Which of the following best defines the humanist perspective in psychology?

• A. It focuses on unconscious drives and childhood experiences as determinants of behavior.
• B. It emphasizes individual potential for growth, self-actualization, and the importance of free will and personal experience.
• C. It examines how mental processes such as memory and perception influence behavior.
• D. It studies observable behaviors and the ways they are learned through conditioning.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Identify the key characteristics of the humanist perspective in psychology. This perspective emphasizes the positive potential of human beings, focusing on personal growth, self-actualization, free will, and subjective experience.
2. Step 2: Compare the given options to the core principles of the humanist perspective. For example, unconscious drives and childhood experiences relate more to the psychodynamic perspective, not humanism.
3. Step 3: Recognize that the option mentioning mental processes like memory and perception aligns with the cognitive perspective, which is distinct from humanism.
4. Step 4: Understand that the study of observable behaviors and conditioning is central to the behavioral perspective, which differs from the humanist approach.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the option emphasizing individual potential for growth, self-actualization, free will, and personal experience best defines the humanist perspective.