What is a core belief of Humanistic Psychology?

Humanistic Psychology places significant emphasis on the importance of personal experience as a valuable and reliable guide for behavior. This perspective prioritizes individual perspective, subjective feelings, and personal experiences, suggesting that these elements are essential for understanding oneself and guiding personal growth.

By focusing on personal experience, Humanistic Psychology encourages individuals to tap into their insights and feelings as a means of achieving self-actualization and personal fulfillment. It promotes the idea that people have the capacity to make choices and are responsible for their actions, thereby asserting the importance of personal agency in guiding behavior.

This approach stands in contrast to views that diminish the reliability of personal experience or overemphasize the role of external factors in determining behavior. It shifts the focus from external influences or deterministic views of human nature to an appreciation for the richness of individual experience and the potential for growth that resides within each person.