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The Humanistic Perspective
Humanistic is a term coined in the mid-twentieth century relating to the study of the
absolute self; an approach that emphasizes on the uniqueness of individuals, based on their
emotions, capabilities, and their own drive and free-will in the search of self-actualization
(Maslow et al.). Central to this approach is Abraham Maslow who proposed that individuals are
often stimulated by their hierarchy of needs and Carl Rogers who further viewed the internal
biological drive of individuals as the force towards self-actualization. The humanistic perspective
is one of the most rational viewpoints in psychology.
Essentially, this viewpoint endorses the amalgamation of mindfulness into behavior.
Rejecting the dehumanizing assumptions of the behaviorist and psychodynamic perspective, the
humanistic approach recognizes the complexity of human behavior, an aspect whose individual
features cannot be wholly determined scientifically (Berger). Maslow theorized that humans
have free will; a personal agency to make own decisions without necessarily following the
already deterministic rules of science (Maslow et al.). For example, a humanistic perspective
would encourage an accountant looking to set up an office in a new area to critically research the
individual needs and wants of his target customers, and find what is needed. Whatever it will
take for the targeted audience to achieve self-actualization is what the accountant must then
maximize on. This is symmetrical to the common concept of client-centered servicing.
Secondly, the humanistic perspective brought to light a new approach to understanding
human nature, creating an even wider range of effective methods for psychotherapy. Human
