HUMANISTIC THEORY OF LEARNING

HUMANISTIC THEORY OF LEARNING
A. Basic concept of humanistic psychology
Humanistic psychology began as a reaction to psychoanalysis and behaviors, which dominated psychology at the time. Psychoanalysis was on understanding the unconscious motivations that drove behavior. Behaviorism studied the conditioning processes that produced behavior of organism including animals and human.

Humanistic psychology focused on each individual potential and stressed the importance of growth and self actualization. The fundamental belief of humanistic psychology was that people are innately good, with mental and social problems resulting from deviations from this natural tendency.

Philosophically the humanistic approach has its roots in existentialist thought.

Epistemologically, humanistic psychology prefers qualitative research methods to the more “positivity” and “empiricist”. Qualitative approaches.

B. Humanistic theory of human’s needs
The theory of hierarchy of human’s needs becomes the root of objectives in humanistic learning. Human has hierarchical needs from basic to highest ones.
Biological needs to becomes the first and basic as it is the fundamental aspect of all living organisms, such as animals and especially humans. This need is physical, physiological and instructive in nature.

Then it is followed by intellectual one. Self actualization becomes the highest level of human’s need. By self actualization human can reach peak experience in this life. This theory is rooted from its pluralistic ontological view of human’s psyche that consists of mind, consciousness. They are:
Psychological needs
Deficiency needs
Safety needs
Social needs; such as, friendship, intimacy, and having communication and supportive family.
Self eastern needs
Act aesthetic needs
Some basic principles of humanistic approach:
1. Students will learn best what they want and need to know
2. Knowing how to learn is more important than acquiring a lot of knowledge.
3. Self-evaluation is the only meaningful evaluation of a students work
4. Feelings are as important facts
5. Students learn best in a non-threatening environment

C. Humanistic principles
One result of humanistic learning highly motivated students. Studies show that students in classroom of high facilitative teachers achieved better, and used higher levels of thinking.

1. Promote positive self-direction and independence( development of the regulator system)
2. Develop the ability to take responsibility for what is learned (regulator and affective system)
3. Develop creativity ( divergent thinking aspect of cognition)
4. Develop curiosity (exploratory behavior, a function of imbalance or dissonance in any of the systems)
5. Develop interest in the arts and sport ( primary to develop the affective / emotional system and physical health)