Humanistic Psychology Essay Example

“Humanists held the view that people have free will, the freedom to choose their own destiny, and strive for self- actualization, the achievement of one’s full potential.” (Ciccarelli, 14). This statement just about sums up everything I believe to be true about the human population. The humanistic perspective is a branch off of psychoanalysis and behaviorism; humanist psychologists felt that psychoanalysis and behaviorism were too pessimistic, either focusing on emotional tragedies or failing to take into account the role of personal choice. Two of the most famous founders of humanist psychology were Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Recently I have been venturing away from the secure rituals of Christianity and have found myself in the lap of the Science of Mind and Spirit. I have attended a few of their “church services” and a few conferences hosted by Dr. Michael Beckwith and my little Christian mind has been expended to lengths I could have never imagined. The theory behind the Science of Mind and Spirit follows the humanistic perspective to a tee in the sense that all humans are innately good, we are all created in God’s image and have all the goodness inside of us needed to succeed, we just have to accept it. The humanistic perspective also values the uniqueness of each and every person and I truly value this part of it. I believe that every human being has something to offer the world and we should all be loved and appreciated for who we are. Every person, whether they are gay, lesbian, straight, black, white, tall, short, fat, skinny, Jewish, Christian, prisoner, or civilian has something they can teach, and should be regarded as so. We all come from very different walks of life, but deep down we are all ONE. I also believe that every person has the power within them to change their life. We all have the power to change and control our thoughts, so therefore we all have the power to change and control our lives. In the book Psycho Cybernetics, the author