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Phenomenological, or humanistic, theories were a completely new concept to me. Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were the major contributors to this theory. According to Maslow and Rogers, the specific ways each individual perceives and interprets the world make up personality and guide behavior. They emphasize that each person actively constructs his or her own worlds. Maslow introduced the hierarchy of needs that looked beyond air, food, water, and sex and included physiological needs, needs for safety and security, needs for love and belonging, the needs for esteem, and finally self-actualization (Boeree, 2006). Rogers' theory combined all of Maslow's layers into one concept – the actualizing tendency. The actualizing tendency is our built-in motivation to develop its potentials to the fullest extent possible (Boeree, 2006). Our pursuit of self-actualization is fulfilled through personal and social growth that affects our self-esteem. The concept focuses on the pleasures and satisfactions that result from activities that enhance the individual (Cervone & Pervin, 2013, p. 177). My knowledge prior to the course was a vague idea of the Hierarchy of Needs but I did not know who developed the concept. After the course, I now have an in-depth understanding of the humanistic theories of personality development.
Trait theory was the next concept I learned about. The major contributors to this theory were Gordon Allport, Raymond Cattell, and Hans Eysenck. Allport developed a theory that took some cues from psychoanalysis and humanistic theories but he expanded into personality traits. Allport defined our biological survival needs as opportunistic functioning which is reactive, past-oriented, and biological in nature (Boeree, 2006). Allport developed a theory that took some cues from psychoanalysis and humanistic theories but he expanded into personality traits. Allport defined our biological survival needs as opportunistic functioning which is reactive, past-oriented, and biological in nature (Boeree, 2006).