At the Crossroads of Humanistic Psychology and Positive Psychology

• Published in: The Humanistic psychologist 2014-01, Vol.42 (1), p.1-5
• Main Author: Churchill, Scott D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Human; Humanistic Psychology; Philosophies; Positive Psychology
• ISSN: 0887-3267; 1547-3333
• DOI: 10.1080/08873267.2014.891902

In this editorial, the author notes that there were many disturbing errors in Alan Waterman’s lead article in the April 2013 issue of the American Psychologist —“The Humanistic-Positive Psychology Divide: Contrasts in Philosophical Foundations” (see record 2013-12501-001). Fortunately, there was a robust response in the January 2014 issue from humanistic psychologists that hopefully begins to set the record straight for readers of the original article. But the misrepresentations of the field of humanistic psychology in the flagship journal of the APA were unfortunately left to fester in the minds of readers long after the article first appeared and responses were written; thus, the author is not so sure that a handful of commentaries on the article appearing almost a year later will do much to effectively offset the prevailing misconceptions that colleagues continue to harbor with regard to the field of humanistic psychology. In the final paragraph of Waterman’s article, he excused positive psychology from reciprocating the interest of humanistic psychology in dialogue by suggesting that humanistic psychology has become irrelevant. After nailing the coffin shut on humanistic psychology, he then proceeded to wax poetic on positivistic psychology’s “vibrant” future. But from the author's perspective, his assessment is perhaps more reflective of his having come to premature—and unfounded—foreclosure on the issue, than of any true “divide” that he would purport to exist. Those in the humanistic tradition never stop believing in the power of dialogue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)