Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE 
Psychologists who subscribe to the  humanistic perspective  emphasize the responsi-
bility people have for their own behavior even when their behavior is considered 
abnormal. The humanistic perspective—growing out of the work of Carl Rogers and 
Abraham Maslow—concentrates on what is uniquely human—that is, it views people 
as basically rational, oriented toward a social world, and motivated to seek self-
actualization (Rogers, 1995). 
Humanistic approaches focus on the relationship of the individual to society; it 
considers the ways in which people view themselves in relation to others and see 
their place in the world. The humanistic perspective views people as having an 
awareness of life and of themselves that leads them to search for meaning and self-
worth. Rather than assuming that individuals require a “cure,” the humanistic per-
spective suggests that they can, by and large, set their own limits of what is 
acceptable behavior. As long as they are not hurting others and do not feel personal 
distress, people should be free to choose the behaviors in which they engage. 
Although the humanistic perspective has been criticized for its reliance on unsci-
entifi c, unverifi able information and its vague, almost philosophical formulations, it 
offers a distinctive view of abnormal behavior. It stresses the unique aspects of being 
human and provides a number of important suggestions for helping those with 
psychological problems.
 SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE 
The  sociocultural perspective  assumes that people’s behavior—both normal and 
abnormal—is shaped by the kind of family group, society, and culture in which they 
live. According to this view, the nature of one’s relationships with others may sup-
port abnormal behaviors and even cause them. Consequently the kinds of stresses 
and confl icts people experience in their daily interactions with others can promote 
and maintain abnormal behavior. 
This perspective fi nds statistical support for the position that sociocultural factors 
shape abnormal behavior given the fact that some kinds of abnormal behavior are far 
more prevalent among certain social classes than they are in others. For instance, 
diagnoses of schizophrenia tend to be higher among members of lower socioeconomic 
groups than among members of more affl uent groups. Proportionally more African-
American individuals are hospitalized involuntarily for psychological disorders than 
are whites. Furthermore, poor economic times seem to be linked to general declines 
in psychological functioning, and social problems such as homelessness are associated