Did you know in 2009, an Italian court cut short the prison sentence of a murderer by one year due to the fact he had abnormally low levels of the MAOA gene, commonly associated with aggression and violence? The basis was that he was naturally more aggressive due to his genes, implying he had no control over his behaviour. What do you think? Do we have free will, or is our behaviour predetermined by factors such as genes? Both free will and self-actualisation are important concepts in humanistic psychology.
Free will is commonly debated amongst psychologists and philosophers alike, as is the theory of self-actualisation, and free will is a critical feature in many theologies. Both of these concepts are argued to be fundamental aspects of what it means to be human throughout human history. The humanistic approach explores these concepts when studying human behaviours.
- First, we will have a look at what humanistic psychology and free will is.
- After that, we will look at the Free will versus Determinism example and humanism free will concepts.
- Then, we will learn the self-actualisation theory and cover a self-actualisation example.
- Finally, we will evaluate the humanistic approach and compare some free will psychology examples to highlight which theories acknowledge free will.
Humanistic Psychology
The principle of humanistic psychology is that everyone is unique and has their own perspectives of the world. It assumes that humans are good at heart and capable of making the right choices for themselves. It is an approach proposed to understand human behaviour, emphasising subjective experiences.
We describe the humanistic approach as an idiographic approach.
An idiographic approach focuses on each individual and how we are all unique, in contrast to the nomothetic approach, which seeks to establish general laws for human behaviour).
Humanistic psychology assumes we can make choices and behave the way we choose. The idea is everyone can control and influence their destiny. We all have free will and actively develop ourselves to reach our highest potential (self-actualisation).
Free Will Versus Determinism Example
Free will is a core concept of the humanistic approach.
Free will is the idea that we choose to behave how we wish to achieve our goals in life. Biological/external forces do not predetermine our choices. We can control and influence our destiny; we are self-determined. The humanistic approach emphasises the importance of free will.
This is in contrast to Freud, who held a deterministic approach: our unconscious desires determine our behaviour. Humanistic psychology assumes everyone has the free will to choose how to behave. Thus, we all have the power to control and influence our destiny.
For example, you have the choice to engage in criminal acts. As long as we can control our behaviour, it is not considered random.
According to humanistic psychology, everyone has free will and is responsible for their actions. This applies to those with the capacity to make decisions freely. Therefore, it does not apply to children or those with mental illnesses.
However, biological psychologists who acknowledge the deterministic approach would suggest that criminal behaviour results from internal biological functions, such as dysfunctional brain function or neurotransmitter irregularities.
Humanism: Free Will
It might seem like a given that we have free will. After all, we make choices about what to do every day. However, whether we have free will or not is a dominant debate in psychology and philosophy.
The free will vs determinism debate is concerned with whether we freely make our actions (free will) or whether our past experiences and life events determine them (determinism).
Determinism is the view that internal forces (for example, genes) or external forces (the environment) shape our behaviours rather than the individual’s will. Some think free will is an illusion.
Hard determinism is where free will is impossible, and internal or external factors always influence or directly cause behaviours. In this viewpoint, everything we do is predetermined; there can have been no other way for our actions to have panned out.
Soft determinism is where human behaviours have causes, but they can also be determined by our conscious choices (as long as no coercion is involved).
The humanistic approach believes humans inherently have free will and that taking a deterministic approach undermines this concept. The deterministic laws of behaviour underestimate the uniqueness of human beings. There are significant implications for taking either side in this debate.
If we believe that humans have no control over our actions, we must ask if we should punish criminals and lock them up in prisons. After all, they had no control over their criminal behaviour, it was all predetermined, and they had no choice but to act that way.
On the other hand, if we believe that we all have free will and total control over our actions, it may lead to an overly harsh judgement of others, even in everyday life.
Self-Actualisation Theory
Self-actualisation is a term mainly linked to Abraham Maslow, a psychologist who developed Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Self-actualisation was first introduced by Kurt Goldstein, who was a physician who specialised in psychiatry and neuroanatomy in the early 20th century.
Self-actualisation refers to our ability to reach our greatest potential in life. It is the desire to grow and become the greatest version of ourselves. Self-actualisation involves fully developing our abilities, and those who have reached self-actualisation accept themselves despite their flaws.
According to humanistic psychologists, humans have an inherent need to achieve self-actualisation. Goldstein viewed self-actualisation not as a goal to be achieved in the future but as an innate tendency to realise one’s potential at any given moment.
Humanistic psychologists Maslow (1943) and Rogers (1951), who developed person-centred therapy, see freedom as a possibility and a necessity if a person wants to achieve self-actualisation. Maslow and Rogers see self-actualisation as a unique human need and form of motivation.
Self-actualisation is the last stage a person can achieve in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. According to Abraham Maslow (1962), reaching self-actualisation is rare; only 1% of people manage to achieve self-actualisation. Still, it provides the possibility of true self-awareness and an honest relationship with the realities of an imperfect world. Maslow believed that self-actualisation is a peak experience, a feeling of complete ecstasy.
Maslow (1943, 1954) believed that a hierarchy of needs is the driving force behind behaviours. The most basic needs – physiological needs such as food, water, and shelter – need to be met first. Once those are met, a person can pursue 'higher up' more spiritual needs. The stages of Maslow's hierarchy of needs are:
Physiological needs
Safety needs
Love needs (belongingness)
Esteem needs
Self-fulfilment needs – at this stage, self-actualisation is achievable.
Fig 1. - According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, four stages must be achieved before reaching self-actualisation.
Rogers (1951) developed a personality theory based on self-concept, which comprises self-esteem, self-image, and the ideal self.
The self is who we truly are; our experiences shape the ‘self’, and our behaviours reflect our true self.
According to Rogers, self-actualisation happens when our ideal self, or who we would like to be, is in congruence with our self-image (how we see ourselves, the kind of person we believe we are). Self-concept affects this, if you have a low concept of yourself, you will have low self-esteem, and congruence requires the ideal self to match the true self.
Fig 2. - Self-actualisation occurs when our self-image (represented by women looking in a mirror) is in line with our ideal self.
Carl Rogers thought self-actualisation is a constant process nurtured in a growth-promoting climate:
Our upbringing influences self-actualisation. When growing up, a child may make mistakes; however, if the parents love them unconditionally despite their mistakes, the child can realise their true, authentic self. This is because the child does not come to learn that the parent's love is conditional (only if they behave well or a certain way), which forces the child to act in a manner that pleases others and may not be their true self.
In person-centred therapy, to help a client achieve self-actualisation, a therapist encourages clients to gradually open up, develop their true potential and accept themselves.
Self-Actualisation Examples
Those who have reached self-actualisation tend to show certain characteristics. These traits are the epitome of what it means to have achieved fulfilment. They are self-aware, wise and focus their energy on a mission in life and a higher purpose.
Some characteristics are acceptance of the self and others, experiencing joy more so than non-self-actualised people, which inspires creativity, a high sense of purpose, feeling responsible and being able to distance from the ego when confronted by problems.
When describing self-actualisation, Maslow phrased it as:
[A] musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is to be ultimately happy”. - Maslow (1943) 3
Some self-actualisation examples are:
A woman who spends time mastering her hobby of painting, giving her a sense of joy and fulfilment.
Someone who spends a few hours every week volunteering for a mental health charity as they deeply believe it is a serious issue and want to help others.
A student studying hard to get a degree for a job they are passionate about.
Fig 3. - People who have reached self-actualisation have a strong drive.
Maslow (1970) identified several individuals he considered to have attained a level of self-actualisation. A few notable figures Maslow stated had reached self-actualisation include:
Albert Einstein.
Eleanor Roosevelt.
Baruch Spinoza.
Free Will and Self-Actualisation: Evaluation
Considering the concept of free will and self-actualisation is quite complex, evaluating is particularly important. Here is a brief overview of a few evaluation points.
In our subjective human experience, we believe in controlling our actions and behaviour. Humanistic psychologists agree with this notion, as they approve and adopt a free-will approach and support the concept of self-actualisation. It has influenced other methods, such as therapy and counselling, in more recent times.
The positive results in such treatments, including client-centred therapy, have been fundamental for expanding values adopted in free will as a successful approach when explaining human behaviour.
The humanistic approach uses concepts that are difficult to measure scientifically, for example, the idea of self-actualisation. Some psychologists would debate the effectiveness of self-actualisation as, without experimental evidence, it is impossible to verify its validity.
Some studies have demonstrated that personal growth has resulted from humanistic counselling. Unfortunately, these demonstrations do not provide objective evidence of the cause of those changes. Therefore, the approach challenges a fundamental requirement of scientific psychology.
Taking a deterministic approach to explaining behaviour removes individual responsibility.
A person arrested for a violent attack may claim they are not responsible for their behaviour because their fate predetermined it. Therefore, they had no control over their actions and were not responsible for the crime; consequently, they should not be punished.
Free will Psychology Examples
As you may recall, it is typical to compare the approaches in psychology. Let's look at some approaches and identify if they are free will psychology examples.
| Approach in Psychology | Accepts Free Will | Accepts Deterministic View |
| Humanistic | Yes | No |
| Psychodynamic | No | Yes |
| Biological | No | Yes |
| Cognitive | No (but partially acknowledges it) | To some extent (soft deterministic) |
| Behavioural | No | Yes |
Free Will and Self-actualisation - Key takeaways
- Free will is the choice that everyone has to behave accordingly to achieve their goals in life, i.e. we can control and influence our destiny.
- Self-actualisation is the realisation of our full potential in life, manifested in ascendence experiences.
- Humanistic psychology assumes we can make choices and behave as we choose to.
- The free will vs determinism debate argues whether our behaviour is based on our own choices governed by our own will or if predetermined internal and external forces govern our behaviour.
- Kurt Goldstein, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers are the leading theorists that have contributed to understanding the theory of self-actualisation.
References
- Fig 1. - Maslow's hierarchy of needs diagram (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.jpg) by Chiquo, licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
- Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
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