Inquiry is a delicacy that few of us appreciate. Unlike ancient Greek times, our fate is not predetermined and more focus on the subject of free will and self actualization offers empowerment of epic proportions. If we allow ourselves to delve into our personal abilities and to accept our emotions as natural, we could all benefit greatly and this is essentially the backbone of the humanist perspective.

A perspective is a focus or emphasis of a larger category; in this case humanism is one of the seven ways to view psychology. A formal definition of the term describes it further as "an emphasis on free will, self-actualization, and human nature as naturally positive and growth seeking." (Huffman, 2008) After advances in psychoanalysis and behavioral tendencies, humanism emerged in the midst of the Cold War in the 1950s. Carl Rogers is an important figurehead for this subject as well as psychotherapy. He received several awards from the American Psychological Association and wrote a total of 16 books. He developed his theory on the basis of the phenomenal field or "our subjective reality, the world we are aware of, including physical objects and people, and our behaviors, thoughts, images, fantasies, feelings, and ideas like justice, freedom, equality, and so on." (Boeree) Rogers believed that what we think of ourselves has a direct effect on our self esteem and that denying your feelings and passing negative judgments on our natural reactions has the potential to cause self doubt. His counterpart, Abraham Maslow is famous for the concept of the "hierarchy of human needs" which explained how our "lower" motives such as hunger must be met before we can move up the pyramid to realize our potential.

    Now that the origins and basics have been defined, I'd like to explain why humanism is the most helpful angle in my psychology. We've all had to learn from experiences in our life and as difficult as that can be, it's proven to be a very effective method. "I have come to feel that the only learning which significantly influences behavior is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning." (Rogers, 1969) I allow myself to react to these difficulties as one would expect and then deal with the consequences of my actions. Many of the hardships in my life have forced deep evaluation of my abilities, which in the long run allow me to learn and grow. "He becomes in these episodes more truly himself, more perfectly actualizing his potential, close to the core of his Being, more fully human." (Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being, 1968) And as a human, I inherently desire to fulfill my capabilities. I find this view on life to be optimistic and responsible.

I myself have participated in person-centered psychotherapy, which Carl Rogers founded and find the techniques to be highly useful and a great tool for learning my potential. Another key aspect is that humanism directly relates to this class and education in general. It does so by putting the power to learn in the students' hands. Rather than assuming a receptive and passive approach, now the student is expected to be more active and responsible for their education. This opening of the learning process is more considerate to the necessity of motivation and offers more of an experience to acquire knowledge.

When we hold ourselves more accountable for our behavior improvements are bound to be made. However naive and optimistic that may sound, a better outlook on life can't damage the outcome. For me, humanism is uplifting and inspires me to step up my game, so to say. Just like Abraham Maslow theorized, I have an internal desire to feel good about myself and if all I have to do is climb the pyramid of my needs by taking care of my physiological needs, keeping myself safe, seeking acceptance and approval and finally excelling to the point of being a well rounded person, then I will gladly accept the challenge. Although the aforementioned defines humanism as a perspective, I look at it more as a personal credo.