HUMANIST

THEORY
Tan Yan Lin
Gan Zi Xi
Josephine Ho Shi Lin
Lim Hui Hong
Humanist theory
It focuses on the human freedom, dignity, and potential.
In contrast to the behaviourist notion of operant conditioning (which
argues that all behaviour is the result of the application of
consequences) and the cognitive psychologist belief that the
discovering knowledge or constructing meaning is central to learning.
The humanistic theory of learning involves the concept of learning
through watching the behaviour of others and what results from that
behaviour.
However, learning does not have to involve a behaviour change.
Learning comes about as a result of observation (Barrett, 2006).
Humanists also believe that it is necessary to study the person as a
whole, especially as an individual grows and develops over the lifespan.
It follows that the study of the self, motivation, and goals are areas of
particular interest.
Roles of Teachers
Be a role model
The teacher is to model appropriate behavior and
make an effort not to replicate inappropriate
behavior. A teacher is also expected to provide a
reason and motivation for each task, teach
general learning skills, foster group work, and if
possible, give a choice of tasks to the students
(Huitt, 2001).
 Ensure the pupils basic needs are fulfilled.
Take care of the students emotions as
emotions affect and affect play a role in
learning.

Make the learning environment to be conducive

Teachers have to make sure that the learning
environment is non-threatening to students so
that they can study under a safe environment.
 Be empathetic
Teachers should put him or herself in the students
shoes. He or she should think a problem from
students perspective.

Instil self-esteem values among pupils and provide

motivation and reinforcement to the pupils
As stated in National Education Philosophy of
Malaysia, students potential need to be fully
developed. Teachers should play the role of
motivating and developing the students potential
fully.
 Plan teaching activities according to pupils ability
The activities planned should not be too difficult
until the students are unable to fulfil as it is out
of their abilities.

Instil self-motivation value among pupils

Teachers should always instill positive values in
students mind.
 Humanistic Theorists
Emphasizes
Maslows motivation to
theory develop ones full
Humanistic potential.
Theorists
Addresses both
Rogerss
learning and
theory
instruction.
Abraham Maslow

Maslow first introduced his

concept of a hierarchy of
needs in his 1943 paper "A
Theory of Human Motivation
He believed that human
actions are unified by being
directed toward goal
attainment
Maslow
s
Hierarc
hy of
Needs
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslows hierarchy of needs

broke down human motivation
into a hierarchy of needs, which is
most often displayed as a
pyramid.
The lowest levels of the pyramid
are made up of the most basic
needs, while the more complex
needs are located at the top of
the pyramid.
 Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical
requirements such as the need for food, water, sleep
and warmth.
Once these lower-level needs have been met, people
can move on to the needs for safety and security,
which
out of danger, involving environmental security
especially during emergencies
saving money, securing a job, and taking out
an insurance policy
Once physiological and safety needs are
adequately met, belongingness (love)
needs become important.
having intimate relationships
with others,
belonging to groups
having close friends
and acquaintances
 Further up the pyramid, the need
for personal esteem and feelings of
accomplishment take priority. These
needs manifest themselves in
high achievement
independence
competent work
recognition from others
Maslow emphasized the importance
of self-actualization,
a process of growing and
developing as a person to
achieve individual potential
the need to become everything
that one is capable of becoming.
Classroom Implication and
Teaching Strategies
Focus is placed on developing students self-esteem and
feeling of worth;
emphasis on teacher-student relationships and students
feeling comfortable.
This theory does not provide learning mechanisms and
strictly not a learning model but one that can help
explain human behaviour.
Carl
Rogers
Emphsise change,
growth, and the
potential for human
good
 Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers was a humanistic psychologist, he emphasized the
importance of the self-actualizing in shaping human personalities.
Rogers believed that humans are constantly reacting to stimuli
with their subjective reality (phenomenal field), which changes
continuously. Over time, a person develops a self-concept based
on the feedback from this field of reality.
In the development of self-concept, positive regard is key.
Unconditional positive regard is an environment that is free of
preconceived notions of value. Conditional positive regard is full of
conditions of worth that must be achieved to be considered
successful.
Human beings develop an ideal self and a real self based on the
conditional status of positive regard.
Rogers believed that fully functioning people could achieve "the
good life," in which they constantly aim to fulfill their potential
 Rogerss theory
congruity
An instance or point of agreement or correspondence
between the ideal self and the real self in Rogers'
humanistic personality theory.
phenomenal field
Our subjective reality, all that we are aware of, including
objects and people as well as our behaviors, thoughts,
images, and ideas.
humanistic psychology
A psychological perspective which rose to prominence in
the mid-20th century in response to psychoanalytic theory
and behaviorism; this approach emphasizes an individual's
inherent drive towards self-actualization and creativity.
holistic
 Ideal Self vs. Real Self
Rogers further divided the self into two categories: the ideal self
and the real self.
Theideal selfis the person that you would like to be; thereal selfis
the person you actually are.
Rogers focused on the idea that we need to achieve consistency
between these two selves.
We experiencecongruencewhen our thoughts about our real self
and ideal self are very similarin other words, when our self-
concept is accurate.
High congruence leads to a greater sense of self-worth and a
healthy, productive life.
Conversely, when there is a great discrepancy between our ideal
and actual selves, we experience a state Rogers
 "The Good Life"
Rogers described life in terms of principles rather than stages of
development. These principles exist in fluid processes rather than static
states.
He claimed that a fully functioning person would continually aim to fulfill his
or her potential in each of these processes, achieving what he called "the
good life."
These people would allow personality and self-concept to emanate from
experience. He found that fully functioning individuals had severaltraits or
tendencies in common:
1. A growing openness to experiencethey move away from defensiveness.
2. An increasingly existential lifestyleliving each moment fully, rather than
distorting the moment to fit personality or self-concept.
3. Increasing organismic trustthey trust their own judgment and their ability to
choose behavior that is appropriate for each moment.
4. Freedom of choicethey are not restricted by incongruence and
are able to make a wide range of choicesmorefluently. They
believe that they play a role in determining their own behaviour
and so feel responsible for their own behaviour.
5. Higher levels of creativitythey will be more creative in the way
they adapt to their own circumstances without feeling a need to
conform.
6. Reliability and constructivenessthey can be trusted to act
constructively. Even aggressive needs will be matched and
balanced byintrinsicgoodness in congruent individuals.
7. A rich full lifethey will experience joy and pain, love and
heartbreak, fear and courage more intensely.