OPPapers.com

Theory Of Personality

Theory of Personality Paper
Humanistic psychology has led to the development of several different psychotherapies. All are based on the idea that people possess the resources for growth and healing and that the goal of therapy is to help remove the barriers that block this growth and achievement. Although, several theorists have contributed to Humanistic Psychology, one of the most renowned is, Abraham Maslow. Humanistic psychology is defined as:
"Explicitly concerned with the human dimension of psychology
and the human context for the development of psychological theory."
(wikipedia.com)

Abraham Maslow was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1908, and attended City College in New York for three semesters, where he studied law. Maslow moved from New York to Wisconsin where he then attended the University of Wisconsin. It was at Wisconsin, where he developed an interest in psychology. After receiving his PHD, in psychology, Maslow left Wisconsin in 1935 and headed back to New York to work with E.L. Thorndike at Columbia University. E.L. Thorndike was a noted psychology professor at Columbia University, and was at the forefront in the development of Behavioral Psychology. The work of E.L.Thorndike influenced Maslow's path of intrigue into the world of psychology. It was at this time that Abraham Maslow developed an interest in researching human sexuality.
Maslow became a faculty member at Brandeis University in 1951 and taught there until 1969, as well as a resident fellow of the Laughlin Institute in California.
Humanistic Psychology evolved as a reaction to determinism, i.e., the idea that human behavior is determined b forces not under the control of the person. As a result, it is sometimes referred to as the "third force." Third force psychology is another term for humanistic psychology, which was viewed by Maslow and others an alternative to psychoanalysis and behaviorism (Hergenhahn, Olson,). Important figures in behaviorism include John B. Watson and...