Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality
Many researchers believe that many aspects affect an individual’s personality. This paper is will analyze the biological and humanistic approaches to personality. This paper will also use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to discuss at the extent in which growth needs influence personality formation, describe biological factors that influence the formation of personality, examine the relationship of biological factors to Maslow’s theory of personality and explain the basic aspects of humanistic theory that are incompatible with biological explanations of personality.
The concept that individuals inherit their personalities from their parents is the biological approach to personality. Unlike the Big Five, this theory founded by Hans Eysenck establishes three dimensions: extroversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Extroversion is the first concept in Eysenck personality approach and it refers to an individual’s sociability and insolence. The second concept is neuroticism and refers to an individual’s stability emotionally and uneasiness. Psychoticism is the final concept in Eysenck personality theories and it refers to an individual’s inclination towards psychopathology, involving impulsiveness and meanness. “Eysenck’s approach is one of the few to endeavor to take into account the biological bases of personality, personality theory, and evidence arising from rigorous empirical and statistical analyses of traits” (Friedman & Schustack, 2009, p. 277). Extensive research has proven that the biological approach to personality presents a link connecting the study of biology and personality.
In contrast with the biological approach to personality, the humanistic approach to personality involves maters of personal worth and an individual’s ethics. According to the text, “Abraham Maslow called humanistic psychology the ‘third force’ in psychology, with only humanistic approaches emphasizing the...