This paper will review humanism as one of the three “major waves” of psychology. It will highlight key contributors as well as their major concepts. This paper will also discuss the influence of humanism influenced the field of psychology in the past, how it is influencing it in the present and how it could influence it in the future. There will be a discussion of support for humanism as a major system of psychology but also criticism of the system overall. Lastly, this paper will highlight the strengths and limitations of humanism as a system as well as the multicultural and diversity considerations when working with clients in a therapeutic setting.
Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic psychology was developed …show more content…
One of the strengths of this approach is how cross-cultural it is. Almost all cultures can use Rogers’ practices to fit into values and ideals (Corey, 2013). According to Corey (2013), person-centered therapy is grounded on the importance of hearing the deeper messages of a client. Empathy, being present, and respecting the values of clients are especially important when counseling culturally diverse clients (Corey, 2013). One point that really stood out to me in regards to diversity is that while person-centered therapists are aware of diversity factors, they do not allow stereotypes of a particular culture to make assumptions about their clients. According to Corey (2013), the therapist realizes each client’s journey is unique and they take steps to tailor their methods to fit each individuals. The main reason this approach is applicable to a wide range of cultural diverse backgrounds is because the core therapeutic conditions are qualities that are universal (Corey, …show more content…
It was developed to insert a different perspective into the field of psychology following psychoanalysis and behaviorism. It began in the 1960s and moved forward in the 70s, 80s, 90s and today. Abraham Maslow paved the way for humanistic psychologists to add their ideas into the system and make it into what it is today. Carl Rogers developed person-centered therapy, a therapeutic approach that is used in all sorts of settings today. Humanistic psychology, like any other system in the field of psychology, has both support and criticism surrounding its concepts and practices. Humanistic psychology focuses on each individual person, their goals, their aspirations, their strengths and how they plan to use those strengths to ultimately (and hopefully) achieve self-actualization. That concept alone makes humanistic psychology multicultural because its techniques and principles can be applied to any type of client in a variety of settings. The hope is that humanistic psychology will continue to leave its mark on the field of