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Why Humanistic Psychology Lost Its Power and Influence in American Psychology

Implications for Advancing Humanistic Psychology

Pepperdine University, davidnelkins{at}hotmail.com

Why did humanistic psychology lose its power and influence in American psychology? Previous answers have focused on the historical shortcomings of the humanistic movement, a perspective that essentially "blames the victim." In contrast, this article suggests that two outside forces—mainstream American psychology and conservative forces in the larger culture—also played a role in undermining the humanistic vision. The article concludes that humanistic psychology lost its power and influence, in large measure, because it is inherently incompatible with the basic assumptions and values of contemporary mainstream psychology and with the conservative ideologies that have increasingly gained power in American culture since the 1960s. Implications of this analysis for the future of the humanistic movement are presented.

Key Words: humanistic psychology • history of humanistic psychology • encounter groups • negative stereotypes • conservatives

This version was published on July 1, 2009

Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 49, No. 3, 267-291 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0022167808323575


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