When an individual has difficulty answering those questions, they experience "Angst" which is feelings of anguish, despair and forlornness (Funder, 444, 2013). Carol Rogers added to humanistic psychology in the early 1940s by introducing the concept of Self-Actualization, which means that people have a basic tendency to actualize, maintain and enhance themselves (Funder, 449, 2013). People want to satisfy themselves, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, as well as psychotherapy work to help people become what is called a Fully Functioning Person. In order to become a fully functioning person, one must have experienced unconditional positive regard, meaning important people in your childhood have valued you to feel smart, attractive and good, and by experiencing that an individual can lead a life free of anxiety and worry and instead is a happy person who is rich in emotion, understanding others and creative (Funder, 453, 2013). The Self-Determination theory is an important part of humanistic psychology because it explains how happiness can be achieved. There are two paths to the theory. Hedonia is the first path which consists of just maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain to achieve happiness; this is the obvious way to reach happiness (Funder, 462, 2013). And eudaimonia is the more complex route which consists of seeking a deeper meaning to life by pursing goals that are important to the self, as well as building strong relationships and taking responsibility for one's actions (Funder, 462, 2013).
Article Summaries.
Adrian van Kaam discusses humanistic psychology and how it is related to culture. Van Kaam explains how "the mutual communication of self experience in a culture leads to a shared image of man" (1961). Van Kaam is explaining how cultures arise from shared thoughts and beliefs between people that lead them to become connected to each other; the use of humanistic psychology serves the purpose to build each individual's constructs and then related them to each other.