Approaches: Humanistic approach

Question 1

Assumptions of the humanistic approach

Answer 1

• People are born with free will and a wish to grow and fulfil their potential (the needto self- actualise)
• people have an innate need to make themselves and the world better
• less scientific and often relies on subjective judgements
• approach is also holistic

Question 2

Explain free will

Answer 2

• Ultimately we control our own behaviour
• does acknowledge that there are many constraints on tree will
• leg laws, social rules affect whether we act on free will.it doesn’t really matter it an individual really does have free-will - its important that people perceive they have some choice over what happens to them in their life

Question 3

Explain self-actualisation

Answer 3

• Innate drive to reach full potential
• peak state of existence any individual can attain. Ultimate feeling of well-being and satisfaction but not all can achieve it
• Carl rogers developed theories on the importance of a positive sense of self and self-actualisation
• Abraham Maslow developed hierarchy of needs to explain journey to self- actualisation

Question 4

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 4

• The order of the stages is fixed and if the first need is not met then an individual cannot meet higher order needs
• The drive to reach full potential means we work through those needs to self-actualisation
• the state of self-actualisation is not permanent so it any 5 needs stop being met move out of state
• most people climb up and down and have ‘peak experiences’

Question 5

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 5

• The order of the stages is fixed and if the first need is not met then an individual cannot meet higher order needs
• The drive to reach full potential means we work through those needs to self-actualisation
• the state of self-actualisation is not permanent so it any 5 needs stop being met move out of state
• most people climb up and down and have ‘peak experiences’

Question 6

Define and explain the self

Answer 6

• This can be described as now you perceive yourself as a person
• ideal self: who we want I wish to be
• actual self: who we really are. Hard to demonstrate as it is subjective experience
• perceived self: how we see ourselves. Similar to self-esteem

Question 7

Define and explain congruence

Answer 7

The degree of similarity between the ideal self and the imagined real self (self-image).
If elements of the self are not in agreement, it creates a state of incongruence which can cause psychological distress. Greater the gap, greater the congruence

Question 8

Define and explain conditions of worth

Answer 8

-What we feel we must do or how we should be to be worthy of love.
-the conditions imposed on an individuals character or behaviour that are considered necessary to earn positive regard from others.
- Ideally key people in our lives provide us with unconditional positive regard
- Conditions of worth can be real or perceived
- If we believe love is conditional, it can be very damaging to our psychological health

Question 9

Name maslows hierarchy of needs stages

Answer 9

-self-actualisation
-esteem
-belonging
-safety
-physiological

Question 10

Evaluation point for maslow: methodological issues

Answer 10

Describing self-actualisation as a concept is difficult and as a consequence it is difficult to measure and therefore difficult to test. Self reports could be used but not always accurate. This is not seen as an issue by humanistic theorists as they do not feel measurement is appropriate. However, other psychologists believe this is too subjective.

Question 11

Evaluation point for maslow: practical applications*

Answer 11

Concepts such as self-actualisation have been widely accepted and the hierarchy of needs itself has been very influential in, for example, sport and business psychology. hence this has made a positive contribution to society

Question 12

Evaluation point for maslow: Cultural bias

Answer 12

However, it is criticised for being culture specific as it relates well to individualistic cultures but not so well in collectivist cultures. Research by Nevis (1983) found that in china, belongingness needs were seen as more fundamental than physiological
needs.This implies the theory can be seen as culturally relative

Question 13

Evaluation point for humanistic approach: practical applications

Answer 13

The approach has contributed enormously to society, especially the world of psychological counselling. For example, the core conditions promoted in person centred therapy, such as congruence and empathy have merged into many forms of effective psychotherapy. Therefore we could argue that the approach has benefited both society and psychology itself.

Question 14

Evaluation point for humanistic approach: Lack scientific rigour

Answer 14

The ideas of the approach are hard to est scientifically and therefore support with empirical evidence. For example, some issues like congruence and unconditional positive regard are very difficult to study without using subjectivity, inferences or retrospection. This means that the assumptions of this approach lack the scientific rigour of other approaches in psychology such as the biological approach.

Question 15

Evaluation point for humanistic approach: holistic

Answer 15

However, although the subjective experience of the individual is difficult to test, this can be seen as a strength of the approach as it acknowledges the effect that our subjective experiences have on our lives. For example, some psychologists argue that this is essential to being a human being and can explain why we interpret the same events in many diverse ways. This more holistic view of humans is praised for ‘bringing the person back into psychology’ and promoting a positive and realistic image of the human condition.

Question 16

Evaluation point for humanistic approach: evidence

Answer 16

There is evidence to back up parts of the humanistic approach. Harter et al discovered some of the dangers of giving conditions of worth to adolescents. It was found that some teenagers create ‘false self behaviour’ doing things to meet others expectations even when it clashes with their own views. Harter concluded teenagers that feel they have to fulfil conditions in order to gain approval frequently end up not liking themselves and were more likely to develop depression. This helps to illustrate the validity of some of the humanistic key concepts in explaining behavior

Question 17

Describe the influence of the humanistic approach on counselling psychology-

Answer 17

• Rogers claimed that an individuals psychological problems were a direct result of their conditions of worth and the conditional positive regard they receive from other people.
• “the role of a counsellor using the humanistic approach is to facilitate rather than direct and the goal of therapy is to help me individual to understand themselves and find ways to enable their potential for self-actualisation
• non-directive
• 4 conditions: congruence,unconditional positive regard, empathy
  -emphasis on now/ current perception

Question 18

Evaluation point for humanistic approach: cultural bias

Answer 18

The approach relates well to individualistic cultures but not collectivist cultures. Research by Nevis found that in China belongingness needs were seen as more fundamental than physiological needs. This would suggest that theories that are key components of the humanistic approach are not universally applicable.