The humanistic approach to personality is based on the research and studies of eminent psychologists, including Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, and George Kelly, and is built on the premise that human beings are responsible for their lives and the actions which they take through the course of their lives which grants them the power and freedom to alter their attitudes and behaviors. The theory postulates that people are basically good and that respect for humans is essential. A Humanistic perspective in assessing an individual’s personality is based on the primary tenet of phenomenology, which aims to understand individuals on the basis of real experiences in life faced by them.
The theory rests on the fundamental premise that the present is the most crucial aspect of human lives, which is why it is important to consider the current state rather than looking into the past or trying to predict the future, an important premise of the theory with which I completely agree. The theory also affirms that even though actions of individuals may be negative, humans by nature are good, and the goal of life should be to achieve development and growth through the improvement of self by acquiring knowledge about the self, which is the ultimate way to seek happiness in life, two aspects of the theory with which I disagree. The biological approach to personality asserts that the genetic components of an individual, to a large extent, determine the growth and development of human personality, some aspects of which could then be inherited.
Hans Eysenck is among the most renowned personality theorist who asserted that the fundamental aspects of an individual’s personality are biologically based and depend on three crucial aspects of personality, including Psychoticism (P), Extraversion (E), and Neuroticism (N) popularly known as the PEN model. I completely agree with the primary facet of the theory, which postulates that certain aspects of the personality or fundamental traits can be inherited, which affirms the importance of genetics to the human personality. However, I am opposed to the view that the personality of an individual is crucially based on genetics and heredity alone; because I feel that there are numerous factors at play that are responsible for the shaping of personality.