Question: 1. Humanistic psychology emphasizes the importance of the individual experience in the understanding of human behavior. Which theorists do you believe were most instrumental in establishing this tenet of the movement? Why?
2. It could be argued that to understand both death and afterlife presence, one must first be mindful of physical presence in the world. Briefly contrast a Christian worldview perspective on both mindfulness of physical presence in the world and afterlife presence with the perspective of another worldview on these topics. Which of these resonates most closely with you? Why?
3. Phenomenology is a qualitative approach to understanding the lived experience of the individual. Consider who you understand to be the primary contributors to phenomenological psychology (as opposed to philosophy). What do you see as the primary differences and similarities among those theorists? Explain. What do you believe are the most significant challenges and benefits of employing a phenomenological approach in psychological research? Explain.
4. Quantitative research methods in psychology are based on the research methods used in the natural sciences disciplines to produce empirical research. Dr. Amedeo Giorgi, the founder of the descriptive phenomenological psychology method, asserts that this qualitative method can be used to arrive at empirical results related to understanding human experience. How does Dr. Giorgi's method compare to quantitative research methodologies? Explain. From your vantage point, does his approach to qualitative research yield empirical evidence in understanding the human condition? Why or why not?
5. Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describe the basic tenets and philosophy of positive psychology. What do you see as the most significant similarities and differences between the perspectives of positive psychology and humanistic psychology? Why? Which of these perspectives do you believe most closely aligns with a Christian worldview? Support your position.
6. Within the past two decades, positive psychology and humanistic psychology have been at odds over their philosophical foundations and approaches to human well-being. Briefly discuss the historic development of positive psychology and humanistic psychology. Which perspective do you endorse and why? Support your position. Your defense must cite one scholarly article that makes a case for positive psychology and another that argues for humanistic psychology.