Towards A Meaningful Life

The presence of humanistic psychology emerged as a reaction to the flow of psychoanalysis and behaviorism. The flow is viewed as a "third force" in the flow of psychology.

In behaviorism man is only a machine that created the environment, whereas in psychoanalysis humans tend to be influenced by primitive environment. But in humanistic psychology, the human dimension in dealing with the environment in a very humane attention by focusing on individual freedom to express opinion and determine the choices, values, personal responsibility, autonomy, purpose, and meaning. Humans are free to love, creativity, and personal growth that exist within him.

Humanistic psychology is one stream of thought in psychology with roots from the existentialism that appears in the Middle Ages. In addition, this flow also took root idea of phenomenology. Phenomenological view of human life in the "life world" is perceived and interpreted subjectively. Every person must experience the world in their own way.

Subjective experience is then communicated by social factors in the process of intersubjectivity. Intersubjectivity and disclosed in the theme of dialogue, meetings, self-relationship with other people. This term indicates a personal relationship with a personal, not personal with the object; subject by subject, not the subject with the object.

Existentialism emphasizes the importance of individual obligation to fellow human beings. The most important is not what we can from life, but what can we give to life. Our lives will be meaningful if we include the values and choices that are socially constructive.

Attention on the meaning of life is also what distinguishes humanistic psychology from other streams. Humans not only actors on the stage of society, not just the search of identity, but also seekers of meaning. Carl Rogers' humanistic theory which refuses bleak pessimism and despair in psychoanalysis and behaviorism theory that views opposing human-like robots. Rogers humanism theory more hopeful and optimistic about humans because humans have the potential to advance healthy. Basic theory is consistent with the notion of humanism is generally where humanism is a doctrine, attitude, and way of life that puts human values as the center and the emphasis on honor, dignity, and capacity for self-realization for a particular purpose. Then Rogers highlights the views of Humanism as follows:

1) Every human being living in the two character's private experience in which he - the Me, Me, or myself (the I, me, or myself) - the center.

2) People behave to maintain, enhance and actualize themselves.

3) Individuals react to situations according to the perception of himself and his world.

4) There is a perceived threat to themselves will be followed by self-defense.

5) The trend is toward the inner human health and the integrity of self.

I feel quite human in the conception of humanistic psychology as humanistic approach in accordance with the way I look at all this time, namely how to build yourself to do things that are positive. The ability to act positively here is closely related to the development of positive emotions contained in the field of affective, such as skills to build and maintain warm relationships with others, how to teach trust, acceptance, awareness, understanding the feelings of others, honesty, interpersonal, and other interpersonal knowledge. The point is to improve the quality of interpersonal skills in daily life.

In everyday life can not be denied that we are social beings who live with others and always communicate with each other. Especially as a student of faculty of social sciences majoring in communications and political science, is needed for a communication and warm relationships with others. The more frequently communicate with others, also increasing the quality of our interpersonal skills. These interpersonal skills have always been my upgrade so that I can further develop myself in society.

This is consistent with the theory proposed by Maslow which assumes that within individuals there are two things, namely:

1) An attempt to develop

2) The power to resist or reject the development.

Maslow argued that individuals behave in an effort to meet the needs that are hierarchical. In the self of each person actually has many fears such as fear to grow and actualize himself, afraid to take chances, afraid to decide a choice, and so forth. But on the other hand one also has the impetus to further advancing towards unity, the uniqueness of self, toward the functioning of all abilities, self-confidence to face toward the outside world and at that moment he could accept himself.

Sometimes in dealing with others, especially if you want to build a warm relationship such as friendship required one of openness. I am aware that opening ourselves to others is not easy, it takes a calm confidence for our feelings and we feel comfortable. For example my friend a boarding house. The first time we met, the atmosphere was still impressed rigid, we rarely talk and just greet each pickup. But I realized that I had to build a warm relationship because we live together in a boarding house. I gradually tried to understand how he was and what he felt. He began to open up to me and eventually we became good friends.

In accordance with the humanistic view, as a man I did not forget that I must be responsible for my life and every deed. I have the freedom, willingness, and ability to change attitudes and behavior if I feel there is something missing in me and still need my fix again. By always doing these things, I always hope that at least my life to be meaningful every day.

It has been said also that in the view of the concept of humanistic psychology, human beings are free to love, creativity, and personal growth that exist within him. During this time I realized that my personal follow my thinking more and grow and my views about life. So far, I have also experienced many memorable things in life, I never felt the bitter sweetness of love, and how I struggle to reach what I call happiness. In terms of love, when I fell in love, I really do not know with what I was feeling, the feeling was suddenly there and that I know is I love this sincere and only I will give to him that I love. But I have to specify options for this, whether it be fighting for the love I believe in or just passively without feeling able to express what I feel. In the end I decided to fight to prove the sincerity of my love to him that I love. My freedom to make choices and express any opinion in the process of search for meaning is part of the conception of humanistic psychology. I feel my life becomes truly meaningful when I have the love and happiness.

Humanistic flow also try to make learning which helps to improve the ability to create, imagine, have experience, intuitive, feeling, and fantasize. This stream is trying to see the wide spectrum of human behavior. "How many things can I do? And how I can do those things better?

May differ with the concept of behaviorism which saw human motivation as an attempt to meet the needs of human physiological or psychoanalysis who see motivation as a variety of sexual needs, humanistic view of human behavior as a mixture between the motivation of lower or higher in human beings. This raises one of the main characteristics of the humanistic approach, namely that which is seen in human behavior. It would be very clear distinction between human motivation and the motivation of animals owned. Maslow's hierarchy of needs motivation describe human motivation who wish to be with another man, competent, recognized, self-actualization as well as describe the motivation in a lower level such as physiological and safety needs.

In the conception of humanistic psychology, I can be said to succeed if I had managed to understand the environment and myself. I have to keep trying for sooner or later I was able to develop themselves, achieve self-actualization as well as possible, and towards a meaningful life.