic psychology called for understanding directly human existence at a level between the philosophy and science of our time.

The originality of humanistic psychology (authors A. Maslow, K. Rogers, G. Allport) is that it turned towards a healthy, harmonious personality, not affected by neurotic illnesses.

Key ideas:

• - a person is not a hostage to his past experience, not a passive animal and not a victim of nature;
• - a person is more focused on the future, towards self-realization;
• - the main motive is the development of the creative principle of the human self;
• - a person must be studied in his integrity;
• - every person is unique.

K. Rogers. The foundation of personality is the self-concept.

The perception of oneself is formed in the process of interaction with other people and the environment. Structure of self-concept:

• - real self (perception of what “I am”);
• - ideal self (idea of ​​what “I would like and should be”).

A person's behavior can be understood solely on the basis of knowledge of his self-concept. Any reactions and behavior of a person are determined by how he subjectively perceives what is happening around him, what his subjective experiences are. If the real Self does not coincide with the ideal Self, then the individual finds himself in a state of anxiety and confusion. This poses a danger to the self-concept and threatens the loss of self-esteem. Therefore, psychological self-defense mechanisms are put into action, which do not allow threatening experiences into consciousness. Usually this:

Distortion of perception, or deliberately false interpretation of one’s experience (for example, for the sake of preserving the self-concept, a person interprets the fact of non-assignment to leadership position the machinations of attackers, envious people - a reaction of denial, ignoring the experience (for example, the whole world is flying head over heels, but “everything is calm in Baghdad...”).

A “fully functioning person” must be characterized by:

• - openness to experiences and prudence;
• - self-acceptance and self-respect;
• - internality (responsibility for everything that happens to him, to himself);
• - creative lifestyle, adaptability to real conditions life;
• - the richness of life at every moment of time.

Psychotherapy by K. Rogers is non-directive and does not involve active influence on the patient on the part of the psychotherapist: no requests, assessments, recommendations or advice. Only the role of a “straightening mirror”:

• - listen, explain his experiences, establish positive contact and a calm atmosphere of complete mutual trust;
• - look at the world through the patient's eyes.

The patient is given equal responsibility for therapeutic consequences.

G. Allport's theory of personality traits

The main principles of humanistic psychology were formulated by Gordon Allport. G. Allport (1897-1967) considered the concept of personality he created as an alternative to the mechanism of the behavioral approach and the biological, instinctive approach of psychoanalysts. Allport also objected to the transfer of facts associated with sick people, neurotics, to the psyche of a healthy person. Although he began his career as a psychotherapist, he very quickly moved away from medical practice, focusing on experimental studies of healthy people. Allport believed it was necessary not just to collect and describe observed facts, as was practiced in behaviorism, but to systematize and explain them.

One of the main postulates of Allport's theory was that the individual is open and self-developing. Man is, first of all, a social being and therefore cannot develop without contacts with the people around him, with society. Hence Allport’s rejection of the position of psychoanalysis about the antagonistic, hostile relationship between the individual and society. At the same time, Allport argued that communication between the individual and society is not a desire to balance with the environment, but mutual communication and interaction. Thus, he sharply objected to the postulate generally accepted at that time that development is adaptation, the adaptation of man to the world around him, proving that man is characterized by the need to explode the balance and reach more and more new heights.

Allport was one of the first to talk about the uniqueness of each person. Each person is unique and individual, as he is the bearer of a unique combination of qualities and needs, which Allport called trite - trait. He divided these needs, or personality traits, into basic and instrumental. Basic traits stimulate behavior and are innate, genotypic, while instrumental traits shape behavior and are formed in the process of life, i.e., they are phenotypic formations. The set of these traits constitutes the core of personality.

Important for Allport is also the position about the autonomy of these traits, which develops over time. The child does not yet have this autonomy, since his features are still unstable and not fully formed. Only in an adult who is aware of himself, his qualities and his individuality, traits become truly autonomous and do not depend on either biological needs or social pressure. This autonomy of human traits, being the most important characteristic his personality, and gives him the opportunity, while remaining open to society, to maintain his individuality. Thus, Allport solves the problem of identification-alienation, which is one of the most important for all humanistic psychology.

One of the most modern areas psychology, humanistic psychology grew out of the need for a more positive view of the human personality. than was proposed in the theories of psychoanalysis or behaviorism. The main representatives of humanistic psychology, Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, believed that people are born with the desire to grow, create and love, and that they have the ability to control their own lives. Living environment and social interaction can either promote or hinder this natural tendency. If a person lives in an oppressive environment, it hinders his development; on the other side. a favorable environment promotes development. humanistic rogers allport maslow

Representatives of humanistic psychology also believe that the most important aspect humanity is a subjective experience. This probably represents the most serious problem from point of view scientific psychology, which requires that the object of study be available for direct observation and verification. Subjective experience, by definition, does not fit into these criteria.

Humanistic psychology

In 1964 ᴦ. The first conference on humanistic psychology took place in the United States. Its participants came to the conclusion that behaviorism and psychoanalysis (they were designated as the two main “psychological forces” at that time) did not see in a person what constitutes his essence as a person. Humanistic psychology has designated itself as the “third force” in psychology, opposed to psychoanalysis and behaviorism.

The emergence of the name and the formulation of basic principles is primarily associated with the name of the American psychologist Abraham Maslow(1908 – 1970). At the center of humanistic psychology is the concept of personality formation, the idea of ​​​​the extreme importance of maximum creative self-realization, which means true mental health.

First of all, humanistic psychology emphasizes that a person must be considered as a creative self-developing being, striving not only for peace and certainty, that is, an equilibrium state, but also for imbalance: a person poses problems, resolves them, striving to realize his potential , and it is possible to understand a person exactly as a person only by taking into account his “highest flights”, the highest creative achievements.

Individuality in humanistic psychology is perceived as an integrative whole, as opposed to behaviorism, which is focused on the analysis of individual events.

Humanistic psychology emphasizes the irrelevance (unsuitability) of animal research for understanding humans; This thesis also opposes behaviorism.

Unlike classical psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology argues that man is inherently good or, at most, neutral; aggression, violence, etc. arise due to the influence of the environment.

The most universal human characteristic in Maslow’s concept is creativity, that is, a creative orientation that is characteristic of everyone, but is largely lost by the majority due to the influence of the environment, although some manage to maintain a naive, “childish” view of the world.

Finally, Maslow emphasizes humanistic psychology's interest in the psychologically healthy individual; before analyzing illness, you need to understand what health is (in Freud’s psychoanalysis the path is the opposite; according to Maslow, Freud showed the sick side of the psyche; it’s time to show the healthy side). True health - not in the medical, but in the existential sense - means creative growth and self-development.

These principles generally apply to other humanistic concepts, although in general humanistic psychology does not represent unified theory; it is united by some general provisions and “personal” orientation in practice – psychotherapy and pedagogy.

Central to Maslow's concept is his understanding of human needs. Maslow believed that the so-called “basal” needs of a person are “given” and hierarchically organized by levels. If this hierarchy is presented in the form of a pyramid or ladder, then the following levels are distinguished (from bottom to top):

1. Physiological needs (food, water, oxygen, optimal temperature, sexual need, etc.).

2. Needs related to security (confidence, structure, order, predictability of the environment).

3. Needs related to love and acceptance (the need for affective relationships with others, for inclusion in a group, to love and be loved).

4. Needs related to respect and self-esteem.

5. Needs associated with self-actualization, or needs for personal consistency.

General principle, proposed by Maslow for the interpretation of personality development: underlying needs must be satisfied to some extent before a person can move on to the realization of higher ones. Without this, a person may not be aware of the presence of higher-level needs.

In general, Maslow believed, the higher a person can “climb” the ladder of needs, the more health and humanity he will show, the more individual he will be.

At the “tops” of the pyramid are the needs associated with self-actualization. A. Maslow defined self-actualization as the desire to become everything that is possible; This is the need for self-improvement, for realizing one’s potential.

So, the task of a person, according to Maslow, is to become what is possible - and therefore to be oneself - in a society where conditions are not conducive to this. Man turns out to be the highest value and is ultimately responsible only for becoming successful.

The concept of self-actualization is at the center of the concept of one of the most popular psychologists of the 20th century (including among practitioners - therapists and teachers) - Carl Rogers(1902 – 1987), whose theoretical views were formed as they improved practical work. It is worth saying that for him, unlike Maslow, the concept of self-actualization turns out to be a designation of the force that forces a person to develop at a variety of levels, determining both his mastery of motor skills and the highest creative heights.

Man, like other living organisms, Rogers believes, has an innate tendency to live, grow, and develop. All biological needs are subject to this tendency - they must be satisfied for the purpose of positive development, and the development process proceeds despite the fact that many obstacles stand in its way - there are many examples of how people living in harsh conditions, not only survive but continue to progress.

According to Rogers, man is not what he appears to be in psychoanalysis. He believes that a person is inherently good and does not need control from society; Moreover, it is control that makes a person act badly. Behavior, leading person on the way to misfortune, does not correspond human nature. Cruelty, antisociality, immaturity, etc. – the result of fear and psychological defense; The task of a psychologist is to help a person discover his positive tendencies, which are present at deep levels in everyone.

The trend of actualization (this is how the need for self-actualization is designated in the dynamics of its manifestation) is the reason that a person becomes more complex, independent, and socially responsible.

Initially, all experiences, all experience are evaluated (not necessarily consciously) through a tendency towards actualization. Satisfaction comes from those experiences that correspond to this tendency; The body tries to avoid opposite experiences. This orientation is characteristic of a person as the leading one until the structure of “I”, that is, self-awareness, is formed. The problem, according to Rogers, is that along with the formation of “I”, the child develops a need for a positive attitude towards himself from others and a need for a positive self-attitude; however, the only way to develop a positive self-regard is to adopt behaviors that elicit positive attitudes from others. In other words, the child will now be guided not by what contributes to actualization, but by how likely it is to receive approval. This means that in the child’s mind, as life values those that do not correspond to his nature will arise, and that which contradicts the acquired system of values ​​will not be allowed into his self-image; the child will reject and not allow into knowledge about himself those of his experiences, manifestations, and experiences that do not correspond to the ideals that “came from outside.” The child's self-concept (that is, self-image) begins to include false elements that are not based on what the child really is.

This situation of abandoning one’s own assessments in favor of someone else creates an alienation between a person’s experience and his self-image, their inconsistency with each other, which Rogers denotes by the term ʼʼincongruenceʼʼ; this means - at the level of manifestations - anxiety, vulnerability, lack of integrity of the individual. This is aggravated by the unreliability of “external reference points” - they are unstable; from here Rogers derives a tendency to join groups that are relatively conservative in this regard - religious, social, small groups of close friends, etc., since incongruity to some extent is characteristic of a person of any age and social status. Wherein ultimate goal, according to Rogers, is not stabilization external assessments, but loyalty to your own feelings.

The only way of non-interference in a child’s self-actualization, Rogers believes, is an unconditional positive attitude towards the child, “unconditional acceptance”; the child must know that he is loved, no matter what he does, then the needs for positive regard and self-regard will not be in conflict with the need for self-actualization; Only under this condition will the individual be psychologically whole, “fully functioning”.

The position is close to humanistic psychology Viktor Frankl(1905 – 1997), founder of the 3rd Vienna School of Psychotherapy (after the schools of Freud and Adler). His approach is called logotherapy, that is, therapy focused on finding the meaning of life (in in this case logo means meaning.) Frankl bases his approach on three basic concepts: free will, the will to meaning and the meaning of life.

Τᴀᴋᴎᴍ ᴏϬᴩᴀᴈᴏᴍ, Frankl indicates disagreement with behaviorism and psychoanalysis: behaviorism essentially rejects the idea of ​​human free will, psychoanalysis puts forward ideas about the pursuit of pleasure (Freud) or will to power (early Adler); As for the meaning of life, Freud at one time believed that a person asking this question thereby exhibits mental ill-being.

According to Frankl, this question natural for modern man, and it is precisely the fact that a person does not strive to achieve it, does not see the paths leading to this, that is the main cause of psychological difficulties and negative experiences such as a feeling of meaninglessness, worthlessness of life. The main obstacle is a person’s centering on himself, the inability to go “beyond oneself” - to another person or to meaning; meaning, according to Frankl, exists objectively in every moment of life, incl. the most tragic; a psychotherapist cannot give a person given meaning(it’s different for everyone), but we can help you see it. Frankl refers to “going beyond one’s limits” as “self-transcendence” and considers self-actualization to be only one of the moments of self-transcendence.

In order to help a person with his problems, Frankl uses two basic principles(they are also methods of therapy): the principle of dereflection and the principle of paradoxical intention.

The principle of dereflection means the removal of excessive self-control, thinking about one’s own difficulties, what is commonly called “soul-searching”.

The principle of paradoxical intention suggests that the therapist inspires the client to do exactly what he is trying to avoid; are actively used (although this is not necessary) various shapes humor - Frankl considers humor a form of freedom, just as in an extreme situation heroic behavior is a form of freedom.

Humanistic psychology - concept and types. Classification and features of the category “Humanistic Psychology” 2017, 2018.

Lecture, abstract. 6. Humanistic direction in psychology - concept and types. Classification, essence and features.

Humanistic psychology.

The new situation that has arisen in the world in connection with the consequences of the First and especially the Second World War, the madness of fascism turned the psychological thought of the West to new problems - the meaning (or meaninglessness) of being, the freedom (or lack of freedom) of the individual, the loneliness (or non-loneliness) of man, his responsibility, life and death - to the problems developed in the philosophy of existentialism. In addition to the fact that this philosophy influenced many neo-Freudians (K. Horney, E. Fromm, etc.), it brought to life new psychology, which revised the basic foundations of the previous one and in many respects opposed itself to both behaviorism and psychoanalysis, primarily in understanding the true nature of man. This direction as a whole is often referred to as existential-humanistic psychology.

In 1964, the first conference on humanistic psychology was held in the United States. Its participants came to the conclusion that behaviorism and psychoanalysis (they were designated as the two main psychological forces at that time) did not see in a person what constitutes his essence as a person. Behaviorism and psychoanalysis viewed man from a natural scientific perspective: Freud viewed human morality and spirituality not as independent realities, but as a consequence of the complexities of psychosexual development and, accordingly, secondary, derived from drives and their fate; in behaviorism (with the exception of sociobehaviorism, which was formed in the same years as humanistic psychology), such things as freedom, human dignity, etc. were not only not considered, but were declared fictions, i.e. artificially created and not related to real concepts. Humanistic psychology identified itself as a third force, opposed to behaviorism and psychoanalysis.

Principles of humanistic psychology.

The principle of integrity.

Personality is a holistic entity that cannot be reduced to its components. What happens in any part of the whole affects the whole person. The integrity of the Self creates the unique character of each person's experience. That is why the subject of study should be goals, meanings, self-attitude, and self-perception of the individual.

The principle of positivity.

Human nature is kind and constructive, and therefore the emphasis shifts to the study of healthy, creative individuals who have enormous internal resources for their solutions. Rigid external determinism is opposed to self-determination and self-sufficiency.

The principle of development.

This principle is intended to explain the presence of internal potencies. Like any creature, man is naturally endowed with a tendency towards growth, development and realization. K. Rogers gives the following analogy: a grain thrown into the ground grows, develops and bears fruit (results). It’s the same for every person: nature provides strength for growth, development and self-regulation, i.e. to choose your one and only path, which will lead to an increase in goodness in this world. Therefore, the most important thing is the actualization of human potential. Development has no limits. A person has enormous creative potential, but in order for it to be realized, a person must be active.

Activity principle .

A person is not a victim of circumstances, previously acquired skills, or childhood experiences. He is by nature self-determined, creates his own destiny, is free to choose his life and is responsible for his choice. Humanistic psychology abandoned the idea of ​​violence and pressure on the individual. Everything that comes from outside and does not coincide with the internal needs of the individual is blocked and sooner or later makes itself felt in nervous breakdowns, illnesses, and separation from loved ones.

These principles generally apply to other humanistic concepts, although in general humanistic psychology does not represent a unified theory; it is united by some general provisions and personal orientation in practice - in psychotherapy and pedagogy.

The emergence of the name and the formulation of the basic principles is primarily associated with the name of the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. At the center of humanistic psychology is the concept personality development, the idea of ​​the need for maximum creative self-realization, which means true psychological health.

Let us denote, following Maslow, the main differences between humanistic psychology and the first two forces.

First of all, humanistic psychology emphasizes that a person must be considered as a creative, self-developing being, striving not only for peace and certainty, i.e. equilibrium state, but also to an imbalance: a person poses problems, resolves them, striving to realize his potential, and it is possible to understand a person exactly as a person only by taking into account his highest rises, highest creative achievements.

Individuality in humanistic psychology is considered as an integrative whole, as opposed to behaviorism, which is focused on the analysis of individual events.

Humanistic psychology emphasizes the irrelevance of animal studies to understanding humans; this thesis also opposes behaviorism.

Unlike classical psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology argues that man is inherently good or, at most, neutral; aggression, violence, etc. arise due to environmental influences.

Basic principles of humanistic psychology:

Man must be studied in his entirety

Each person is unique, so the analysis of individual cases is no less unique than statistical generalizations

A person is open to the world; a person’s experiences of the world and himself in the world are the main psychological reality;

Life should be considered as a single process of human formation and existence;

A person has a certain degree of freedom from external determination thanks to the meanings and values ​​that guide him in his elections;

Man is endowed with the potential for continuous development and self-realization as part of his nature;

Man is an active, intentional, creative being.

The most universal human characteristic in Maslow's concept is creativity , i.e. creative orientation, which is innate to everyone, but is largely lost by the majority due to the influence of the environment, although some manage to maintain a naive, childish look to the world.

Maslow emphasizes humanistic psychology's interest in the psychologically healthy individual; before analyzing illness, you need to understand what health is (in Freud’s psychoanalysis, the opposite way; according to Maslow, Freud showed the sick side of the psyche, it’s time to show the healthy side). True health - not in a medical sense, but in an existential sense - means creative growth and self-development.

The heart of Maslow's concept is his understanding of human needs . Maslow showed that the so-called basal needs of a person are given and hierarchically organized by levels. If this hierarchy is represented in the form of a pyramid or ladder, then the following levels are distinguished (from bottom to top)6

Physiological needs (food, water, oxygen, optimal temperature, sexual need, etc.)

needs related to safety (confidence, structure, order, predictability of the environment)

Needs related to love and acceptance (the need for affective relationships with others, for inclusion in a group, to love and be loved)

needs related to esteem and self-esteem

needs related to self-actualization

The general principle proposed by Maslow for the interpretation of personality development: lower-lying needs must be satisfied to some extent before a person can move on to the realization of higher ones. Without this, a person may not be aware of the presence of higher-level needs.

In general, Maslow believed, the higher a person can climb the ladder of needs, the more health and humanity he will show, the more individual he will be.

At the top of the pyramid are the needs associated with self-actualization. Maslow defined self-actualization as the desire to become everything that is possible; This - full use and the discovery of human talents and abilities. This is the need for self-improvement, for realizing one’s potential. This path is difficult, it is associated with the experience of fear of the unknown and responsibility, but it is also the path to a full, internally rich life. By the way, self-actualization does not necessarily imply an artistic form of embodiment: communication, work, love are also forms of creativity.

Characteristics of a “self-actualizing personality.”

objective perception of reality

acceptance of yourself, others, the world like this what they are

non-egocentric, solution-oriented external problems, centeredness on the object

ability to tolerate loneliness and the need for isolation

Creative skills

naturalness of behavior, lack of desire to violate conventions simply out of the spirit of contradiction

friendly relations with any person good character, regardless of his education, status and other formal characteristics.

Capacity for deep attachments, often to a few people, in the absence of constant unconditional hostility towards anyone

moral certainty, clear distinction between good and evil, consistency in moral consciousness and behavior

relative independence from the physical and social environment.

awareness of the difference between the goal and the means: the ability not to lose sight of the goal, but at the same time emotionally perceive the means in itself

Large-scale mental content and activity (These people are elevated above trifles, have a wide horizon, a long-term time perspective. They are guided by broad and universal values.)

Although all people seek inner consistency, only a few – less than 1% – reach the level of self-actualization (which is not a state, but a process). The majority, according to Maslow, are simply blind to their potential, do not know about its existence and do not lead the joy of movement towards its disclosure. This is facilitated by the environment: a bureaucratic society tends to level the individual.

This also applies to the family environment: children growing up in conditions of friendliness, when the need for security is satisfied, have a greater chance of self-actualization.

In general, if a person does not reach the level of self-actualization (self-actualizing personality), he turns out to be a special person, not burdened by many small vices such as envy, anger, bad taste, cynicism; he will not be prone to depression and pessimism, selfishness, etc. - all this does not correspond to true human nature, all this is a manifestation of mental illness in the understanding in which it is considered by humanistic psychology.

Such a person is distinguished by high self-esteem, he accepts others, accepts nature, is unconventional (i.e., independent of conventions), simple and democratic, has a sense of humor (and a philosophical one), is prone to experiencing peak feelings such as inspiration, etc.

So, the task of a person, according to Maslow, is to become what is possible - and therefore to be oneself - in a society where conditions are not conducive to this. A person turns out to be the highest value and is ultimately responsible for becoming successful.

The concept of self-actualization is at the center of the concept of one of the most popular psychologists of the twentieth century - Carl Rogers.

Man, like other living organisms, Rogers believes, has an innate tendency to live, grow, and develop. All biological needs are subject to this tendency - they must be satisfied for the purpose of positive development, and the development process proceeds despite the fact that many obstacles stand in its way - there are many examples of how people living in harsh conditions not only survive, but and continue to progress.

According to Rogers, man is not what he appears to be in psychoanalysis. He believes that a person is inherently good and does not need control from society; Moreover, it is control that makes a person act badly. Behavior that leads a person down the path to unhappiness is not consistent with human nature. Cruelty, antisociality, immaturity, etc. – the result of fear and psychological defense; The task of a psychologist is to help a person discover his positive tendencies, which are present at deep levels in everyone.

The trend of actualization is the reason that a person becomes more complex, independent, and socially responsible.

Initially, all experiences, all experience is evaluated (not necessarily consciously) through a tendency towards actualization. Satisfaction comes from those experiences that correspond to this tendency; The body tries to avoid opposite experiences. The term organism in this case means a person as a single physical-spiritual being. This orientation is characteristic of a person as the leading one until the structure of the Self is formed, i.e. self-awareness. The problem, according to Rogers, is that along with the formation of the self, the child develops a need for a positive attitude towards himself from others and a need for a positive self-attitude; however, the only way to develop a positive self-regard is to adopt behaviors that elicit positive attitudes from others. In other words, the child will now be guided not by what promotes actualization, but by how likely it is to receive approval. This means that in the child’s mind, as life values, values ​​that do not correspond to his nature will appear, and what contradicts the acquired system of values ​​will not be allowed into his self-image; the child will reject and not allow into knowledge about himself those experiences, manifestations, experiences that do not correspond to the ideals that come from outside. The child's self-concept (i.e., self-image) begins to include false elements that are not based on what the child really is.

This situation of abandoning one’s own assessments in favor of someone else creates an alienation between a person’s experience and his self-image, their inconsistency with each other, which Rogers refers to as “ incongruence"; this means - at the level of manifestations - anxiety, vulnerability, lack of integrity of the individual. This is aggravated by the unreliability of external reference points - they are unstable; from here Rogers derives a tendency to join groups that are relatively conservative in this regard - religious, social, small groups of close friends, etc., because incongruence, to one degree or another, is characteristic of a person of any age and social status. However, the ultimate goal, according to Rogers, is not the stabilization of external assessments, but loyalty to one’s own feelings.

The main cause of neuroses, from Rogers' point of view, is the discrepancy between who a person considers himself to be and who he wants to be. The essence of the Rogers method is aimed at:

to form a new, more adequate image of oneself in a person

make the idea of ​​his ideal more realistic, corresponding to a person’s capabilities.

Rogers proposed to fill the concept “ mental health" positive content. In other words, mental health is not the absence of illness, but a positive way of life, which is characterized by openness to new experiences, a desire for fullness of life, trust in one’s feelings and high creative activity.

Is it possible to develop on the basis of self-actualization, and not orientation towards external evaluation? The only way of non-interference in a child’s self-actualization, Rogers believes, is an unconditional positive attitude towards the child, “ Unconditional acceptance "; the child must know that he is loved no matter what he does, then the needs for positive regard and self-esteem will not conflict with the need for self-actualization; Only under this condition will the individual be psychologically whole and fully functioning.

As a practitioner, Rogers proposed a number of procedures to mitigate incongruity; they are reflected primarily in individual and group psychotherapy. Rogers originally labeled his psychotherapy as non-directive which meant a rejection of prescriptive recommendations (and most often this is what is expected from a psychologist) and faith in the client’s ability to solve his problems himself if the appropriate atmosphere is created - an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance. Rogers later defined his psychotherapy as client centered therapy; Now the therapist's tasks included not only creating an atmosphere; the most important role was played by the openness of the therapist himself, his movement towards understanding the client’s problems, the manifestation of this understanding, i.e. Both the client's feelings and the therapist's feelings are important.

Finally, Rogers developed person-centered therapy, the principles of which (the main focus is on the person as such, not on social roles or identity) extended beyond psychotherapy in the traditional sense of the word and formed the basis of group meetings, covering problems of learning, family development, interethnic relations, etc. In all cases, the main for Rogers is an appeal to self-actualization and emphasizing the role of unconditional positive regard as what allows a person to “become a fully functioning person.” Its properties, in Rogers’ understanding, are in many ways reminiscent of the properties of a child, which is natural - a person seems to return to an independent assessment of the world, characteristic of a child before reorienting to the conditions for obtaining approval.

The position is close to humanistic psychology Viktor Frankl. His approach is called logotherapy, those. therapy focused on finding meaning in life(in this case logos means meaning). Frankl bases his approach on three basic concepts:

free will,

will to meaning

meaning of life.

Thus, Frankl indicates disagreement with behaviorism and psychoanalysis: behaviorism, in essence, rejects the idea of ​​human free will, psychoanalysis puts forward ideas about the pursuit of pleasure (Freud) and the will to power (Adler); As for the meaning of life, Freud at one time believed that a person asking this question thereby exhibits mental ill-being.

According to Frankl, this question is natural for modern man, and it is precisely the fact that a person does not strive to achieve it, does not see the paths leading to this, that is the main cause of psychological difficulties and negative experiences, such as a feeling of meaninglessness, worthlessness of life. The main obstacle is a person’s centering on himself, the inability to go beyond himself - to another person or to meaning; According to Frankl, meaning exists objectively in every moment of life, including the most tragic ones; a psychotherapist cannot give a person this meaning (it is different for everyone), but he can help him see it. Frankl means “going beyond one’s limits” with the concept "self-transcendence ” and considers self-actualization to be only one of its moments.

This human desire can be called will to meaning. Frankl pays special attention situations of loss of meaning and finding meaning in hopeless situations (he himself was a prisoner of Auschwitz). Frankl comes to the conclusion that suffering has meaning if it changes you for the better.

In order to help a person with his problems, Frankl uses two basic principles (they are also therapy methods): the principle of dereflection and the principle of paradoxical intention.

The principle of dereflection means removing excessive self-control, thinking about one’s own difficulties, what is commonly called “soul-searching.”

Thus, in a number of studies, it has been shown that modern youth suffers more from the idea that they carry “complexes” than from the complexes themselves.

The principle of paradoxical intention suggests that the therapist inspires the client to do exactly what he is trying to avoid. At the same time, various forms of humor are actively used (although this is not necessary) - Frankl considered humor a form of freedom, just as in an extreme situation heroic behavior is a form of freedom.

The direction developed by Frankl, like humanistic psychology, can hardly be called a theory in the traditional natural science sense. Frankl's statement is characteristic that the main argument confirming the legitimacy of his position is his own experience as a prisoner in fascist concentration camps. It was there that Frankl became convinced that even in inhuman conditions, it is possible not only to remain human, but also to rise - sometimes to the point of holiness - if the meaning of life is preserved.

Humanistic psychology

Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, Charlotte Buhler, Gordon Allport and others belong to the movement that calls itself humanistic psychology. Humanistic psychologists themselves believe that many other psychologists, even of completely different orientations, can be called humanistic if they adhere to certain postulates to one degree or another.

Adler's ideas about the importance of social context led psychoanalysis away from the study of individual developmental factors (associated primarily with early childhood) towards a sociocultural explanation of personality. American psychiatrist K. Horney argued that it is culture that is responsible for the emergence of neuroses. Another American psychiatrist, H. Sullivan, believed that not only neuroses, but also psychoses have their origin in society. The founder of humanistic psychology, E. Fromm, argued that humans have special needs that are absent in animals and that must be satisfied for a person to be mentally healthy.

Humanistic psychology arose as natural development views of Adler, Horney and Sullivan on the role of sociocultural factors in mental activity. By the 1960s, representatives of this school included such influential psychologists as K. Rogers, E. Maslow and G. Allport. Humanistic psychology insists, first of all, on the importance of self-actualization (i.e., satisfying the individual’s inherent need to identify and develop his own human personality traits) as a condition for the formation of personality. Another important principle is the need to analyze the personality as a whole (holism). Humanistic psychologists reject reductionism, i.e. description of actual human properties in language natural sciences(the example they use is reducing love to “sexual chemistry” or biological instincts).

Here are three hallmarks of humanistic psychology:

1. Humanistic psychology is an anti-experimental psychology; its representatives are united by the denial of experiments - any, behaviorist, cognitivist, etc.

2. This is psychology that grows and feeds on a certain direction of psychotherapy - not related to the ideas of behavior modification.

3. Humanistic psychology places emphasis on man, on his capabilities, and in this sense contrasts itself with religion. Religion sees the main factor regulating behavior in God, while the humanistic psychologist sees it in man himself. The individual must do everything himself, but it is important to help him.

A humanistic psychologist is one who considers himself humanistic, that is, it is based on the characteristics of his self-awareness. There are no clear boundaries, but there are basic ideas - focus on whole person, for its development, unlocking its potential, for assistance and removal of barriers to this development.

Individuality in humanistic psychology is viewed as an integrative whole;

The irrelevance (unsuitability) of animal research for understanding humans (in contrast to behaviorism) is emphasized;

Humanistic psychology asserts that man is inherently good or, at most, neutral; aggression, violence, etc. arise due to the influence of the environment.

The development of humanistic psychology was facilitated by the situation that developed in society after the Second World War. She showed that many people in extreme situations show resilience and maintain dignity in the most difficult conditions.

This desire of man to preserve and develop his spiritual uniqueness was impossible to explain in terms of old psychology and only naturally - scientific determination. Ignoring philosophical postulates.

That is why the leaders of humanistic psychology turned to the achievements of philosophy of the 20th century, primarily to existentialism, which studied inner world, human existence.

This is how a new determination appeared - psychological, explaining human development by his desire for self-actualization, the creative realization of his potential.

The relationship between the individual and society is also partially revised, since the social environment can not only enrich a person, but also stereotype him. Based on this, representatives of humanistic psychology tried to study various mechanisms of communication and describe the complexity of the relationship between the individual and society in its entirety.