The International Baccalaureate Program encourages students to participate in Theory of Knowledge (TOK) classes. The subjective experience of the individual and the development of humanistic psychology are studied in detail through this programme.

Humanistic psychology (humanism) is grounded in the belief that people are innately good. This type of psychology holds that morality, ethical values, and good intentions are the driving forces of behaviour, while adverse social or psychological experiences can be attributed to deviations from natural tendencies.

Humanistic Therapy:

Humanistic therapy is a positive approach to psychotherapy that focuses on a person’s individual nature, rather than categorizing groups of people with similar characteristics as having the same problems. Humanistic therapy looks at the whole person, not only from the therapist’s view but from the viewpoint of individuals observing their own behaviour. The emphasis is on a person’s positive traits and behaviours, and the ability to use their personal instincts to find wisdom, growth, healing, and fulfilment within themselves.

The development of Humanistic Psychology:

In 1957 and 1958, Abraham Maslow and Clark Moustakas met with psychologists who shared their goal of establishing a professional association that emphasized a more positive and humanistic approach. The discussions revolved around the topics they believed would become the core tenets of this new approach to psychology: Self-actualization, creativity, health, individuality, intrinsic nature,self,being, becoming, and meaning.

Other major contributors to the development of humanistic psychology were Carl Rogers, Gordon Allport, James Bugental, Charlotte Buhler, Rollo May, Gardner Murphy, Henry Murray, Fritz Perls, Kirk Schneider, Louis Hoffman, and Paul Wong.

Some fundamental assumptions of humanistic psychology include:

• Experiencing (thinking, sensing, perceiving, feeling, remembering, and so on) is central.
• The subjective experience of the individual is the primary indicator of behavior.
• An accurate understanding of human behavior cannot be achieved by studying animals.
• Free will exists, and individuals should take personal responsibility for self-growth and fulfillment. Not all behavior is determined.
• Self-actualization (the need for a person to reach maximum potential) is natural.
• People are inherently good and will experience growth if provided with suitable conditions, especially during childhood.