Final answer:
Humanistic therapies assert the potential for self-actualization and personal growth.
Step-by-step explanation:
In contrast to existential therapies, humanistic therapies assert the potential for self-actualization and personal growth. Humanistic psychologists such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers believe that individuals strive to become self-actualized, and that each person has the capacity to become the best version of themselves. They emphasize free will, self-determination, and the innate potential for growth and development.
Humanistic approaches focus on the concept that people inherently strive to become the best they can be, unlike the behaviorist perspective which sees behavior as a response to environmental stimuli and psychoanalytic emphasis on unconscious processes. Rogers and Maslow are known for their theories that contributed significantly to the understanding of the self, emphasizing free will and the potential for growth.