Some of the major concepts and ideas that emerged from the humanistic movement include:

Supporters of the behavioral perspective believe that only unobservable behaviors should be studied. A behaviorist might study observable behaviors associated with love, such as hugging or kissing. A cognitive psychologist might study how a person’s cognitive processes change when one is in love.

Humanistic psychology focuses on helping people achieve their potential. So it makes sense that the goal of humanistic therapy is to help people become more self-aware and accepting of themselves. In contrast to psychoanalysis, humanistic therapists focus on conscious rather than unconscious thoughts.

• Hierarchy of needs.
• Person-centered therapy.
• Unconditional positive regard.
• Free will.
• Self-concept.
• Self-actualization.
• Peak experiences.
• Fully-functioning person.

The aim of humanistic therapy is to help the client develop a stronger, healthier sense of self, as well as access and understand their feelings to help gain a sense of meaning in life.

Disadvantages

• It is too positive when regarding human behaviour- this means that it assumes individuals are instrinsically good and will choose positive paths for their lives- however free will and choice is limited for some individuals.
• There is too much emphasis on subjective experience- Hard to study.

The five basic principles of humanistic education can be summarized as follows:

• Students’ learning should be self-directed.
• Schools should produce students who want and know how to learn.
• The only form of meaningful evaluation is self-evaluation.
• Feelings, as well as knowledge, are important in the learning process.

The humanistic approach also enables the professional to work on the subjective experiences of an individual. Disadvantages – it enables the professional to put much emphasis on the subjective experience. The working is based on the non-directional approaches which require immense explanations for each action and rule.

Humanistic psychology is a perspective that emphasizes looking at the the whole person, and the uniqueness of each individual. Humanistic psychology also rejected the psychodynamic approach because it is also deterministic, with unconscious irrational and instinctive forces determining human thought and behavior.

A 2002 review of 86 studies found that humanistic therapies were effective at helping people make lasting change over time. People in humanistic therapy showed more change than people in no therapy at all, according to the review.

One of the greatest strengths of humanisticpsychology is that it emphasizes individual choice and responsibility. Humanistic psychology satisfies most people’s idea of what being human meansbecause it values personal ideals and self-fulfillment.

In humanistic therapy, there are two widely practiced techniques: gestalt therapy and client-centered therapy. Gestalt therapy focuses on the skills and techniques that permit an individual to be more aware of their feelings.

A humanistic approach to helping someone build self-esteem would involve encouraging a person to focus on their strengths rather than their faults. By focusing on strengths and building on them, the person is able to work toward a more satisfied and complete life.

The humanistic therapist focuses on helping people free themselves from disabling assumptions and attitudes so they can live fuller lives. The therapist emphasizes growth and self-actualization rather than curing diseases or alleviating disorders.

Every person throughout the health system—caregiver and patient alike—is first and foremost a human being. Humanistic health professionals care about their patients as much as they care for them. They understand that compassion can be a powerful catalyst for healing.

The major difference is that humanism assumes people are basically good, whereas existentialism assumes people are neither good nor bad (human nature has no inherent quality). Both place a priority on the meaning of life and purpose within life.

As we mentioned, humanistic psychology says that people strive to be the best versions of themselves, while existential psychology says that people are searching for the meaning of life. They are very similar, though, in the way that people achieve those ends – through personal responsibility and free will.

having the capacity for self-awareness, experiencing tension between freedom and responsibility. creating an identity and establishing meaningful relationships. searching for the meaning, purpose and values of life. accepting anxiety as a condition of living.

Those clients who can not communicate well and are afraid of confronting painful issues will not be helped in the existential therapy. The other weakness of existential approaches is that counselor who is not mature and have not much life experiences will find it difficult to train for essential therapy.

• 1 Pro: Meaning of Life. One of the main goals of existential counseling is to help the client make meaning out of her life and experiences.
• 2 Con: Intellectualization.
• 3 Pro: Person-Centered.
• 4 Con: Religious Conflict.

The definitive account of existential psychotherapy. Organized around what Yalom identifies as the four “ultimate concerns of life” — death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness — the book takes up the meaning of each existential concern and the type of conflict that springs from our confrontation with each.

The overall purpose of existential therapy is to allow clients to explore their lived experience honestly, openly and comprehensively. Through this spontaneous, collaborative process of discovery, clients are helped to gain a clearer sense of their experiences and the subjective meanings they may hold.

To get a better grasp of how existentialism looks at life, here are examples of existential questions:

• Who am I?
• What is my real nature or identity?
• What is the meaning of life?
• What is the meaning of existence?
• What is my greater purpose?
• What is death?
• What happens when I die?
• Is there a god?

The basic dimensions of the human condition, according to the existential approach, include (1) the capacity for self-awareness; (2) freedom and responsibility; (3) creating one’s identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others; (4) the search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals; (5) anxiety as a …

The goal of existential therapy is to understand the way the client sees the world and help them make choices based on this new insight. People often have a limited awareness of themselves and the nature of their problems.