James Frederick Taylor Bugental (December 25, 1915 – September 17, 2008) was one of the predominant theorists and advocates of the Existential-Humanistic Therapy movement. He was a therapist, teacher and writer for over 50 years. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

, was named a Fellow of the American Psychological Association

American Psychological Association

The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...

 in 1955, and was the first recipient of the APA's Division of Humanistic Psychology's Rollo May

Rollo May

Rollo May was an American existential psychologist. He authored the influential book Love and Will during 1969. He is often associated with both humanistic psychology and existentialist philosophy. May was a close friend of the theologian Paul Tillich...

 Award. He held leadership positions in a number of professional organizations, including president of the California State Psychological Association.

Theory

In "The Search for Authenticity" (1965), Bugental summarized the postulates of Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic psychology

Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective which rose to prominence in the mid-20th century, drawing on the work of early pioneers like Carl Rogers and the philosophies of existentialism and phenomenology...

, often quoted by other theorists:

• Human beings cannot be reduced to components.
• Human beings have in them a uniquely human context.
• Human consciousness includes an awareness of oneself in the context of other people.
• Human beings have choices and responsibilities.
• Human beings are intentional, they seek meaning, value and creativity.

Publications

• "The Search for Authenticity" (1965)
• "The Search for Existential Identity" (1976)
• "Psychotherapy and Process" (1978)
• "Intimate Journeys: Stories from Life-Changing Therapy" (1990)
• "The Art of the Psychotherapist" (1992)
• "Psychotherapy Isn't What You Think" (1999) This is available free to read on Google Books

External links

• Excerpts from Psychotherapy Isn't What you Think, by James Bugental
• Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy: An Interview with James Bugental, Ph.D.
• Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy in Action: Psychotherapy Training Video featuring James Bugental