approaches- humanistic approach Flashcards
how does the humanistic approach consider the concept of freewill?
-humans are affected by external and internal influences but self-determining so have freewill
maslow’s hierarchy of needs highest to lowest
-self actualisation
-self-esteem
-love and belongings
-safety and security
-physiological needs
how does Maslow’s hierarchy of needs work?
-the lower needs must be met first before the person can move onto higher needs
-the four lower levels (deficiency needs such as food, water and safety) must be met before individual can work towards self-actualisation
self-actualisation in Maslow’s hierarchy
innate tendency that each of us has to achieve our full potential and become the best we can possibly be
what is the self for the humanistic approach?
the ideas and values that characterise ‘I’ and ‘me’ and includes perception of ‘what am I’ and ‘what can I do’
what is the aim of therapy for the humanist approach?
-to establish congruence
-Rogers argued personal growth requires and individual’s concept of self tp be congruent with their ideal self
-if gap too big, then person will experience a state of incongruence and self-actualisation isn’t possible
how may parents prevent personal growth?
-by imposing conditions of worth
how does parents imposing conditions of worth prevent personal growth?
-issues such as worthlessness and low self-esteem have their roots in childhood and are due to a lack of unconditional positive regard from our parents
-a parent who sets boundaries on their love for a child (conditions of worth) by claiming ‘I will only love you if…’ is storing up psychological problems for the child in the future
how has the humanistic approach had an influence on counselling?
-rogers work transformed psychotherapy
-‘non-directive’ counselling techniques are practiced, not only in clinical settings but throughout education, health, social work and industry
how does Roger’s therapy work?
client-centred therapy (counselling) an effective therapist should provide the client with three things:
-genuineness
-empathy
-unconditional positive regard
what is the aim of Roger’s therapy?
aim is to increase feelings of self-worth and reduce incongruence between self-concept and the ideal self
ao3 of the humanistic approach: anti-reductionist
-humanistic psychologists reject any attempt to break up behaviour and experience into smaller components
-they advocate holism- idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person (their relationships, past, present and future, etc)
-this approach may have much more validity than its alternatives nu considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-world context
ao3 of the humanistic approach: approach is a positive one
-humanistic psychs have been praised for promoting a positive image of the human condition- seeing people as in control of their lives and having the freedom to change
-Freud saw human beings as prisoners of their past and claimed all of us existed somewhere between ‘common unhappiness and absolute despair’
-therefore, humanistic psychology offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative
ao3 of the humanistic approach: may be guilty of a culture bias
-many humanistic ideas (e.g. self-actualisation) would be more associated with individualist cultures such as the United States
-collectivist cultures such as India, which empathise the needs of the group, may not identify so easily with the ideals and values of humanistic psychology
-so, its possible the approach does not apply universally and is a product if the cultural context within which it was developed
ao3 of the humanistic approach: limited application
-critics argue compared to other approaches, humanistic psychology has had a limited impact within practical psychology, or practical application in the real world
-however, Rogerian therapy revolutionised counselling techniques and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been used to explain motivation, particularly in the workplace
-suugests the approach does have value, despite the fact that (unlike other approaches). it is resolutely ‘anti-scientific’
