Charlotte Bühler’s Existential-Humanistic Contributions to Child and Adolescent Psychology

Self Cite

Few readily identify Maslow as a developmental psychologist. On the other hand, Maslow’s call for holistic/systemic, phenomenological, and dynamic/relational developmental perspectives in psychology (all being alternatives to the limitations of the dominant natural science paradigm) anticipated what emerged both as and in the subdiscipline of developmental psychology. In this article, we propose that Maslow’s dynamic systems approach to healthy human development served as a forerunner for classic and contemporary theory and research on parallel constructs in developmental psychology that provide empirical support for his ideas—particularly those affiliated with characteristics of psychological health (i.e., self-actualization) and the conditions that promote or inhibit it. We also explore Maslow’s adaptation of Goldstein’s concept of self-actualization, in which he simultaneously: (a) explicated a theory of safety versus growth that accounts for the two-steps-forward-one-step-back contiguous dynamic that realistically characterizes the ongoing processes of being-in-becoming and psychological integration in human development/maturity and (b) emphasized being-in-the-world-with-others with the intent of facilitating the development of an ideal society by promoting protective factors that illustrate Maslow’s safety, belonging, and esteem needs. Finally, we dialogue with the extant literature to clarify common misgivings about Maslow’s ideas.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

mentioning

confidence: 50%

Maslow’s Unacknowledged Contributions to Developmental Psychology

Bland

DeRobertis

2017

Self Cite

“…The total personality cannot be the mere summation of its biological and cultural determinants. It should be seen as an auto-bio-cultural achievement (see DeRobertis, 2012, 2015; Murray, 2001), but psychology did not possess the courage to embrace the owned quality of human experience and behavior as something other than illusion. Attention was primarily aimed at cultural determinism in this critique.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Humanistic Revolution in Psychology: Its Inaugural Vision

DeRobertis

2020

This article presents a textual analysis of the inaugural issue of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology. The analysis culminated in the creation of a composite narrative that expresses the character of the humanistic vision for psychological science, a historical snapshot of the evolving humanistic revolution circa 1961. The analysis showed humanistic psychology to have proposed a nonreactionary, inclusive, integrative approach to psychology. This approach was anchored in a radicalized image of humanity, one that would not rely wholly on theories and methods of research designed for nonhuman beings. The findings further indicate that, from its inception, humanistic psychology was envisioned to be a unique amalgam of what would today be considered cultural psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology, without being reducible to any one of these subfields. It was and remains an effort in earnest to do justice to a truer self, engaged in the process of becoming, operating within biological and cultural parameters.

“…According to Schenk-Danzinger (1963), Charlotte Bühler was the first psychologist to focus on the subject of human life as a whole-its structure and goals-from birth to old age with extensive and systematic studies. This was a particularly revolutionary concept for child psychology, which was used to the more psychoanalytic and behavioral compartmentalized models (DeRobertis, 2006). Additionally, Schenk-Danzinger says that Bühler's methods grew progressively deeper, and she worked through other psychologists' theories one-by-one until arriving at her own (Schenk-Danzinger, 1963).…”

Section: Charlotte Bühlermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(DeRobertis, 2006, p. 52) Bühler also responded to behavioral theory by insisting that people do not simply react to the environment. Rather, they perceive the world and act according to value structure they have established (DeRobertis, 2006).…”

Section: Charlotte Bühlermentioning

confidence: 99%

Don’t Fall Into Those Stereotype Traps

Kass

2013

The current work examines some notable women in existential psychology, with a discussion of their contributions to the field and how they incorporated the work of previous existential philosophers and clinicians. The analyses are based on their own writings, dating back to the 1950s, as well as some secondary source material that reviewed their work. What the research reveals is first that there are many more women in the history of existential psychology than most people currently know about-especially from the 1950s and 1960s. Second, the "feminine" version of existential psychology really stresses the emphasis on depth, presence, and being. Even nonexistential theorists, including Winnicott and Guntrip noted that this idea of being with rather than doing for the client splits along gender linesfeminine for "being" and masculine for "doing." But in a world where the many of the existential psychologists currently practicing are male-in 2011, the Society for Humanistic Psychology had 60.8% male members to only 39% female-bringing this feminine component to existential therapy by introducing the work of these female practitioners is vital to make existential psychotherapy a richer practice not just for women but for everyone.