Ever been trapped in a learning experience that felt like it was designed for… literally anyone but you? You’re not alone. Thankfully, humanistic learning theory offers a liberating alternative to this soul-crushing, assembly-line model of education.
Humanism empowers learners to take an active role in shaping their educational journey.
Traditional educational often follows a one-size-fits-all approach, emphasising rote memorisation and standardised testing. Yuck. While these methods can serve a purpose, they also stifle learners’ natural curiosity and intrinsic motivation.
Humanistic learning theory, on the other hand, places the learner’s individual growth and well-being at the centre of the learning experience. How refreshing!
In this article, we’ll explore the core principles of humanistic learning theory, its impact on the teacher-student dynamic, and the benefits and challenges that come with adopting this approach. Ready to self-actualise? Then let’s get started.
The History of Humanism
Believe it or not, the seeds of humanistic psychology were planted way back in the Middle Ages. This was when Italian thinkers first championed humanism, a revolutionary philosophy that dared to put human potential, dignity, and free will centre stage.
It later spread through continental Europe and England. Modern humanistic psychology emerged in the early 20th century. Back then, psychology was dominated by two prominent schools of thought: behaviourism and psychoanalysis.
While these theoretical approaches contributed to our understanding of human behaviour, they failed to provide a holistic view that accounts for our motivations, emotions, and intentions.
Humanistic psychology emerged in response to this void. It differed from existing theories by focusing on the individual as a whole person. Unsurprisingly, humanists put humans at the heart of it all — because how can you understand the world without first understanding us?
It recognises that we’re not simply acted upon by external forces, as behaviourism would suggest. We’re active agents with the ability to shape our own lives. Likewise, we all have desires and needs and seek self-fulfilment. We all long to become the best versions of ourselves.
This philosophy started to gain traction in the second half of the 20th century. Various psychologists, including Abraham Maslow, published research and theories on the topic. In addition, the launch of the American Association for Humanistic Psychology helped humanism to spread into the L&D landscape.
What is Humanistic Learning Theory?
Humanistic learning theory, rooted in the philosophy of humanism, transforms traditional education by placing the learner’s individual growth and well-being at the centre of the experience.
Ask yourself: why do we truly learn?
Traditional education obsesses over the cognitive domain. Think career advancement, bigger paychecks, and hard skills. But this ignores a massive part of human growth: the affective domain. This is the emotional, psychological, and motivational core of learning, such as:
- Ego & self-respect (how we see ourselves)
- Motivation & attitude (why we engage)
- Curiosity & values (what drives us)
- Mental health (how we sustain growth)
Most education systems sideline or devalue these elements. Humanistic learning theory doesn’t. To put this in somewhat reductive terms, it’s one of the few approaches that holistically nurtures both your mind and your heart.
To help cement our understanding, let’s have a look at what humanism’s pioneers have to say.
The Background to Humanistic Learning Theory
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) is considered the foundational figure in humanistic psychology. He laid the groundwork through his famous hierarchy of needs. This model categorises and prioritises human needs within a five-tier model, often presented as a pyramid (although perhaps better understood as a waveform graph).
Maslow’s theory proposes that fulfilling basic needs like safety and security is essential before focusing on higher-order needs like self-actualisation (more on this shortly). This respect for our well-being and overall potential is central to humanistic learning theory.
Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was a fellow founding father of humanistic psychology. He believed in the importance of unconditional positive regard, creating a safe space for learners where they feel accepted for who they are and motivated to achieve their potential.
Humanistic learning theory distinguishes itself by placing the learner firmly in the driving seat. Unlike other approaches (except perhaps constructivism) that emphasise teacher-directed instruction, humanism champions freedom, choice and learner autonomy.
This heutagogical approach means that your learners call the shots on what they need to learn, how they’ll learn, and what resources they’ll use. Humanistic learning theory is all about unlocking potential rather than boxing people into rigid curriculums or cookie-cutter courses.
The Key Assumptions of Humanistic Learning Theory
According to humanistic psychology, people act with intentionality and values. This contrasts with behaviourism and cognitivism — theories that focus on observable behaviours and internal mental processes, rather than the intentions that underpin human actions.
Understanding this helps to shape the key assumptions related to humanistic learning theory. Indeed, we can sum up this theory as follows:
- Learners can be trusted to find their own goals and should choose what they learn at school (and beyond).
- Learners should set their standards and evaluate their work and progress themselves.
- Learning experiences should help learners to develop positive relations with their peers.
All of these assumptions focus on or lead to self-actualisation. As a result, learner needs are met, and they are fulfilled in their learning experience. Let’s take a better look at the key concepts.
1. Self-Actualisation
Self-actualisation is the process of fulfilling one’s full potential and becoming the best version of yourself. For Maslow, once all other needs are satisfied, this is what we strive towards. Here’s how he put it:
“What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualisation.”
In other words, it’s not just about acquiring knowledge or skills, but about personal growth, developing talents, and living a meaningful life (a somewhat Aristotelian view). Learning is the means by which we can do this.
Understanding this holistic, purpose-driving learning approach is key to interpreting humanistic learning theory in general.
2. Idiographic Research
According to humanistic psychology, learners need to be considered as a ‘whole’. After all, all individuals are unique and we grow, develop, and change over the years. Understanding the ‘why’ behind this process isn’t just helpful — it’s essential.
Similarly, humanistic psychology emphasises an idiographic approach. This means it focuses on understanding the unique experiences and motivations of each individual. This differs from approaches that seek to establish general laws about human behaviour.
3. Free Will
According to humanistic approaches all humans have free will. This means we are free to do and think whatever we want. Our behaviour isn’t all determined.
As a result, learners should be encouraged to take control of their education. They can use their free will to make decisions on what activities they complete, with what methods, and when. This learner choice is central to humanistic learning theory and humanistic psychology.
4. Positive Emotions
Humanistic psychology proposes that knowledge and feelings go hand-in-hand in any given learning process. Our emotions impact what, when, and how we learn and should not be separated.
As such, learning activities need to focus on both the learner’s intellect and feelings, not one or the other.
In addition, humanistic psychology proposes that learners need to feel positive, relaxed, and comfortable to achieve the best results. A positive emotional state will make them ready to learn.
5. Intrinsic Motivation
Individuals have an internal desire to self-actualise and become their best selves. As a result, our desire to learn is guided by intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation means that learners have a genuine passion for whatever they are doing. As such, learners are motivated from within and are driven by their desire to achieve a genuine sense of fulfilment.
Humanistic educators focus on fostering engagement in order for learners to become self-motivated to further their development. After all, the effectiveness of humanistic learning is based on learners feeling engaged and intrinsically motivated to complete training.
6. Innate Goodness
Humanistic psychology argues that no individual is born with evil intentions. We all want the best for ourselves and for those close to us.
In fact, according to the theory, we only do bad things if our fundamental needs are not fulfilled.
As a result, humanistic educators tend to see the good in their learners. Instead of providing negative feedback, they focus on determining what needs aren’t being met for their audience and make adjustments accordingly.
7. Self-Evaluation
According to humanistic learning theory, self-evaluation is the most meaningful way to evaluate how learners are progressing.
Self-evaluation ensures learners complete training material for their own satisfaction and excitement, compared to standard assessment approaches, which focus on achieving high grades or test results.
In other words, the theory suggests that rote memorisation and routine testing won’t lead to meaningful learning outcomes.
Humanistic Psychology In Education
Humanistic psychology places a different emphasis on education than other common theoretical approaches, like behaviourism. After all, the focus is on teaching your learners as a ‘whole’. You’re not just teaching skills. You’re nurturing curious minds and emotional growth.
Similarly, to cater to self-actualisation, humanistic learning theory provides a unique approach to the roles of learners and educators:
Role of the Learner
According to humanistic psychology, education is an active process where learners engage with activities to acquire new knowledge.
In this sense, humanistic learning theory isn’t about reinventing the wheel — it’s about who holds the steering wheel. Unlike traditional top-down approaches, this philosophy makes learners the ultimate decision-makers. They choose their materials, methods, and timing, becoming true architects of their own growth.
As such, they could choose to read, attend lectures, complete practical activities, or focus on more informal learning methods. These could involve online forum discussions and social media interaction.
On top of determining their desired materials, humanistic learning theory proposes that learners establish how much they need to learn about a specific topic or skill. With great learning freedom comes great responsibility. It’s up to them to ensure they acquire the skills they need to get by.
Role of the Educator
Whilst humanistic approaches emphasize learner autonomy, this doesn’t negate the need for an educator. It just changes the focus of their role.
In fact, according to humanistic learning theory, teachers or instructors adopt the role of a coach, mentor or facilitator. They assist their learners in establishing a strategy that helps them to achieve their training goals.
Instead of info-dumping, humanistic educators seek to help their learners understand the best ways to learn. They also provide motivation for learning tasks and further guidance and support as necessary.
Similarly, educators should ensure that learning experiences accurately mirror real-world challenges. After all, when learners see how knowledge solves actual problems, magic happens. When considering how to implement this, Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction provide a compelling model.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Humanistic Learning
All learning theories come with strengths and weaknesses, and humanistic learning theory is no exception.
Strengths
Using humanistic psychology in education can be beneficial for your learners. The strengths of this approach include:
- Inherent Positivity: Humanistic psychology sees the best in everyone and works hard to promote positivism. This is unique to this philosophy, as most other theories focus on identifying weaknesses.
- Inner Belief: Young people are seen as powerful and capable. In turn, humanistic learning theory empowers them to find motivation within themselves.
- Emotional Impact: Unlike many other theories, humanistic learning theory considers learners’ emotional states, feelings, and intentions and how they impact learning.
- Holistic Learning: Similarly, humanistic psychology is a holistic approach that looks at all cognitive, social, and emotional aspects of learning and development.
- Self-Fulfilment: Humanistic learning theory satisfies most individuals’ idea of what it means to be a human and autonomous, as it values self-fulfilment and personal ideals.
Weaknesses
Weaknesses, on the other hand, include:
- Lack of Structure: Humanistic psychology promotes learner authority and freedom. As a result, humanistic learning theory doesn’t follow a set curriculum, which runs contrary to most traditional training approaches.
- No Guidance: Due to this choice-based learning approach, humanistic learning theory is not beneficial for learners who desire structure and routine to learn effectively. Some of us need guidance to fuel our progress.
- Too Much Choice: Similarly, our natural impulses don’t always align with what’s truly best for us. If it were up to pure intrinsic motivation, most of us would choose chocolate cake over broccoli and binge-watching over exercise.
- Different Outcomes: With a humanistic learning approach, every learner will end up with different knowledge, because every individual has unique intrinsic desires and methods of gathering knowledge.
Research Into Humanistic Learning Theory
While measuring the effectiveness of humanistic learning can be challenging, a growing body of research supports the benefits of student-centred approaches aligned with humanistic principles. Here are some examples:
- As early as 1977, ‘Kids Don’t Learn From People They Don’t Like‘ underscored the link between a positive, learner-centred environment and better student interactivity, creativity, and achievement.
- More recently, a robust 2021 meta-analysis of 42 studies confirmed the academic power of this approach, demonstrating that it can ‘significantly improve students’ academic achievements’.
- Going beyond grades, a 2023 study revealed that student-centred learning also cultivates essential non-academic growth, positively impacting personality development and social adaptability.
- This learner-centred power even translates to professional training, with a 2024 study showing its effectiveness in developing confident, problem-solving, and risk-aware police officers.
Implementing Humanistic Learning Theory
Both face-to-face and online learning typically adopt an instructor-led and more structured approach to training. After all, learning traditionally follows a set structure, as determined by an authoritative teacher figure.
But humanistic learning has different demands. It requires a more flexible approach that allows learners to take control of the experience.
So, how can you take advantage of online learning while ensuring it suits your learners’ humanistic needs? Luckily, there are various strategies and tools you can apply that help you to cater to your learners. Let’s have a look!
1. Provide Opportunities for Social Learning
Humanistic psychology encourages learners to develop positive relationships with their peers. This makes sense. Humans are social animals by nature, and humanistic psychology aims to cater to individuals as a whole.
That’s why humanistic learning theory also emphasises social considerations on top of cognitive and emotional aspects. To cater to these needs, your humanistic training programme needs to provide opportunities for social interaction.
Social learning comes with vast benefits. Your learners can naturally gain and retain knowledge through interaction and collaboration. This unstructured approach is a perfect match for humanistic learning that emphasises learner choice.
These social interactions are not limited to face-to-face learning. Today’s modern learning technology solutions, like learning management systems, typically come with various social learning features.
For instance, Growth Engineering LMS offers a Live Chat and an Experts Area your learners can use to reach out to their peers or mentors at their convenience. Similarly, social feeds provide a platform for your learners to connect and engage with each other.
2. Increase Engagement and Motivation
One of the key assumptions of humanistic learning theory is that learners have an internal desire to learn and improve their skills. As such, educators should focus on providing motivation and engagement that results in internal accomplishments.
Intrinsic motivation typically involves a sense of progress, competence, self-actualisation, and pleasure. To cater to humanistic learners, your training programme must include features that help fuel these psychological needs.
While gamification is arguably more often linked to extrinsic motivation, you can also use game mechanics to generate intrinsic motivation in your learners. As such, it might just be the perfect way to incentivise your humanistic online learning initiatives.
Gamification typically uses levels, badges, experience points (XP) and leaderboards to direct behaviour. These features make it easier than ever for your learners to see their progress. This is essential for an approach that emphasises self-evaluation over formal assessments or grading.
After all, your learners can see how close they are to achieving their learning objectives and monitor progress against those goals. It’s powerfully motivating for your learners to see that, little by little, they are becoming the person they want to be.
3. Offer Content For All Training Needs
At it’s core, humanistic learning theory champions individualism. Everyone is unique and should be treated differently. They should also be offered a vast array of learning opportunities to ensure they can take full control over the experience.
Similarly, humanistic learning theory doesn’t believe in set curricula or structured learning. This means that your learning programme needs to cater to various learning needs as flexibly as possible.
The best way to do this is to offer various content types within your training library. After all, some may prefer learning through videos, podcasts or social media, while others like to read and complete gamified eLearning units.
However, as most instructional designers and L&D professionals know, creating a library full of high-quality material is typically time-consuming and often expensive. But it doesn’t have to be!
Authoring tools, like Growth Engineering Authoring Tool, help you to make the process quicker and easier than before. You can, for instance, use templates or clone units to ensure your content remains high-quality and effective.
Final Words
Humanistic learning theory brings humanistic psychology to the wonderful world of education. Behaviorism sees stimulus-response. Cognitivism sees processors. Humanism? It sees human beings as flawed, passionate, and radically free.
What’s more, it repositions learners as the ultimate authority over their learning experiences. As such, your learners self-evaluate their needs, progress, and learning outcomes. To do so effectively, they need to be intrinsically motivated to learn.
As a result, you now have a new focus. It’s up to you to empower your learners and motivate them in their journey of self-discovery. Good luck!
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Thank you for reading. Humanistic Learning Theory is just one of many learning theories. Get the full breakdown in our extensive guidebook: ‘The Learning Theories & Models You Need to Know‘. Download it now, or explore the specific theories below:
- Behavioral Learning Theory
- Cognitive Learning Theory
- Constructivist Learning Theory
- Connectivism Learning Theory
