Humanistic and Existential Psychology: Foundations, Philosophies, and Contributions

Humanistic and existential psychology started to emerge in the mid-20th century as required counter-movement to the limitations of behaviourism and psychoanalysis. While psychoanalysis centred on unconscious motivation and behaviourism on observable behaviour and environmental factors, Humanistic and existential paradigms placed a priority on human experience, freedom, and meaning.

In general terms, humanistic and existential psychology have come to be known as the “third force” of psychology. Both schools of thought focused on re-centring the human subject as an active, feeling, and self-determining individual. The article overviews the philosophical roots, core principles, key theorists, and impacts of humanistic and existential psychology on contemporary psychological practice. 

Philosophical Underpinnings 

Both humanistic and existential psychologies owe their foundations to phenomenology — the first-person science of conscious experience. Both are heavily indebted to existential philosophy, particularly to philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean Paul Sartre, and Martin Heidegger. These thinkers were concerned with issues of authenticity, freedom, death, responsibility, and the search for meaning, which greatly influenced psychological theory and practice.

Humanistic psychology, directed by figures like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, is more optimistic in orientation. It focuses on human potential for self-actualisation, creativity, and personal growth. Existential psychology, led by Rollo May and Viktor Frankl, is more conflicted, and at times painful, in its concern with such matters as anxiety, despair, and death. Other than these contrasts, both are concerned with understanding the whole person in their lived experience. 

Humanistic Psychology: Key Concepts and Scholars 

Humanistic psychology developed centrally during the 1950s in America as a response to what many perceived as the reductionism of the earlier schools of psychology. Abraham Maslow, one of the central figures who helped found it, created a hierarchy of needs culminating in self-actualisation, which Maslow defined as the actualisation of potential. For Maslow, if physiological and psychological needs are met, human beings are motivated by more advanced goals of creativity, morality, and self-realisation. 

Carl Rogers, the other important figure, developed client-centred therapy, which is a non-direct approach to therapy using unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence  (honesty) by the therapist. Rogers believed that people had an innate tendency to develop and called this the actualising tendency. Rogers’ concern was to provide a positive therapeutic climate to foster personal growth. 

Humanistic psychology codified the concept of self as a central construct. Self-concept contains the “real self” (who one is) and the “ideal self” (who one would like to be). Psychological distress typically arises when the two are vastly apart. Therapy’s aim, then, is to close this difference and foster a more unified, authentic sense of self. 

Existential Psychology: Key Principles and Theorists 

Existential psychology, while overlapping with humanistic thought in many ways, explores more explicitly the existential givens of human existence: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. These existential issues, documented extensively in existential philosophy, are viewed in existential therapy as not pathologies to be overcome but as modes of human being which must be confronted and assimilated. 

Rollo May, who is occasionally credited with introducing American psychology to existentialism, dwelt upon anxiety as an essential part of human life, not to be eliminated, but to be valued. He made a distinction between normal anxiety, which is situational and can result in development, and neurotic anxiety, which is pathological and debilitating. 

Holocaust survivor and founder of logotherapy, Viktor Frankl, introduced a mature existential perspective based on the argument that the most fundamental human drive is not pleasure (Freud) or power (Adler), but meaning. His now classic work, Man’s Search for  Meaning, illustrated how, even under the most desperate circumstances, individuals can find meaning and thus persevere in horrific adversity. Logotherapy calls clients to create meaning in their lives from the perspectives of values, creativity, and responsibility. 

Comparison and Convergence

Humanistic psychology lays more stress on potentiality, development, and wholesome self-concept, while existential psychology addresses the deeper questions of existence, such as the inevitability of death and the feeling of existential guilt. Both paradigms, however,  share several assumptions: 

1. Subjectivity and Personal Experience: Both paradigms value individual experience as the foundation for human behaviour and mental health knowledge. 
2. Holism: They hold people in mind as integrated wholes, rather than as a collection of characteristics or behaviours. 
3. Freedom and Responsibility: Human beings are understood to be choice agents who are responsible for creating their lives. 
4. Authenticity: Being true to oneself—being authentic to one’s values and experience—is understood to be central to psychological health. 

Rather than conflict, humanistic warmth and hope are combined with existential authenticity and awareness by most contemporary therapists to develop an integrated style of therapy. 

Contributions to Therapy and Practice 

Humanistic and existential perspectives have made significant impacts on psychotherapy, counselling, education, and organisational psychology. In therapy, their contribution can be seen in:

• Radical Listening and Presence: Popularised by Rogers, now a core feature of most models of therapy, integrative and cognitive-behavioural therapies. 
• Meaning and Narrative-Centred Methods: Building on Frankl’s research, many therapists now focus on helping clients construct meaningful stories about their lives. 
• Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT): Founded on humanistic thought, EFT uses emotional processing as a pathway to change. 
• Existential Therapy: Used by therapists like Irvin Yalom, it helps clients explore existential fears to foster self-awareness and meaningful existence. 

Outside of clinical practice, these theories have also influenced humanistic education, student-centred and experiential, and organisational development, where employee motivation and self-actualisation are emphasised. 

Limitations and Criticisms 

Despite their contributions, humanistic and existential psychology have been the object of criticism. Humanistic psychology, particularly in its early stages, was sometimes criticised as too idealistic and non-empirical. Its emphasis on self-development can sound naively optimistic, especially in conditions of systematised oppression or trauma. 

Existential psychology, on the other hand, has been criticised as too abstract or philosophical and thus excluding clients seeking concrete solutions. Moreover, confrontation with existential reality may be overwhelming without diligent therapeutic intervention. In any event, recent developments in psychology, like positive psychology, trauma-informed care, and mindfulness-based treatment, reflect ongoing integration of humanistic and existential insight into empirically supported practice. 

Conclusion 

Existential and humanistic psychology have played a central role in humanising the field of psychology. In their focus on experience, meaning, authenticity, and self-determination,  they have provided precious counterbalancing influences to reductionism and mechanical views of the human mind. The two paradigms differ in tone and emphasis, but both maintain that to know and heal the human mind, one must see the complexity, the dignity, and existential richness of the individual. With evolving psychology, the continued pertinence of these approaches is that they steadfastly believe in the potential and responsibility in every human life. 

FAQs

1. How do humanistic and existential psychologies differ from traditional psychological approaches like behaviourism and psychoanalysis? 

Humanistic and existential psychologies focus on subjective experience, free will, and the search for meaning, whereas behaviourism emphasises observable behaviours shaped by external stimuli, and psychoanalysis focuses on unconscious motives and early childhood experiences. These newer paradigms view individuals as active agents rather than passive recipients of conditioning or unconscious drives. 

2. Can humanistic and existential therapies be integrated with modern therapeutic approaches? 

Yes. Many contemporary therapists adopt an integrative approach, blending humanistic principles like empathy and authenticity with evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT). Existential ideas, especially those relating to meaning-making and freedom, are also used in narrative therapy, trauma work, and palliative care. 

3. Are humanistic and existential therapies effective for treating mental health disorders? 

While these approaches may not always be symptom-focused, research supports their efficacy in treating depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, and existential crises. Their strength lies in addressing underlying emotional and existential issues, rather than just surface-level symptoms.