Approaches- Humanism Flashcards
What is humanism
An approach to understanding behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each persons capacity for self determination
What are the assumption of humanism
We are active agents who have the ability to determine our own development.
Humans have the notion to make choices that are not determined by biological or external forces - free will
We can ignore the influence of internal and external factors on behaviour.
Self actualisation is crucial part of being human
Why do humanists reject the scientific approach
Science - deterministic
Humanism - free will
Each person has free will
Active agents
Unique and free to our own thoughts
Scientific method resolves around determinism
Attempt to establish general laws
Humanism - humans being self determining
Science - objectivity humanism - subjectivity
Importance of achieving self actualisation
Subjective experience one has of the world is very important when it comes to understanding the person.
Scientific approach is objective
Objectivity is important in science because facts created, free from bias
Subjectivity less important in science
When did humanism emerge
In unites states in the 1950s largely as a result of the work by carl rogers and Abraham Maslow
What is Maslow hierarchy of needs
A 5 levelled hierarchical sequence in which basic needs such as hunger must satisfied before higher psychological needs such as self esteem and self actualisation can be achieved
List the 5 hierarchical sequence
1) physiological needs - food, water, oxygen and sleep
2) safety needs-security, protection, stability, freedom of fear
3) belonging needs- need for friends, intimate relationships, love
4) self esteem needs- self respect, perception of biliary, status and recognition
5) self actualisation needs- realising self potential
What needs to be met before individual can work towards self actualisation
Meet all the four lower levels of the hierarchy - deficiency needs
What do humanistic psychologist regard personal growth as
Personal growth An essential part of what it is to be human.
You develop and change to become fulfilled and satisfied
What is self actualisation
The innate desire we have to become the best versions of ourselves , through personal and psychological growth
What is the self
A term to describe all the ideas and values we have about ourselves including the perception and valuing of ‘what i am’ and ‘what i can do’
What is the ideal self
Ideal self Describes our perception of the best versions of ourselves
How do we achieve congruence
When there is little to no gap between self and the ideal self so they broadly match
What does the ideal self being congruent with concept of self allow us to achieve
Personal growth
Progress-up hierarchy with goal of self actualisation
What if too big a gap exits between the two selves ?
The person experiences a state of incongruence where the negative feeling of self worth prevent us from achieving self actualisation (progressing up maslows hierarchy of needs)
What does rogers claim about feelings of low self stem and worthlessness (issues we experience as adults)
They have originated in childhood
Due to lack of unconditional positive regard
What is an example of lack of unconditional positive regard
I will be proud of you, only if you achieve top grades at school)
What did rogers develop therapy wise
Client centred therapy where clients encouraged towards the discovery of their own solutions
What is the aim of client centred therapy
To reduce the gap between the self concept and the ideal self
Increase person feelings of self worth reduce the level of incongruence
Fully functioning person
List the characteristics of client centred therapy
Non directive
Uses therapeutic atmosphere
Warm, supportive and non judgemental
What is a limitation of the humanist approach (cultural bias)
central ideas to humanistic psychology, such as individual freedom and personal growth, would be much more associated with individualist cultures.
Collectivist cultures such as India, which emphasise the needs of the group, community and interdependence, may not identify so easily with the ideal and values of humanistic psychology.
Therefore, it is possible that this approach is a product of the cultural context within which it was developed and not generalisable to other cultures.
What is another limitation of the humanist approach ?
Untestable
Humanistic psychology includes a number of vague ideas that are abstract and difficult to test.
Concepts such as ‘self- actualisation’ and ‘congruence’ may be useful therapeutic tools but would prove problematic to assess under experimental conditions.
As the approach is anti-scientific, humanistic psychology is short on empirical evidence to support its claims.
What is a a strength of the humanist approach (holistic)
Humanists reject any attempt to break up behaviour and experience into smaller components.
They advocate holism the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person.
This approach may have more validity than its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-life contexts.
What is a limitation of the humanistic approach ?(appliaction)
Humanistic psychology has relatively little real-world application.
Rogerian therapy has revolutionised counselling techniques Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been used to explain motivation, eg in the workplace
it remains the case that the approach has limited impact within the discipline of psychology as a whole.
This may be due to the lack of evidence and the fact that the approach has been described as a loose set of abstract concepts.
What is a strength of the humanistic approach (postivity)
Humanistic psychologists have been praised for ‘bringing the person back into psychology’ and promoting a positive image of the human condition.
Freud saw human beings as slaves to their past and claimed all of use existed somewhere between ‘common unhappiness’ and absolute despair’.
Humanistic psychology offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative as it sees people as basically good, free to work towards the achievement of their potential
control of their lives.
