Humanistic psychology is the prime example of what happens when you let your beliefs be guided by what is pleasant to believe. Humanism is the Polyanna of psychology, the philosophy that exalts the human species above all other phenomena of nature. It is "species chauvinism" in its purest form.
Humanism asserts that humankind possesses a nobility worthy of adulation and is uniquely favored among all life. Humanistic theorists like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers stress the innate goodness of human beings. That the world's present sad shape — environmentally, sociologically, and politically — is mostly the result of human villainy of one form or another doesn't deter them — one shouldn't conflate the behavior with the person, they say. Saddam Hussein was actually good — he just had some really nasty behavior. (He could have been on a TV show called "Dictators Behaving Badly.")
Although this philosophy requires some illogic to maintain it is nonetheless relatively effective when incorporated into psychotherapy. People seem to like to be told they're good no matter how badly they behave. It's good for their self-esteem. Humanists also stress that humans have the capacity for free will and rationality, thereby contradicting behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Humanists like to promote the idea that humans are qualitatively different than other animals — special and possessing a dignity that apes swinging in the trees don't have.
In response to the Humanistic movement, B.F. Skinner, the archbehaviorist, wrote the book,Beyond Freedom and Dignity, rebutting their main assertions. Most conservative Republicans and the religious right would probably side with the Humanists.