Humanistic and Existential Personality Theories - 1136 Words

Humanistic and Existential Personality Theories Many theorists have dedicated their lives trying to figure out how the personality of a person is shaped. While the theories presented have brought up interesting and valid points on what causes personality, there are others that have taken a different approach to its study. There is the Humanistic-Dynamic theory by Abraham Maslow, the Person-Centered theory by Carl Rogers, and the Existential Psychology made popular by Rollo May. Analyze how humanistic theories affect individual personalities Maslow created a step by step process that he believed each individual must go through in order to get to the top. The five step hierarchy of needs begins with physiological needs, moves on to†¦show more content†¦He believed that this was the only tendency that humans have and that they use it to satisfy drives, express emotions, and accept and value themselves. Analyze how existential theories affect individual personalities Existentialism affects one’s personality in many different ways. In order to better understand these effects, it is important to understand the premise behind this theory and its basic concepts. The coined spokesperson for existential psychology was Rollo May, who believed that â€Å"healthy people challenge their destiny, cherish their freedom, and live authentically with other people and with themselves. They recognize the inevitability of death and have the courage to live life in the present† (Feist Feist, 2009, ch. 11). There are five main elements by which existentialism is based upon: (1) â€Å"existentialists affirm that people’s essence is their power to continually redefine themselves through the choices they make, (2) existentialism opposes the split between subject and object, (3) people search for some meaning to their lives, (4) existentialists hold that ultimately each of us is resp onsible for who we are and what we become, (5) existentialists are basically anti-theoretical. To them, theories further dehumanize people and render them as objects† (Feist Feist, 2009, ch. 11). Ultimately this means that under this theory, these elements play an important role in individual personality. Because existentialists believe that existence takesShow MoreRelatedHumanistic and Existential Personality Theories1229 Words   |  5 PagesHumanistic and Existential Personality Theories Name PSY/405 Date Teacher University Humanistic and Existential Personality Theories In a perfect world, there would only be one, if not two different types of personality theories that psychologists would have to choose from in order to diagnose and treat their patients with, but variety, as they say, is the spice of life. In addition to that of psychodynamic personality theories, another set of equally important, and perhaps more interestingRead MoreHumanistic and Existential Personality Theories Paper1238 Words   |  5 PagesHumanistic and Existential Personality Theories Matrix Humanistic and Existential Personality Theories Matrix Theorists have invested years of research into learning the dynamics of one’s personality. 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