DanielR IB Psychology HL

The humanistic perspective represents the third force that attempts to study the human mind and behavior. Understanding of human nature comes from studying human, not other animals. Human are inherenty good (an optimistic assumption about the nature of human). Internal experience, in addition to behaviors, should be studied as well because freewill is also a cause of behaviors. Important aspect of life that make us human such as love, creativity, and happiness should be studied. Psychology should be meaningful and applicatble to every person, no matter what their culture, religion, nationality are. Studying should focus on individuals (idiographic method), not average performance of a group (nomothetic approach). Study should focus on the whole person and should be studied in the environmental context. As an alternative method to psychoanalysis and behaviorism, it combines the good sides of them and introduces the third force of studying the human behaviors and mind.