Chapter 17: Humanistic (Third-Force) Psychology Flashcards
Ludwig Binswanger (1881–1966)
Swiss, Applied Heidegger’s existential philosophy to psychiatry and psychology. His influential work “Being-in-the-World” emphasized the importance of understanding individuals in their unique existence. For him, a prerequisite for helping an emotionally disturbed person is to determine how that person views himself or herself and the world
Franz Clemens Brentano (1838–1917)
German, He proposed the concept of “intentionality,” suggesting that consciousness is always consciousness of something. His ideas laid the groundwork for phenomenology, influencing later thinkers like Husserl.
Martin Heidegger (1889–1976)
German, Expanded Husserl’s phenomenology to include an examination of the totality of human existence by emphasizing individual experience and the idea that understanding being requires an analysis of human existence. “Being and Time” explored the nature of being and the concept of “Dasein” (existence).
Edmund Husserl (1859–1938)
German, groundbreaking work in phenomenology aimed to describe and analyze consciousness and its structures. His method involved the suspension of judgment and focusing on pure descriptions of experience. This laid the foundation for existential phenomenology. His concepts, like “intentionality” and “phenomenological epoché,” influenced a wide range of disciplines, including psychology and philosophy
George Kelly (1905–1967)
American, developed Personal Construct Theory, emphasizes individual differences in how people interpret and predict events. His major work, “A Theory of Personality,” introduced the idea of personal constructs, which are the cognitive structures individuals use to interpret their experiences
Abraham Maslow (1908–1970)
American, best known for his hierarchy of needs, presented in “A Theory of Human Motivation.” A humanistic psychologist who emphasized the innate human tendency toward self-actualization. He contended that behaviorism and psychoanalysis provided only a partial understanding of human existence and that humanistic, or third-force, psychology needed to be added to complete our understanding
Rollo May (1909–1994)
American, Psychologist who was instrumental in bringing European existential philosophy and psychology to the United States by emphasizing the role of anxiety and the search for meaning in human existence. His works include “Love and Will” and “The Courage to Be.”
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
American, A humanist psychologist whose nondirective and then client-centered psychotherapy was seen by many as the first viable alternative to psychoanalysis as a method for treating troubled individuals. His theory of personality, similar to Maslow’s, emphasized the innate tendency toward self-actualization. According to him, a person continues toward self-actualization unless his or her organismic valuing process is displaced by conditions of worth as a guide for living. The only way to avoid creating conditions of worth is to give a person unconditional positive regard. His major works include “Client-Centered Therapy” and “On Becoming a Person.”
Anxiety
The feeling that results when one confronts the unknown, as when one contemplates death or when one’s choices carry one into new life circumstances. According to existentialists, one cannot live an authentic life without experiencing anxiety
Authentic life
According to existentialists, the type of life that is freely chosen and not dictated by the values of others. In such a life, one’s own feelings, values, and interpretations act as a guide for conduct
Becoming
A characteristic of the authentic life because the authentic person is always becoming something other than what he or she was. Becoming is the normal, healthy psychological growth of a human being.
Being-beyond-the-world (Binswanger)
Binswanger’s term for becoming. The healthy individual always attempts to transcend what he or she is
Constructive alternativism (Kelly)
Kelly’s notion that it is always possible to view ourselves and the world in a variety of ways
Dasein (Heidegger)
Heidegger’s term for “being-in-the-world.” The world does not exist without humans, and humans do not exist without the world. Because humans exist in the world, it is there that they must exercise their free will. Being-in-the-world means existing in the world, and existing means interpreting and valuing one’s experiences and making choices regarding those experiences
Daseinsanalysis (Binswanger)
Binswanger’s method of psychotherapy that requires that the therapist understand the client’s worldview. It examines a person’s mode of being-in-the-world
Eigenwelt (Binswanger)
The subjective world or self-world, reflecting an individual’s unique and personal experience of reality
Existential psychology
The brand of contemporary psychology that was influenced by existential philosophy. A psychological approach that emphasizes the exploration of individual existence, freedom, choice, and the search for meaning in life.
Fixed-role therapy (Kelly)
Kelly’s brand of therapy whereby he would assign a role for his clients to play that was distinctly different from the client’s self-characterization to challenge fixed patterns of thinking. With this type of therapy, the therapist acts much like a supporting actor
