The development of the field

The humanistic approach has its roots in existentialist thought (Nietzsche, Heidegger). It is also sometimes understood within the concept of the three different forces of psychology; behaviorism, psychoanalysis and humanism. Behaviorism grew out of Ivan Pavlov's work with the conditioned reflex, and laid the foundations for academic psychology in the United States associated with the names of John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner. This school was later called the science of behavior. Abraham Maslow later gave behaviorism the name "the first force". The "second force" came out of Freud's research of psychoanalysis, and the psychologies of Alfred Adler, Erik Erikson, Carl Jung, Erich Fromm, Karen Horney, Otto Rank, Melanie Klein, Harry Stack Sullivan, and others. These theorists focused on the depth of the human psyche, which they stressed, must be combined with those of the conscious mind in order to produce a healthy human personality.

In the late 1950's, psychologists concerned with advancing a more holistic vision of psychology convened two meetings in Detroit, Michigan. These psychologists, including Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Clark Moustakas, were interested in founding a professional association dedicated to a psychology that focused on uniquely human issues, such as the self, self-actualization, health, hope, love, creativity, nature, being, becoming, individuality, and meaning- in short, the understanding of what it means to be human.

These preliminary meetings eventually led to other developments, which culminated in the description of humanistic psychology as a recognizable "third force" in psychology (along with behaviorism and psychoanalysis). Significant developments included the launch of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology in 1961 and the formation of the Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP) in 1963. Subsequently, graduate programs in humanistic psychology at institutions of higher learning grew in number and enrollment. In 1971, humanistic psychology as a field was recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) and granted its own division (Division 32) within the APA. Division 32 publishes its own academic journal called The Humanistic Psychologist (Aanstoos, Serlin & Greening, 2000).

The major theorists considered to have prepared the ground for Humanistic Psychology are Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers and Rollo May. The work of Wilhelm Reich, who postulated an essentially 'good', healthy core self, in contrast to Freud, was an early influence, specially his "Character Analysis"(1933). Other noteworthy inspirers and leaders of the movement include Roberto Assagioli, Gordon Allport, Medard Boss, Martin Buber, R. D. Laing, Fritz Perls, Anthony Sutich, Erich Fromm, Kurt Goldstein, Clark Moustakas, Lewis Mumford and James Bugental (Aanstoos, Serlin & Greening, 2000).

Humanistic psychology usually prefers qualitative research methods over other epistemological approaches (Clay, 2002). This is part of the field's "human science" approach to psychology; an emphasis on the actual lived experience of persons (Aanstoos, Serlin & Greening, 2000).

Scientifically, the humanistic field views the usage of quantitative methods in the study of the human mind and behaviour as misguided. This is in direct contrast to cognitivism (which aims to apply the scientific method to the study of psychology), an approach of which humanistic psychology has been strongly critical. Instead, the discipline stresses a phenomenological view of human experience, seeking to understand human beings and their behavior by conducting qualitative research.

Phonetic Review (записать транскрипции)

Check the pronunciation of the following lexical units: dimension, postulate, component, focus, psyche, convene, depth.

Grammar Review (читать)

1. Passive Voice in a scientific text is used to highlight the impersonality and the formality of a piece of writing.

e.g. The matters are summarized by the five postulates.

It is sometimes understood within the concept of the three forces.

2. Which referring to the whole clause. Which can refer not only to a noun, but also to the whole of a previous clause.

Note What, that and how cannot be used in this way.

These preliminary meetings eventually led to other developments; which culminated in the description of humanistic psychology as a recognizable "third force" in psychology.

3. Irregular Plurals: in scientific texts we often come across nouns of Greek or Latin origin. They have special plural forms: an analysis – analyses, a means- means.

4. Complex Subject: an infinitive complex consisting of a noun (or pronoun) in the nominal case and an infinitive in the appropriate form: The major theorists considered to have prepared the ground for Humanistic psychology are…

Complex Subject is used when the predicate is expressed by the verbs in Passive Voice: to suppose, to announce, to think, to believe, to expect, to consider, to seem, to appear, to turn out, etc., by the word groups- to be (un)likely, to be certain, to be sure.

Grammar exercises (письменно для тех, кого не было в понедельник):

1. Translate the following sentences:

a) The theory of intelligence testing is based on the un-proven assumption that children are born with innate abilities that can be measured by a test.

b) Information is passed from sensory memory into short-term memory by attention, thereby filtering the stimuli to only those which are of interest at a given time.

c) Human anatomy has been studied since ancient times. For over 1400 years the understanding of anatomy was based on theories of the Greek physician Galen. However an accurate and comprehensive understanding of human anatomy was delayed until the Renaissance period, primarily because dissections and autopsies were forbidden by most religions.

d) Suicide is defined as deliberately taking one’s own life.

e) People with mental retardation are people who are usually described as having developmental disabilities.

2. Give the plural forms of the following singular nouns (записать формы множественного числа):

Nucleus, hypothesis, basis, criterion, phenomenon, datum, formula, stimulus, index, symposium, memorandum, medium.

Topical vocabulary

Exercise 1. In the above text find English equivalents to the following lexical units and give the context in which they are used (найти и подчеркнуть английские эквиваленты в тексте):

Возникать, появляться; сводить что-то к чему-то; брать начало, уходить корнями (3 варианта); заложить основы чего-либо, делать акцент на чем-либо, подчеркивать что-либо; выдвигать что-либо; приводить к чему-либо, вылиться во что-либо; основа чего-либо; постулировать что-либо; быть посвященным чему-либо; заслуживающий внимания.

Exercise 2. Supply Russian equivalents for the following phrases and use them in your own context (перевести фразы и написать по 1 предложению с использованием этих фраз):

In reaction to; an awareness of one-self; the self; self-actualization; preliminary; in contrast to; to misguide.

Exercise 3. Translate the following sentences from the text (перевести предложения):

a) These matters are … value and creativity.

b) The humanistic approach has its roots … and humanism.

c) These psychologists … to be human.

d) a recognizable “third force” in psychology

e) The work of Wilhelm Reich… “Character Analysis”.

f) Humanistic psychology usually prefers qualitative research methods over other epistemological approaches.

Exercise 4. Explain the following notions (готовиться к устному ответу):

The human context

Existential thought

Holistic vision of psychology

Epistemological approach

Activation exercises (готовиться к устному ответу):

Exercise 1. Answer the question to the text:

1) When did humanistic psychology emerge and has it been concerned with? 2) What are the basic tenets of this school of psychology? 3) Explain the meaning of the so-called “three forces”. 4) What were the meetings in Detroit aimed at? 5) What were the consequences of these meetings? 6) Who are the most outstanding representatives of this school of psychology? 7) How does humanistic psychology regard the methods of psychoanalysis, behaviourism and cognitivism?

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 832