4.2.1 The Humanistic Approach

Question 1

what is the background of the humanistic approach?

Answer 1

Humanistic psychology emerged in the 1950s as a result of the work of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
It emphasises the importance of subjective experience, and self-actualisation.
It became known as the third force in psychology (alongside the behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches) and represented a challenge to both.
The humanistic approach concerned itself with healthy individuals and healthy growth.

Question 2

what are the key assumptions of the humanistic approach?

Answer 2

It takes an optimistic view of human behaviour and believes that we have an innate tendency to aim to achieve self actualisation.
It suggests that the scientific method is not appropriate to help our understanding of people. Methods such as in depth, unstructured interviews and case studies are most useful.
They emphasise the uniqueness of individuals, focusing on the idiographic approach.
Psychologists should take a person-centred approach, studying subjective experience rather than general laws.

Question 3

what is self actualisation?

Answer 3

the desire to grow psychologically and reach one’s full potential, becoming what you are capable of.

Question 4

Explain the humanistic view on free will vs determinism?

Answer 4

Humanistic psychologists believe in free will.
They see people as active agents, meaning they can both control and change the environment in which they live.
People have creative power and are free to choose their own destinies.
This is in opposition to behaviourists or psychodynamic psychologists who take a deterministic stance when studying human behaviour.
However, they do acknowledge that choices can be affected by a person’s circumstances, which puts constraints on the decisions they make around behaviour.

Question 5

Explain the humanistic view on holism vs reductionism?

Answer 5

Humanistic psychologists take a holistic approach.
They believe we should focus on the whole person rather than how specific processes work.
This is in opposition to reductionist approaches.

Question 6

Explain Maslow’s involvement in humanistic psychology

Answer 6

Maslow has been described as the father of humanistic psychology.
He studied a small number of psychologically healthy people who had reached the pinnacle of motivation (included Einstein and Abraham Lincoln).
He developed a theory of personality which focuses on the motivation to grow and develop.
He said that everyone was striving to fulfil their human potential and capabilities, to become self-actualised.

Question 7

What is the order of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 7

Self-actualisation
Esteem
Love and Belonging
Safety
Physiological

Question 8

What are deficiency needs, and what do they include?

Answer 8

deficiency needs must be met before a person can turn their attention to self-actualisation:
physiological needs
safety needs
love and belonging needs
esteem needs

Question 9

What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 9

the needs that motivate our behaviour, and explain how people strive to become self-actualised. the deficiency needs must be met before a person can meet their growth need- self actualisation.

Question 10

a self-actualising person…

Answer 10

shows resistance to conformity
has an attitude of creativeness
has a high degree of social interest
has an objective perception of reality
has full acceptance of their own/others natures
is committed and dedicated to some kind of work
has a need for autonomy, privacy and independence

Question 11

what is a peak experience?

Answer 11

They occur when a person has self-actualised, and occurs spontaneously.
They have a variety of forms but usually involve a shift in consciousness which fills a person’s full attention, and feelings of wonder, awe and delight.

Question 12

what behaviours lead to self-actualisation?

Answer 12

experiencing life like a child with full absorption and concentration
trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths or authority/tradition
taking responsibility for own work
identifying defence mechanisms and giving them up

Question 13

What did Carl Rogers believe happens when people are left to their own devices?

Answer 13

They will show many positive characteristics and move towards becoming self-actualised.
This means that he believes that m sot people do not become self-actualised because they have problems with their self concept, as they are often diverted from becoming their real self by authority figures eg. parents ands teachers.

Question 14

define ideal self

Answer 14

the person who we would like to be

Question 14

define self-concept

Answer 14

the perceptions, attitudes and values that define who we are.

Question 15

define incongruence

Answer 15

when there is disagreement between our self-concept and our ideal self

Question 16

define congruence

Answer 16

when there is agreement between our self-concept and our ideal self. ie. who we really are is similar to who we would like to be.

Question 17

what are the problems associated with incongruence?

Answer 17

psychological stagnation may occur which prevents the individual from any personal growth, and they are unable to self actualise
low self esteem
psychological disorders such as anxiety or depression

Question 18

What is a condition of worth and what do they cause?

Answer 18

A condition of worth arises when the positive regard of a significant other is conditional, with boundaries placed on the love they feel.
This often leads to a person complying to the expectations placed on them.
This prevents a person from realising their ideal self, and from achieving self-actualisation.
This can also lead to mental disorders such as depression.

Question 18

What happens if there is incongruence between a person’s self concept and reality?

Answer 18

this leads to the person using defence mechanisms to reduce the anxiety this causes, yet the incongruence eventually leads to unhappiness.

Question 18

define unconditional postive regard

Answer 18

when a person is loved, valued and accepted for who they are, without any conditions being attached.

Question 19

What is client centred therapy/ CCT?

Answer 19

CCT was developed by Rogers to help the person come to terms with their self-concept, to find out who they are to become self-actualised.
The client is encouraged towards the discovery of their own solutions.
This increases their feelings of self worth, and reduce the level of incongruence between the self-concept and the ideal self.

Question 20

Give one piece of evidence for the effectiveness of humanistic therapies?

Answer 20

Research by Elliott showed that in a meta-analysis, humanistic therapies prompted a significant improvement in clients, compared to those not receiving treatment.