The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s
and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that its advocates believed
to lie largely untapped in all people. The movement took as its premise the belief that through the
development of "human potential", humans can experience an exceptional quality of life filled with
happiness, creativity, and fulfillment. As a corollary, those who begin to unleash this assumed potential
often find themselves directing their actions within society towards assisting others to release their
potential. Adherents believe that the net effect of individuals cultivating their potential will bring about
positive social change at large.
The human potential movement is sometimes categorized under the broader umbrella of the New Age
movement. HPM distinguishes itself ideologically from other New Age trends by an emphasis on the
individual development of secular human capabilities—as opposed to the more spiritual New Age views.
However, some participants rarely make this distinction, and some who embrace the ideas of the human
potential movement also tend to embrace more spiritual ideas within the New Age movement.
The new therapies spawned by the human potential movement, "the individual will is all powerful and
totally determines one's fate"; thus they intensify the "isolation of the self."The HPM in many ways
functioned as the progenitor of the contemporary industry surrounding personal growth and self-help.
