Hominology instead of humanistic psychology.

Challenges C. Buhler's (see record 1972-09954-001) view that humanistic psychology is the study of the person as a whole. The whole-person perspective is also advocated by members of other disciplines and orientations. The term hominology is used to convey the idea of a nondisciplinary approach to the study of the whole person. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Humanistic psychology and the humane but tough-minded psychologist.

An analysis of definitions of humanistic psychology that appeared in the original documents establishing the Association for Humanistic Psychology, in books about humanistic psychology, and in editorial policies of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology showed little agreement about the explicit meaning of the phrase, which typically is used in a vague manner. It is argued (a) that a liberal arts background may be useful for psychologists, and in that sense a humanistic perspective is defensible; (b) that "humanistic" practices such as "growth experiences," the activities promulgated by the human encounter movement, "consciousness-raising workshops," and "humanistic psychotherapies" have not been demonstrated to be effective and must be viewed with great caution; and (c) that there is little point in substituting "humanistic" psychology for "wholistic," "gestalt," "systemic," or "organismic" psychology. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology as a human science.

In commenting on an article by G. A. Kimble (see record 1986-07921-001) on the conflicts between scientific and humanistic concerns in psychology, the present author agrees with Kimble that psychology's contemporary acceptance of once-taboo cognitive research topics fails to overcome this schism and reconsiders Kimble's pessimistic conclusion that this factual dichotomy is an essential one. The usefulness of a conceptualization of psychology as a human science is discussed. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new Big Five: Fundamental principles for an integrative science of personality.

Despite impressive advances in recent years with respect to theory and research, personality psychology has yet to articulate clearly a comprehensive framework for understanding the whole person. In an effort to achieve that aim, the current article draws on the most promising empirical and theoretical trends in personality psychology today to articulate 5 big principles for an integrative science of the whole person. Personality is conceived as (a) an individual's unique variation on the general evolutionary design for human nature, expressed as a developing pattern of (b) dispositional traits, (c) characteristic adaptations, and (d) self-defining life narratives, complexly and differentially situated (e) in culture and social context. The 5 principles suggest a framework for integrating the Big Five model of personality traits with those self-defining features of psychological individuality constructed in response to situated social tasks and the human need to make meaning in culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Humanistic psychology as an educational program.

States that since a perceptive young person's interest in psychology begins with the problem of understanding himself and his own life, this vital interest should be utilized in starting out with studies of human life as a whole in terms of life history studies. These, viewed in an integrative frame, could easily serve as starting point for studying more specific aspects of psychology, e.g., the biological substructure of life, psychophysiological functions, individual and social behavior, cognition, motivation, human development, normal and abnormal personality, and all other functions and performances. The segmented studies would be more meaningful to the student, if related to the whole of human life and of the person. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hamlet, Theoretical Psychology, and "The View from Manywheres"

One of the principal challenges to human survival will be for human beings, embedded in a plurality of cultural contexts, to engage with and learn from one another respectfully in the continuing task of creating a more liveable world. I argue here that theoretical psychology can contribute to setting some of the terms for this effort through the kind of conception it advances of the person as agent. I discuss broadly two philosophical perspectives toward human agency which have become prominent in psychology in the last few decades, the humanistic and the hermeneutic. I argue that these two different frameworks make complementary contributions to the project of understanding ourselves and furthering the development of our humanity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic polymorphisms detectable in human urine: their application to forensic individualization

The issue of consistency in human personality is reviewed. Attention is given to personality both as a fixed entity and as something mediated by situational factors. Mischel's reinvention of the person-situation debate is noted as well as the seminal contributions of Allport, Eysenck and the 'forgotten figure' of Henry Murray. The discussion is resolved largely in favour of 'the whole person' in psychology but not before central issues of conflict, consistency and fulfillment are accounted for. In particular, the manner by which an evolving 'scientific' psychology chooses to ignore person psychology is seen to be pertinent. The topic is especially relevant to those psychiatric practitioners who espouse a whole person or 'fulfillment psychology' in their practice. However, the overall intention is to reintroduce material that extends the usual humanistic confines of the discussion.     

Heinz Kohut and Carl Rogers: A timely comparison.

States that H. Kohut (1971, 1978, 1984) has succeeded in integrating many of C. R. Rogers's (1951, 1961, 1980) concepts of humanistic psychology into his version of psychoanalysis. The similarities and differences between the 2 approaches are described. One important similarity concerns the therapist's attitude during the psychotherapeutic situation, with both authors stressing the value of empathy and openness. An important difference is that Kohut has theorized that the goal of psychotherapy, and of human development in general, is strengthening the structure of the self, rather than widening of the consciousness. The means by which Kohut has been able to provide a bridge between psychoanalysis and humanistic psychology are discussed, and the implications of Kohut's ideas for the practice of psychotherapy are considered. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Humanistic psychology as "the other": The marginalization of dissident voices within academic institutions.

Explores both the place and displacement of humanistic psychology within institutional contexts ranging from private liberal arts colleges to professional organizations like the American Psychological Association. First, from the perspective of social constructionism, we present the function and marginalization of humanistic psychologists (including existential, phenomenological, human science, transpersonal, and "postmodern" schools of thought) within American academic psychology. Next we consider, from the perspective of A. Schutz's social phenomenology, humanistic psychology's place within academic psychology as "the stranger," both in terms of the fundamental incongruence of "traditional" versus "humanistic" psychological relevance systems and the resulting breakdown of the "interchangeability of standpoints" that normally allows for contemporaries to communicate. The specific nature of these conflicts is then elaborated with reference to M. Heidegger's analysis of the concept of time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and psychotropic drugs.

Discusses issues that need to be considered in psychology's internal debate on whether to seek the right to prescribe psychotropic drugs. For example, psychology offers a decisive alternative to medical model. Within this philosophy of psychology, psychiatry's treatment of the person as an organism misses the essential humanity of psychological life. With the exception of some psychoanalysts, psychiatrists are seen from this theoretical perspective as fundamentally misguided in their use of psychotropic drugs which merely mask the symptoms rather than face the genuinely human problem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Centrifugal versus centripetal tendencies in psychology: Will the center hold?

Discusses whether psychology is a unitary discipline with a strong central core or a series of relatively independent areas, with implications not only for graduate training but for the American Psychological Association and for psychology as a whole. The following issues are discussed: psychology's 2 cultures—scientific and humanistic; hard science, soft science, and professional practice; and implications for training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Humanistic–existential psychotherapy competencies and the supervisory process.

There has been an increasing focus in recent years on articulating foundational and functional competencies for practice in professional psychology and how a competency-based approach might inform psychology training. With the aim of contributing to the dialogue in this area, the discussion herein explores psychotherapy competencies through the lens of a humanistic–existential perspective and describes implications for psychotherapy training and supervision. Specifically, competencies pertaining to facilitating the client’s experiential awareness and use of the psychotherapy relationship to engender client change are described. Next, the foundational and functional competencies within professional psychology that are particularly salient to a humanistic–existential psychotherapy framework are discussed. Finally, the ways in which a humanistic–existential supervision framework contributes to the development of psychotherapy competencies in trainees is considered. A brief vignette is presented to illustrate the supervision process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transcending the angel beast: Viktor Frankl and humanistic psychology.

In this article the author describes the relationship of Viktor Frankl, the famous Holocaust survivor and founder of logotherapy, with the Big 3 (Rollo May, Carl Rogers, and Abraham Maslow) of the American humanistic psychology movement. From the perspective of his quasi-religious meaning-centered logotherapy, Frankl criticized the humanistic psychology movement for overlooking the transcendent nature of human experience. The author argues that the source of these criticisms stems from Frankl's traumatic Holocaust experience that made him unable to accept an immanent meaning to human existence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Tale of Two Visions: Can a New View of Personality Help Integrate Psychology?

Personality psychology studies how psychological systems work together. Consequently, the field can act as a unifying resource for the broader discipline of psychology. Yet personality's current fieldwide organization promotes a fragmented view of the person, seen through such competing theories as the psychodynamic, trait, and humanistic. There exists an alternative--a systems framework for personality--that focuses on 4 topics: identifying personality, personality's parts, its organization, and its development. This new framework and its view of personality are described. The framework is applied to such issues as personality measurement, psychotherapy outcome research, and education. The new framework may better organize the field of personality and help with its mission of addressing how major psychological systems interrelate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positive Psychology's Two Cultures.

The rise of positive psychology has contributed to the scientific study of human strengths and virtues. This article identifies two types of character strengths: focus strengths, exemplified by creativity, and balance strengths, exemplified by wisdom. Which type we pursue influences how we organize our personal and professional lives, including choices about what we do, where we do it, and what values we promote as professional practitioners, researchers, and teachers. G. A. Kimble (1984) identified two cultures of psychology based on members' commitments to scientific or humanistic values. In a similar manner, two cultures of positive psychology, defined by the focus-balance distinction, are suggested here. Additional implications of the focus-balance distinction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Whatever happened to scholarly discourse? A reply to B. F. Skinner.

Comments that B. F. Skinner (see record 1988-00027-001) has presented an egregiously inaccurate characterization of humanistic psychology. The authors note that Skinnerian radical behaviorism emphasizes behavior, science, and technology, while humanistic psychologies emphasize human beings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sigmund Koch as critical humanist.

Just as Sigmund Koch was a good scientist without succumbing to scientism, he was a good humanist without succumbing to the popular distortions trading on the name of humanism. When humanistic psychology was seduced by the touchy–feely encounter group movement, Koch derided its technology of authenticity as shamelessly meretricious. Later, when postmodern humanists of deconstruction and textual analysis began to be heard in psychology, Koch wryly expressed his preference for the old-fashioned kind of humanism. Koch's interests and his conception of the domain of psychology thus transcended scientific and humanistic labels and boundaries. To be good science, human psychological studies have to start with and be guided by openness to all aspects of being human. No less in the present and future than during his lifetime, the implications of Koch's vision of psychological inquiry warrant discerning and disciplined attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vocational psychology, vocational adjustment, and the workforce: Some familiar and unanticipated consequences.

Vocational psychology, the psychological study of calling or "life work" (which for many is their work life), grew out of the vocational guidance movement. From the beginning, vocational guidance was founded on the Parsons formula of person analysis, job (or occupation) analysis, and the matching of the two. Vocational psychology, as a special case of the psychology of individual differences, has provided vocational guidance with an empirically validated technology (and accompanying theory) with which to assess the vocationally significant attributes of persons (abilities and interests, in particular), to describe occupations in person-attribute terms, and thereby to enable the matching of person and occupation on an actuarial basis. This technology has been amply validated for the prediction of both worker satisfaction and worker satisfactoriness. With the dramatic consequences for individuals and society of even modest increases in worker satisfaction and satisfactoriness, it is regrettable that vocational psychology is still unknown or unavailable to most of those who could benefit from it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The humanism of Sartre: Toward a psychology of dignity.

Discusses the significance of the concept of dignity for psychology. The article is grounded in the writings of E. Husserl (1970) and the humanism of Sartre (e.g., 1965, 1968 [translations]) and examines the humanistic position underlying psychology with that of positivism and determinism. Through an examination of Sartre's formulation of the cogito and intersubjectivity, the authors argue that humanism more than any other orientation current in psychology is concerned with the human status of the individual and the recognition of dignity as central to that status. The authors further argue that dignity is fundamental to the structure of human existence and is achieved only by holding the other as human in status rather than reducing the other to the status of an object. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is psychology relevant to new priorities?

Discusses ways in which psychology participates in establishing and in implementing new social priorities through theory, methods, applied research, and professional skills. The social import of the "metapsychological" assumptions about human nature purveyed by psychologists is stressed. The assumptions of Skinnerian behaviorism and of "humanistic psychology" are both challenged in terms of their scientific base and social consequences. A humanized scientific psychology is advocated. (37 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)