Humanistic Psychology in the Workplace
Shari Burkhart
Northwest Christian University
Abstract
This paper explores humanistic psychology and how it pertains to the workplace. The origins of humanistic psychology are also analyzed, as well as how this type of psychology can be used to improve employee satisfaction and productivity in organizations. How this is applied to the workplace will be explained by examining motivation and Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. Other theorists such as Carl Rogers, Rollo May and Victor Frankl are included. The way in which organizations apply the concepts of humanistic therapy into their culture are also introduced. Positive psychology is also proposed and this is believed by some
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May believed that psychotherapy should be aimed at helping people discover meaning in their lives and should be concerned with the problems of being rather than the problems of solving. It takes courage to become the person we should be and our choices determine that. There is a constant struggle in regard to the security of dependence and the joy and pain of growth. We realize that, though we want to grow towards maturity and independence, this is often a painful process (Corey, 2013). Rollo May also suggested that creativity is in important aspect of existentialism and in the book entitled The Courage to Create, Rollo May defined creativity as the process of bringing something new into being (1975). We are constantly doing this as we develop awareness and move towards being a more authentic person. The authentic individual is constantly in the process of making choices, taking responsibility for them, and being aware that they have consequences (Robertson, …show more content…
One way is by encouraging everyone in the organization to further their education at a university or complete on-line classes at the hospital. Having a tuition reimbursement program makes it easier for an employee to reach their goal of self-actualization. The hospital also conducts health fairs twice a year, offers psychological counseling to employees, and offers coaching by the department managers regarding employee conduct and expectations. All of these play a part in the dynamics of employee behavior within the hospital. Most employees become better and more satisfied employees as a result of these programs and this is what positive psychology is all
The foundation and development of a human being stems from the individual’s position within his/her life (for instance, his/her opinion, stance, about oneself in regards to his/her own expectations) and within his/her communities as a member of a household, a race or even as a gender. The key factor of this notion, take in consideration the vast knowledge a person can evaluate against their own understanding. A person emerge into the world as a blank slate that unconsciously and continuously devouring and weaving in stories told in voices that evokes correlation identification with an image created by a mother, father, brothers, sister, aunt, uncle, cousins, grandma, grandpa, and even nicknamed strangers into their root and skin. An open-minded
In relation to the profession of social work, the humanistic perspective is utilized quite often during an analysis of a client within a given environment. As stated by Hutchinson, the humanistic perspective tends to focus on the idea that people are inherently good with the ability to act freely, capable of change and valuable regardless of any type of situation (Hutchinson, 2015). When taking note of the lens within this particular
Sometimes this approach is called phenomenological because personality is studied from the point of view of the individual’s subjective experience. Abraham Maslow can be regarded as the father of humanistic psychology. In the 1960's, his ideas were considered as ridiculous whereas today they are highly regarded and considered important across so many different areas. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs presents the image of the individual having the ability to reach a level of self-actualization which is the highest form that an individual can achieve.
The population this theory applies to all ethnicities, religions, races, orientations, social economic status and abilities .The school this theory is related to the Humanistic School of Thought. Humanistic School of thought , is the concept of the practitioner viewing the client circumstance through the client eyes and their personal view. The major theorist that is associated with the theory is Carl Rogers. The main goal is to eliminate any issues that the client may have that could deter them to reach their full potential.
As the business environment evolves, so does the need for motivating people in order to increase productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. With this in mind, managers are consistently balancing the company’s requirements with the needs of individuals who support the organization. Clayton Alderfer looks at the Abraham Maslow’s motivational theory and expands the principle. Maslow’s claims that if a person is lacking food or shelter, then they will not care about security. Additionally, he believed that self-actualization needs are not considered unless one external condition promotes healthiness, safety, and emotional stability.
This Hierarchy is a very solid foundation for the concept of motivation and its process. A lot of practicing managers consider Maslow’s theory as a basic framework to predict their employee’s behavior at work. We can also see, the terms used in this theory are used frequently. An advantage of Maslow 's hierarchy of needs is its perceptive understanding into human nature. This theory helps us to understands the needs and potentials of human beings to a great extent.
The first theories on motivation and work motivation were developed by Maslow (1954), Herzberg (1959), and McGregor (1960). In his theory on hierarchy of needs, Maslow asserted that every human-being has a 5-level hierarchy of needs ranging from physiological, to safety and security and to self-actualization. But these 5 types of needs are not present all at once in a person. Once a lower-level need is satisfied, the individual will move up to the higher level. (Maslow 1954 and Robbins 2003).
Ever since the dawn of civilized life Management has been in use, since times such as Greek Civilisation and The Roman Empire it has played a vital role in work and has so for thousands of years as well as the many that are to come. Since then management has changed significantly, the evolution of management thought can be separated into Classical theories i.e Scientific Management and Bureaucracy and Modern theories (Tiernan, Morley 2013). Management is currently a major role in working life and the study of human motivation assist managers in gaining an understanding of how workers can be managed in a manner to that they will work at maximum capacity. This has led me to research the currently very popular theories of Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
Below, this essay discusses not only the origins of the Humanistic Theory, but also the theorists, its influence on the world, and the inner workings of Humanism itself. Exploring the theories of Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, and Alfred Adler, we can see what inspired them into their fields, their thoughts, and actions on Humanistic Psychology as well. This will allow the readers to gain a new perspective that emphasizes looking at not just the whole person but concepts like free will, creativity, Self-awareness, positive potential, and concentration of the well-being. The humanistic approach has been contributed to approximately a few elements of psychology compared to the other paths. Therefore, its aid is limited to areas such as therapy,
In the department of existentialism, Jean Paul Sartre’s (1905-1980) Philosophy is considered prevalent system of thought. Throughout his life Sartre held extreme human freedom and choice in extremely high regard. To be able to live an authentic existence, one must take responsibility for all the actions that one freely chooses. It is because of the complete freedom that a state of existential distress is reached and one becomes burdened by the adversity of perpetual choice.
Employee influenced including “delegated levels of authority, responsibility, power etc”. Work system including “designing of the work and the aliment of people in the work”. A new theory established by an American psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943 to support the human resource management policies and choices component of the Harvard Model. This theory called as “Maslow Hierarchy of Needs”.
Good leaders recognise that if they are to build productive and highly successful teams, they need to understand and look after the needs and well-being of team members. This is a fundamental part of the “emotional contract” between leaders and their teams. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a popular way of thinking about people’s needs. Published by psychologist Abraham Maslow in his 1943 article “A theory of human motivation, this theory contends that as humans we strive to meet our most basic needs, we also seek to satisfy higher set of needs.
The two hypotheses repeat the significance to see identity as an individualistic wonder of advancement (Feist, 2009). Both additionally approaches call attention to the significance of appropriate early advancement and the methods it uses to get ready people for adulthood. As Freud avoided to dig deeper into positive qualities in individuals, Maslow turned a blind eye to examine the terrible in individuals which leaves both methodologies incomplete and halfway one-sided. Commentators assert both ways to deal with be excessively philosophical with little objectivity (McLeod, 2007). The philosophical approach does not enable the exploration to be confirmed or falsifiable rendering both methodologies as having an absence of logical proof.
Next, there are four types of important theories of motivation which includes Maslow`s H Hierarchy of Needs Theory, McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y, Herzberg’s Two- Factor Theory and McClelland’s Three-Needs Theory. These theories represent the foundation from which contemporary theories grew and still are used by practising managers to explain employee motivation. Motivation is an internal feeling which can be understood by manager because he is only one always close contact with the employees.” Motivation is
With the aid of the two counseling theories, Roger’s personality theory and Adlerian personality theory, I managed to make a personal self-reflection on my values, attitudes, beliefs and how became who am I today. I certainly have an affinity for humanistic approach because it emphasized that every person has their own unique way to perceive and make sense of world. It also focused more understanding people’s subjectivity. The theory under humanistic approach that helped to reflect and gain insight about myself is Carl Roger’s personality theory. The reason I chose this theory because I feel it holds true to my personality development compared and I like his concept and emphasis on the importance of the self-actualizing tendency in shaping human personalities.