Pathology Model In Humanistic Psychology

Regarding the primary model of pathology in the 3^rd force, Maslow (1954) enumerates two points about major impediments to self-actualization: deprivation, conflict, and threat.         

First, Maslow (1954) points out that being deprived of, for example, love, prestige, respect, or other basic needs will have a negative effect on human psyche. And these kinds of deprivations are almost the same as threat. However, Maslow raises an alarm over this point. In the Maslow’s view, the inevitable deprivations in childhood such as sexual deprivation are regarded as a kind of frustrations, and these are not necessarily pathological. In that sense, the clear distinction between the certain deprivations which are like threat and mere deprivations is important.

              Second, Maslow (1954) demonstrates some types of conflicts, but I’d like to choose one concept of them: “catastrophic conflict” (p. 159). It’s a well-known fact that we live with innumerable choices in daily lives, but “all the choices are equally catastrophic or threatening in their effects or else there is only one possibility and this is a catastrophic threat” (p. 159). Although this type of conflict is common in the animal world, human beings also suffer from it and it becomes a kind of pathology to prohibit self-actualization.

              According to Maslow, a certain threat in our lives becomes a factor to inhibit our psychological growth. Maslow (1954) explicates that “synonymizing ‘threat’ with ‘growth-inhibiting’ creates the difficult possibility of a situation being at this moment subjectively nonthreatening, but threatening or growth-inhibiting in the future” (p. 166). This sentence implies that a certain present event seems to be nonthreatening in that moment, but it may include a future risk of prohibiting self-actualization. With respect to this point, Maslow (1954) illustrates by an example that a child hopes for satisfaction which will please him, quiet him, reduce anxiety, etc., but which might have a possibility to inhibit his psychological growth. In terms of Maslow’s view, the above three concepts lead to pathology to restrain self-actualization.

Reference

Motivation and Personality

Where is the Third Force (Humanistic Psychology) in the Wilber's Spectrum Model?

Ken Wilber’s spectrum of consciousness model comprises the following four levels: shadow, ego, existential, and mind. To come right to the point, the third force (humanist and existential) is situated on the mind level (strictly speaking, the transpersonal force might be more close to this level). First, Wilber (1975) explains that human beings tend to identify with the universe. While human beings in the existential level are regarded as organisms which have a rational thought and those who in the ego level are deemed to have a mental picture of their total psychophysical organism and those who in the shadow level become gradually able to dis-identify with some aspects in their ego, human beings in the mind level are identical to the absolute and ultimate reality of the universe. Secondly, Wilber (1977) describes the mind level in the following: “The Level of Mind is―as we shall try to demonstrate―exactly what you are feeling right now before you feel anything else―a sensation of being one with the cosmos.” (p. 8). In other words, human being in this level tend to value feelings of here and now and attempt to connect with higher and expanded consciousness.

As well as Wilber’s remarks, the third force addresses a sense of unity, or higher realm of human consciousness. While the first force is prone to focus on the mechanistic aspects in human beings and the second force is inclined to emphasize a dark side of human beings, the third force is likely to shed light on higher realms of human psyche. Regarding this point, Maslow’s research about self-actualization people is a typical example of focusing on a bright side of human beings. Therefore, I think that the third force is categorized into the mind level in Wilber’s model in that it refers to the higher and bright side of human beings.  Reference

1 The Spectrum of Consciousness