Personal Lives - Understanding the Self: Humanistic & Experiential.
How does the Humanistic and Experiential psychological approach fit into the understanding of the self? By definiton this approach aims to explore what it is to be a human being in totality. The emphasis is that people are capable of self awareness, that they have the power to choose and direct their own actions, guided by their own purpose. each person is a unique individual and should be valued as such, this is at the heart of Humanistic psychology.
To highlight the specific areas of focus that the Humanistic approach concentrates on, 3 different accounts of persons are considered. each life account presents a different perspective on the nature, form and variety of being a person in a social world.
Liv Ullman: Liv Ullman is a succesful Norwegian film star that made an impact in the glamorous world of Hollywood. The extract points to her being conscious of her reality, especially of how she is perceived by those around her, especially from outward appearances. Liv talks about whether Hollywood will accept her natural look, implying that she is aware of her body as a type of commodity locked in a market of looks. More important and relevant to Humanistic psychologists is her consciousness of the world around and feelings within herself. Liv says: her reality consists of many things. The unreal world of Hollywood hotel contrasts with the more solid reality of her life in Norway. There is also a sense of detachment from the real world in terms of interaction with people in her present reality. Liv makes reference to her friends and daughter in Norway when on the plane and the sense of security that their presence gives her compared to what she sees as the falseness of the staff there to greet her at the airport and the morning waiter, who are only doing there job. Such underlying unease it could be said points to unconscious feelings from childhood being present beneath her current awareness.