Humanistic Psychology and the Contemporary Crisis of Reason

Abstract

Humanistic psychology has a long-standing tradition of challenging implicit assumptions about the nature of subjectivity. These challenges and critiques have exposed psychology's “natural attitude” and in so doing, have led it in a more liberatory direction. However, the role of the rational, especially as it has been used to sustain an oppressive status quo, remains an undertheorized topic within humanistic psychology. For example, privileging the role of the rational within humanistic discourse has inadvertently contributed to dichotomous and essentialist views of femininity and masculinity. To truly appreciate the sociopolitical grounding of identity and experience, humanistic psychology must be willing to examine and relinquish its (over) investment in rationality.