ABSTRACT
Self-directed learning is one of the foundation concepts in the literature on adult and lifelong learning, which strengthen the identity as a distinct field of practice and enquiry. The influence of humanistic psychology can be seen in Malcolm Shepherd Knowles’ conception of self-directed learning, particularly in his endorsement of the term ‘self-actualisation’ and in his construction of the ideal teacher–learner relationship. The concern with the ‘self’ is a hallmark of humanistic psychology, which emerged as a protest against the scientific explanation of the person. Scientific methods reduce the person to the status of being an ‘object’ for scientific enquiry. Knowles’ model for the ideal teacher–learner relationship strongly reflects the counsellor–client relationship in humanistic clinical psychology. A contemporary expression of humanistic values can be found in the positive psychology movement, which focuses on positive subjective experiences, positive human traits, and positive institutions.
