Abstract

Abraham Maslow's humanistic psychology has had a significant impact on American education as part of its progressive tradition, but in recent years humanistic assumptions have come under substantial criticism from Radical critics inside education and, more recently, from postmodern critics outside of education. This research has a two-fold purpose: to analyze and compare core philosophical assumptions underlying Maslow's humanism and Radical and postmodern criticisms; and to explore alternatives for potential integration. Core concepts analyzed philosophically are self, growth, responsibility, and progress. The major conclusion I have reached is that an unacknowledged distinction between individualism and individuality lies hidden in the assumptions of both Maslow and his critics. This distinction is that individualism corresponds to the main movement of liberal political and economic thought, while individuality captures the concepts of both a unique individual and his or her embeddedness in a group. Making this distinction explicit allows us to resolve several apparent contradictions both within each school of thought and between schools of thought and to be able to ask different questions of both Maslow and his critics