ABSTRACT
Humanistic psychology began as a reaction to the excesses of behaviorism and the negativity of psychoanalysis. Everything else is considered a black box. In behaviorism, a human being is not much different from a rat. It's no wonder, then, that so many psychologists confine their research not to people but to rats, mice, monkeys, or dogs. Humanistic psychologists reject the premise that research on animals can provide a bridge to human experience. They also question whether the physical and natural sciences are an appropriate model for the development of psychology as a science. The psychiatrist's taken-for-granted preconceptions about normality and psychopathology, including the whole taxonomy of mental disorders, blur perceptions of the other as a person. Training and professional socialization make it highly unlikely. Thomas Szasz, claims that mental illness is not a disease because it is not located in the body nor does it have an organic origin.
