...Running head: BIOLOGICAL AND HUMANISTIC THEORIES Biological and Humanistic Theories Victor Bell University Of Phoenix Psychology of Personality Psy 250 Byron Pettit, M.A. Due July 29, 2009 Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Understanding the wide range and the development of personalities within our culture has been an ongoing challenge for hundreds of years. Within this document we will consider why people have completely different personalities even in the case of identical twins. Although Freud’s believed that people were basically born with their personality intact, many different theories have developed over the years in direct contrast to Freud’s. I will also consider the impact of genetics, environment and the role they play in reference to the biological aspect of personality development. Two of the more popular personality theories today are Biological and Humanistic; I will analyze and compare both theories to demonstrate an understanding of the differences and similarities between them. The Biological factor determines our physical make-up the color of our eyes, hair how tall we will grow as adults, and our overall body type. Base on society standards our appearance will affect the way we are viewed and treated by others from childhood into adulthood. The preferential treatment that one may receive due to their physical appearance will create a superior level of confidence and self-worth that in most cases will continue throughout...
Words: 1623 - Pages: 7
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality The stages of human development are influenced by biological and humanistic theories. Maslow's hierarchy of needs stresses the need for and individual to discover their own personality and gain self-control in their personal life. Abraham Maslow had a theory that an individual will desire more in life once they have accomplished the basic needs in life. Humanistic features of personality focus on freedom and self-fulfillment. Unlike Maslow, Hans Eysenck and other theorist proclaimed that personality comes from a biological approach that an individual’s behavior is influenced by genetics. The following will consist of a description of how Maslow’s hierarchy of needs influence personality formations, biological factors that influence the formation of personality, the examination of the relationship of biological factors by Maslow’s theory of personality, along with basic aspects of humanistic theories incompatible with biological descriptions of personality. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory of human motivation based on biological, safety, love and belongingness, esteem, and self- actualization. Personality is influenced by ideas that create a foundation of an individual's life relations and peak experiences. An individual's experiences assist an individual to transform and discover the inner self. Peak experiences are familiar to individuals whom have matured and discovered their full potential. Maslow believed that...
Words: 1385 - Pages: 6
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Paper By: LaTreena Alexander PSY/250 December 5, 2014 John Muench The biological approaches to personality are important elements needed in order to analyze each part of the process effectively. The information being presented uses Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to discuss the extent to which growth needs influence personality formation. The biological factors that influence the formation of personality are being described while the relationship of biological factors to Maslow’s theory of personality is being examined. The basic aspects of humanistic theory that are incompatible with biological explanations of personality are thoroughly explained within this informative paper. Through analyzing and researching Maslow’s hierarchy of needs one can get the full basic knowledge and understanding of how growth needs influence personality. Maslow made a pyramid known as the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which was all based on two different groups made up of deficiency needs and growth needs. Within the deficiency needs there are lower needs that have to be attended to before moving on to higher needs, and once this happens a person can act to remove a deficiency in one is ever found in the future. The first four levels of needs are physiological such as hunger and thirst, safety and security, a sense of belongingness and love with others, and esteem to achieve specific goals or to gain approval for an achievement. According to...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Theories of personalities have been studied for many decades. The biological and humanistic approaches to personality have both become infamous in studying the science behind personality. Abraham Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs because he did not believe that the conditioning theories adequately portrayed the complexity of human behavior. In analyzing both the biological and humanistic theories, one can see where Maslow may have been right in that assumption. The basic perceptions of humanistic and biological theories vary significantly. There are some basic ideas behind humanistic psychology. Humanists focus on the present rather than looking at the past or toward the future. Well individuals should take responsibility for themself; regardless of the actions and every individual possess inherent worth. Even negative actions do not negate the value of the person. The achievement of personal growth and understanding is the goal of life (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). On the other hand biological theorists believe that genetics can determine a person’s personality. Some concepts state that even if biology plays no direct role in personality, the way a person looks affects how one sees himself/herself and how others interrelate with him/her. This unintended affect controls how a person develops into adulthood. Biological viewpoints teach that intelligence and genes could define a person’s personality. Temperament and mental...
Words: 845 - Pages: 4
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality PSY/250 February 23, 2014 Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Within an individual’s family an individual can have his or her Fathers individual body features or Mother’s features, additional one behaves like his or her Father or Mother. These aspects evolve from an individual’s genes; however, others believe the way an individual behaves is because of human nature. Biological and humanistic approaches within personality are complex. Needs can pressure an individual’s personality development, and biological factors can additionally influence an individual’s personality. The relationship of biological factors regarding Maslow’s theory, can explain the vital factors regarding the personality. Biological and Humanistic Approaches Biology has exposed various features regarding how an individual’s body works and what the body will need to stay in good health. “In 1953 James D. Watson and Francis Crick discovered that DNA was structured as a double helix” (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). This achievement was especially admired within psychology regarding human biology. Charles Darwin used the actuality that not one individual is alike. He was able to support his historical theory because of this. According to Darwin, individuals developed from a primordial species (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). For example, the article “Evidence that humans evolved from a knuckle-walking ancestor (Brian G Richmond &...
Words: 1386 - Pages: 6
...In a person’s family relatives may say a person has his or her mother’s eye’s and has their father’s nose, or say that a person acts like his or her mother or father. Some say these factors can pass through a person’s genes and other’s say that some actions are human nature. In this paper Delores will discuss the biological and humanistic approaches to personality. She will also discuss how growth needs influence personality formation, describe biological factors that influence the formation of personality, examine the relationship of biological factors to Maslow’s theory of personality, and explain the basic aspects of the humanistic theory, which are incompatible with biological explanations of personality. Biology revealed many aspects of how the human body works and what it needs to stay healthy. “In 1953 James D. Watson and Francis Crick discovered that DNA was structured as a double helix (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). This discovery was a huge accomplishment in the study of human biology. Charles Darwin took human biology a step further. Darwin used the fact that not one human being is the same to support his evolutionary personality theory. Darwin believes that humans are “people evolved directly from more primitive species (Friedman & Schustack, 2009).” For example, Brian G. Richmond and David S. Strait wrote an article called “Evidence that humans evolved from a knuckle-walking ancestor (Brian G Richmond and David S Strait 2000).” This article explains that evidence...
Words: 1031 - Pages: 5
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Cecil A. Shelton Psy/250 3/20/14 Nicole Jack Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Our environment defines the needs and the order that we require those necessities to be met. Dr. James D. Watson “claims that who we are is there in our genes.” –unless you were African whom Watson felt had an inferior genetic code (the latter remark resulted in dismissal from a prestigious research laboratory) (Friedman & Schustack, 2011). Biologically, we are destined to exist in a manner that is predetermined by our ancestors however; humanistic factors suggest that our environmental influences create a personality unrelated to our needs. Mind, body, and soul collide in these two worlds of biological and humanistic approaches and evaluating the basic aspects shall reveal either the truth or just create more questions. According to Friedman and Schustack, biological factors combine with the other aspects of personality in complex ways to produce patterns of behavior. A human beings temperament plays a very significant role in developing traits that are used to bridge childhood to adult formation. Abraham Maslow states, ``Self-actualizing people are gratified in all their basic needs of belongingness, affection, respect, and self-esteem (Norwood, 2014). These essentials require a person to be extremely honest with the person in the mirror because not doing so can lead to not identifying the minimum goals...
Words: 1014 - Pages: 5
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Kris Ruth PSY/250 Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Understanding the Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality can help an individual determine the reason for their personalities. Every person has his or her unique personality about himself or herself. Our personality is what makes each individual different from one another. Personalities controls out emotion, unconscious feeling, and behavior making it difficult to determine how a person will react to certain situation. Using the Maslow’s Hirarchy needs can help demonstrate the reason for humanistic approaches and the growth influence of each individual personality. Using the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs growth influence personality based on five major categories of each individual. The first is physiological needs such as food, clothing, sleep, oxygen, and shelter. To get through life individuals personality has to encounter the physiological need in order to live as a human. The second level is safety and security, each individual has a sense that he or she feels he or she has to be protected from others in certain circumstances. Having that pride makes the individual feel secure. Once an individual develops a since of security the third category includes needs, such as sense of belonging and loved. These feelings formatted as a cycle; while an individual feels secure, the feeling of wanting to be love and feeling of being accepted come...
Words: 1066 - Pages: 5
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Sophia Williams-Ivey PSY/250 December 21, 2015 Anne Snyder Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Throughout the movement of human psychology over the years, going back to the early 20th century we learned about the dominant theories then, such as psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud, which suggest that sexual urges and aggression drive human beings. Secondly, the behaviorism that was done by J. Watson and B. F. Skinner, this study put human beings as programmed lab rats that only do or behave how they are told. There were a lot of controversy regarding these theories as the people argue that these were not credible because these theories portray human beings as faulty machines. . (Friedman & Schustak, 2011, para. Chapter 5, 9). The theories of psychoanalysis and behaviorism, over the years, had dehumanized our understanding of ourselves and what it means to be human. However here arose Abraham Maslow with a new outlook on human psychology called humanistic psychology. Maslow knew that there was more to the human mind and developed a drive to discover positive mental health and happiness, and not just mental illness and misery. So to enhance his theory he placed his main focus on what people can do as opposed to their limitations. His hierarchy of needs has played a major stand in human behavior and achievements. (Nettle, 2008). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs The hierarchy of need was developed by Maslow...
Words: 1108 - Pages: 5
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality By, Keyanna PSY/250 10/05/15 Christine Hander Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Abraham Maslow was one of the founders of humanistic psychology. Unlike the psychologist before him, he decided to study healthy human beings and their traits and come up with his own theory of why people are the way they are. While casting his studies, he came up with his hierarchy of needs theory. This theory is often explained and envisioned as a pyramid. The most basic needs were at the bottom. They consisted of food, breathing and air, sex, water, sleep and a lot of other things we take for granted daily. The second from the bottom involved safety and how feeling safe in your environment affects you. These characteristics are security of employment, morality, family safety, health and property. Third from the bottom was love and belonging. These traits are friendship, family and sexual encounters. Second from the top is where esteem lies. These traits consist of self-esteem, confidence, respect of others and for others and achievement. At the very top of the pyramid is where self-actualization lies. Self-actualization consist of morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, and lack of prejudice and acceptance of facts (Wikipedia.com 2015). In his hierarchical of needs, lower needs have to be largely satisfied in order for higher needs to become of importance (Friedman & Schustack, 2011). I must admit...
Words: 1003 - Pages: 5
...Biological & Humanistic Approaches to Personality By enwbe1982 | November 2010 Zoom In Zoom Out Page 1 of 4 Biological & Humanistic Approaches to Personality Biological & Humanistic Approaches to Personality When breaking down the differences with how Abraham Maslow used personality and development that consisted of theories based solely on the personality part of human needs. His hierarchy of needs pyramid shows the influences of human needs to the formation of unique individual personality. There are factors of biological needs that influence the formation of the way the personality has an impact role, which shapes relationships by reviewing Maslow’s personality theory. By reviewing the relationships you will be able to see focused similarities and it’s upcoming. Analyzing the aspects that are essential to the theory of humanistic approach with the personality of explanations will enlighten you to the differential views of each individual theory of personality. Describing Humanistic Needs Abraham Maslow shows us how he sees the makeup of individual personality. Each need and stage is based on priority. Maslow's theory shows us the influences of the human needs to personality. Physiological needs; health, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep, and sex. Coping information is needed to meet these needs. Safety and security, helping information, need to feel safe from physical danger. The ability to have a sense of security, knowing what to expect, is a good example...
Words: 326 - Pages: 2
...Biological and Humanistic Approach Penny Jo Watkins PSY/250 Febuary 25, 2012 David Levosky Biological and Humanistic Approach He or she can commonly recognize the aspects of Freudian psychology is the presence of the Id, Ego, and Superego. In knowing this Freud says, there are levels of consciousness that shape human personality. With the knowledge of the most basic is the Id, which can make us realize what our most basic human instincts are.The Ego is responsible for taking care of our most basic needs and the Superego dictates how we address those needs in a manner consistent with social norms. Freud also believed that sex-drive, or libido, does more to shape our personality and interactions than anything else does. He or she who is being honest with themselves could agree that sexual desires can shape our personality. Most people’s instinct to reproduce is certainly one of the greatest forces that drives anyone, or any living being. One certain instinct that is a greater force in the world, is the need to survive. Abraham Maslow is a famous psychologist who stated that people have different levels of needs that must be fulfilled before the next, higher, level of needs can be achieved (Friedman &Schustack, 2009). This is called Maslow’s Hierarchy. Maslow stated that one’s physiological needs are the most basic. Some of these needs are to survive; the need for food and water. As soon as people have these needs they feel safer, this is Maslow’s second...
Words: 1223 - Pages: 5
...Biological and Humanistic Approaches Chicahuac Necahuatl PSY/250 November 16, 2015 Professor Teresa Neal Biological and Humanistic Approaches Introduction Abraham Maslow, the creator of the hierarchy of needs, saw the positive in all human beings. Maslow himself coming from a stressed childhood drew from personal experiences that people can overcome hardships and realize their true potential. In this study of Humanistic Psychology, areas of concern that are being addressed are; the extent in which growth needs influence personality formation. Other areas of interest are; biological factors that influence the formation of personality, the relationship of biological factors to Maslow’s theory of personality, and the basic aspects of humanistic theory as well as those incompatible with biological explanations of personality. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow studied people with healthy, good lives instead of those with neurotics, hysterics, or any other kind of unhealthy people. From this study, Maslow put together a hierarchy of needs that fit all human beings. These basic and necessary needs consist of water, food, shelter, and sex. (“Friedman, & Schustack,” 2012). Choosing healthy ideal lives over those with unhealthy lives was determined by Maslow because of the fact that self-actualized people have a more realistic knowledge of themselves. These individuals are also known to be more accepting of their selves, (“Friedman, & Schustack,” 2012 p...
Words: 1165 - Pages: 5
...Humanistic and biological factors in personality development can bring new ideas to light. Abraham Maslow was one of these theorists that understood the importance to personality and notice a unique aspect. He was able to introduce his theory as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Explaining how each step relies on each other to progress. Another important factor is the biological impact it may have from day one. These biological factors can also share similarities to the hierarchy of needs. The last theory is from a humanistic point of view and how it has a different opinion in comparison to biological factors. While some theorist has logical features for their theories, each person is unique in their own way with their personality. The physiological needs are linked to the basic survival needs. These needs consist of breathing oxygen, maintaining a steady warm body temperature, and the intake of water and food containing nutrients. Humans will utilize the basic survival needs to pursue their physical needs such as exercise, sleep, and disposing of bodily waste. Some physiological needs are normally recognized in examples such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Once these urges are fulfilled and no longer holding any influences towards human behaviors or thoughts, the next step of safety needs can be reached. This theory is based around the need for protection or safekeeping. This need is developed in situations that can involve medical emergencies, fires, steady employment, and...
Words: 1266 - Pages: 6
...introduction in the use of Maslow’s hierarchy necessity to describe the measure of, which growth could use influence personality formation. It will construe biological factors, which influence the formation of character. This paper will provide the affiliation of biological factors to Maslow’s theory of personality. In this paper the subject to explain is the essential aspects of humanistic theory, which are adverse with biological explanations of character. Personality comes from different form of life; personality can change at any given time because it depends, the lifestyle in, which individuals lived. A person can have an enormous personality, but with problems of life, and worry it can change for the worst. Drug users can influence the personality of individuals, and so can medical drug. However, techniques are exercise to describe the character, which most often use to contribute another approach. Therefore, biological, and humanistic access naturally exercised as beneath the tones. Personality by itself involves various issues. Evolutionary/inherent perception most often usually detail for the biological mechanisms among DNA, and personality. Wise people use biological development in an effort to fulfill the space among character and genetics, which understand theorizing, and exploring biological associations with action. Biological approaches personality in the guide of collective personality, actions, and headstrong, emotional, and mental traits of individuals. The term temperament...
Words: 1198 - Pages: 5
