Foundational Humanistic Concepts
This humanistic psychologist is known as the founder of Person-Centered Therapy
Carl Rogers
This is the lowest level of Maslow’s hierarchy and includes things like food, water, and sleep.
Physiological needs
This type of therapy focuses on changing negative thoughts to more helpful ones.
cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
This person’s main job in therapy is to listen, support, and guide the client without judging them.
The therapist
This approach basically mixes different therapy styles to fit what the client needs.
eclectic therapy
This core condition involves the therapist showing genuine, non-possessive caring toward the client.
Unconditional positive regard
This level is all about feeling safe at home, at school, and in your community.
Safety needs.
This therapy is all about talking through your feelings and understanding your relationships.
psychodynamic therapy
This person is expected to talk about their thoughts and feelings as honestly as they can.
The client
Therapists who use this approach combine ideas from many theories into one organized system.
integrative therapy
Humanistic therapy emphasizes this ability of clients to make choices and guide their own growth.
Self-actualization
At this level, people want friends, family, and to feel like they belong somewhere.
Studies show that most people who go to therapy experience this outcome.
improvement (or getting better)
A therapist often does this to help the client feel understood, repeating back what they heard.
reflecting (or active listening)
One reason therapists use eclectic or integrative therapy is because every client is this.
Unique or different
This concept describes a therapist being real, transparent, and emotionally honest with clients.
congruence (or genuineness)
This level is when people want to feel good about themselves and be respected by others.
Esteem needs
This type of therapy focuses on helping people accept their feelings instead of fighting them.
humanistic therapy
The client’s role includes showing up on time and being ready to work on this.
their personal goals or problems
This type of eclectic therapy uses only techniques that research shows actually work.
technical eclecticism
According to humanistic theory, psychological distress often occurs when a person’s ideal self does not match this.
the real self
This is the highest level, where a person tries to become the best version of themselves.
Self-actualization
Research shows that the strongest factor in whether therapy works is this—basically how well you and your therapist connect.
therapeutic alliance
Therapists and clients work together to build this kind of trusting, team-like relationship that makes therapy more effective.
the therapeutic alliance
In integrative therapy, therapists look for this—the shared ideas across different theories that can work together.
Common factors