Week 2 Post 1

In chapter 2 we learned all about the different psychologists and their theories. Personally Abraham Maslow has always been my favorite. He always focuses on the positive in people rather than treating them as sick or needing to be cured. I strongly agree with his humanist approach and the fact that it believes that every person has a strong desire to reach their full potential. His hierarchy of needs that you must achieve before reaching self-actualization I think is very spot on. The pyramid shows that you must achieve psychological, then safety needs, then belonging needs, then esteem needs, and finally after that you can reach self-actualization. Of course you must be psychologically sound with yourself first in order to have a happy and normal life. Even if you have all the money in the world and an unlimited supply of all your needs without having mental soundness you will not be able to develop and reach your full potential. Also belonging and self-esteem are two very important parts of achieving your full potential. If you’re alone and feel like you don’t fit in anywhere or don’t feel loved there’s no way you can achieve your full potential because you won’t be happy with yourself. Another psychologist related to Maslow was Harry Harlow who further proves you need to be loved and have human contact and relationships to achieve everything you want. He did an experiment with monkeys in which he showed that nurture was far more important than nature. He showed that the monkeys needed a cuddling source and a loving source in order to be adjusted well. This proves how important having a relationship with your family, or having good friends, and a good group of people you feel safe and comfortable with really is. The saying that you don’t need anyone is clearly disproven by these two psychologists.