What is a core feature of humanistic psychology?

Humanistic psychology is fundamentally centered around the concepts of personal growth and self-actualization. This psychological perspective emphasizes the importance of individual experiences and the inherent potential in each person to achieve their full capabilities. Humanistic psychologists believe that individuals have the capacity for self-improvement and that they can reach a state of self-fulfillment when encouraged to explore their true selves and pursue meaningful goals.

This perspective contrasts with other psychological theories that may focus on unconscious motivations or external influences. While other approaches like psychodynamic theory explore the role of unconscious processes in shaping behavior, humanistic psychology highlights the conscious experiences of individuals and their ability to make choices. Similarly, environmental factors may play a role in behavior, but humanistic psychology prioritizes the individual's agency and their ability to transcend their circumstances. Lastly, experimental methods are often associated with behaviorism and cognitive psychology, which tend to rely on quantifiable data, whereas humanistic psychology is more qualitative in nature, emphasizing subjective experiences. Thus, the core feature of emphasizing personal growth and self-actualization is what distinguishes humanistic psychology from other psychological approaches.