Biological And Humanistic Approach To Personality Research Paper

Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality
PSY 250
October 20, 2013

Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Personality is defined as the pattern of collective character, behavioral, emotional, temperamental, and mental traits of a person (The Free Dictionary, 2013). In this paper the writer will discuss Abraham Maslow (1971), a humanistic psychologist, hierarchy of needs theory and how it is said to influence human personality. She will also cover some biological factors and how they influence personality and relate to Maslow’s hierarchy. Finally she will explain basic human aspects not compatible with biological explanations of personality. Maslow believed that people are not controlled by the
mechanical forces, which include the reinforcement and stimuli forces of behaviorism. His main focus was on what people can really do as opposed to their limitations. The essence of humanistic psychology is usually similar to cognitive psychology as it recognizes perception as the actual essence of actions and behavior. It also acknowledges behavior more than just a stimulus determined. The main goal is to prepare people for shared existence with those who are around. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs represent how growth should influence personality formation. It suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs (A Theory of Human Motivation, Maslow 1943). His hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid with the basic needs at the very bottom and more advanced needs higher up the pyramid. These are the needs from bottom to top:
1. Physiological- These are the basic human needs such as food, water, shelter, and sleep. Maslow believed these needs are the most instinctive needs in the hierarchy because until these needs are met, other needs become secondary.
2. Security- This level is where an individual feels the need of protection. Security needs are considered important for survival.
3. Social- Health relationships and the feeling of being loved are important at this level. Maslow described this needs as less basic than physiological and security needs. Possessing a romantic attachment or involvement in a social group is how an individual would receive fulfillment at this level.
4. Esteem- After the first three needs are met, the importance of esteem needs become more important. Things such as self-esteem, social recognition, and personal worth are important to surpass this level.
5. Self-actualization- This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At this level people are self-aware. They are more concerned with personal growth and less concerned with the opinions of others. Their main interest is in fulfilling their potential (About.com, 2013). This writer can see how Maslow would believe these levels influences an individual’s personality.
Having these essential needs met can influence how a person turns out in life. For example if an individual grew up being deprived of a healthy, loving relationship with a parent, friend, or sibling, he or she probably will grow up and constantly seek those things in most people he or she meets. This could lead her or him to countless heartbreaks and disappointment causing the individual to never successful surpass the social level in the hierarchy. Regardless of what level an individual may be stuck at, Maslow proclaimed that the lower needs must be satisfied before higher needs can become important (Friedman & Schustack,
2010). The writer believes that Maslow theory and the humanistic theory are more compatible with each other than biological factors. From a more biological perspective, personality development is thought to be primarily governed by the biological maturation of the individual versus the humanistic which is the view that identification with other humans is the most important association (Friedman & Schustack, 2010). Things such as food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep, health, and sex are a necessity for most humans. Safety, security and a need to feel protected from danger, helps an individual to experience life in a quality way. This will aid in the expansion of their personality. An individual’s experiences can influence their personality as well his or her normal human development. When someone lives in fear, he or she ends up getting trapped in their own psyche and there becomes little room for growth. Another level of Maslow’s hierarchy is the need for a sense of belonging.
Being accepted by people, offers an individual the feeling of security. These can come in forms of praise, encouragement, and support, thus helping him or her to build that level of acceptance. Having the needs of Maslow’s hierarchy met, the writer believes is what makes it more like the humanistic theory. Humanistic and existential aspects of personality, focuses on freedom and self-fulfillment and Maslow’s theory is just that. Successfully getting every need met in the hierarchy will help an individual accomplish self-actualization thus he or she reaches self-fulfillment. Like discussed earlier, it is at this stage that an individual is more concerned about the betterment of him or herself and less of what others think or want for them. The writer believes that once this level is met an individual can be considered mature biologically but fulfilled as a human because he or she has reached a level where the most important thing to him or her is him or herself. He or she will not be caught up in the ways of the world. Their main focus will be how they can become a better individual not for other people but simply for
themselves. In conclusion, there are several factors that determine an individual’s personality. Some of these determinants are either biological or humanistic. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and humanistic personality’s theory as well as the biological factors play a major role in personality formation. Though biological and humanistic theories are opposites, the mix of these two theories produces sufficient results. Being born is the biological and getting all essential needs met according to Maslow hierarchy, will allow an individual to grow into a self-fulfilled and all-around better human being.References
About.com. (2013). Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds.htm
Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2010). Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research (5th ed.). San Marcos, CA: Pearson Education.
The Free Dictionary. (2013). Personality. Retrieved from http://thefreedictionary.com/personality