Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality

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Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Montoya Williams University Of Phoenix PSY/250 August 4, 2012 Melonie Purcell Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Personality is made up of the characteristics patterns of the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that make a person unique (Friedman and Schustack, 2012). Personality has been studied by many different psychologists, but the most modern understandings of personality come from the psychological research done on certain matters of nature of the self. The eight basic aspects of personality are Psychoanalytic, Neo-Analytic/Ego, Biological, Behaviorist, Cognitive, Trait, Humanistic/Existential and Interactionist, which all eight provides some important psychological insight on what it means to be a person (Friedman and Schustack, 2012). Humanistic and existential aspects of personality, focuses on freedom and self-fulfillment. I find to be one of the most important. In my paper I will discuss the extent to how growth needs influence personality formations using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Describe some biological factors that influence the formation of personality, examine the relationship of a few biological factors by Maslow’s theory of personality. Last, I will explain some basic aspects of humanistic theories that are incompatible with biological explanations of personality. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow emphasizes the importance of self- actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person to accomplish her or his potential (About.com.Psychology, 2012). The Hierarchy of Needs theory helps us as individuals to see how different needs help to motivate individuals. Maslow divided needs into two different categories. First, he identified the deficiency needs “D-needs” or (D-motives); meaning theses needs arise during
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