Humanistic Psychodynamic Research

Of course, humanistic psychology was really organized defined in the 20th century. The main contributor, Abraham Maslow, and several others pushed this movement. Among Maslow was also Carl Rogers and Rollo May. Carl Rogers was the main contributor to applied humanistic theories in clinical settings. His early studies focused on human growth and personal enlightenment. He defined five criteria for clinical sessions under the humanistic approach: emotional contact between the two persons (client and therapist), the client is troubled, the therapist provides “genuineness” and help to the client, the therapist addresses the client in a positive manner, the therapist remains empathetic, and the client understands the therapist’s positivity and understanding. Rogers believed that the
What this meant to Rollo was a release of unconscious pressures that they weren’t aware of. Freedom was considered a staple factor in humanistic psychology, even though the concept of freedom is perceived differently depending on the situation. For example, if someone is privileged, freedom seems to be taken for granted or assumed to be a right. However, in the opposite situation, freedom is something to be fought for because of the pressures and restrictions placed upon an individual or society. This concept goes hand in hand with multiculturalism because of the individual’s sociopolitical culture, which has a direct impact on their personal life (Hoffman, Hoffman-Clare, Jackson, 2015).
Because humanistic psychology drew upon aspects of gestalt, there was also a type of therapy based on the theory, correctly named “Gestalt Therapy”. Frederick Fritz Perls was a German who brought gestalt therapy to the United States. Gestalt therapy was similar to humanistic-styled clinical psychotherapy, centered around personal responsibility and the present moment, which could essentially lead to self-actualization (Moss,