approaches: humanistic approach

Question 1

what is the humanistic approach:

Answer 1

an approach to understanding human behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience, believing that people are self-determining and therefore have free will.

Question 2

what is humanistic psychology known as?

Answer 2

the third force in psychology after psychoanalysis and behaviourism

Question 3

what are the key assumptions of humanistic psychology?

Answer 3

• Humans have free will; this is called personal agency.
• All individuals are unique and have an innate drive to achieve their maximum potential.
• A proper understanding of human behaviour can only be achieved by studying humans – not animals.
• Subjective reality is the primary guide for human behaviour

Question 4

what type of approach does humanism take?

Answer 4

a holistic approach as it considers different factors (genetics, learned responses, observed rewards, cognitive priming or unconscious drives) and their interactions

Question 5

how do humanistic psychologists reject scientific models?

Answer 5

• measure viewpoints and perspectives openly and subjectively as objective data does not give a complete understanding
• study the whole person rather than a part
• Psychology should study the individual case (idiographic) rather than the average performance of groups (nomothetic) that cannot be replicated

Question 6

free will in humanism:

Answer 6

• separates out what is the intention of an individual from what has been created by other causes
• we are ‘self-determining’ and free from the causal influences of the past (biological or environmental)

Question 7

what is self actualisation?

Answer 7

the innate desire to grow psychologically and fulfil one’s full potential - becoming what you are capable of

Question 8

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

Answer 8

• self-actualisation (personal growth, fulfilment, morality, creativity, spontaneity) represents the uppermost level
• all four lower levels of the hierarchy must be met before the individual can work towards self-actualisation

Question 9

what does each level of Maslow’s hierarchy represent?

Answer 9

• physiological needs (breathing, food, sex , sleep, excretion)
• safety and security (of body, employment, resources, family, health)
• love and belonging (friendships, family, intimacy, connection)
• self esteem (achievement, confidence, respect of others)

Question 10

what does the newer model of Maslow’s hierarchy have?

Answer 10

aesthetic needs and cognitive needs before self-actualisation (7 stages)

Question 11

what does Carl Rogers argue?

Answer 11

• for a person to grow and self-actualise, they need an environment that provides them with genuineness, acceptance and empathy
• when an individual is the recipient of unconditional positive regard, they develop conditions of worth as a result (e.g. from a parent to a child)
• without these, relationships and healthy personalities will not develop

Question 12

what is congruence?

Answer 12

the aim of Rogerian therapy: when a person’s self-concept and ideal-self are consistent or very similar

Question 13

what happens when there is a significant gap between someone’s perceived and ideal selves?

Answer 13

the person experiences incongruence and cannot achieve self-actualisation

Question 14

how can someone become more congruent?

Answer 14

• adopting a more realistic ideal self:
  > conditions of worth can lead to an ideal self that is unattainably perfect
  > by recognising and modifying these unrealistic standards, individuals can set more attainable goals that are in harmony with their true selves
• improving the perceived self
  > helped by receiving unconditional positive regard
  > more likely to develop a positive + realistic self-image, acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses without undue self-criticism

Question 15

what is client-centred therapy?

Answer 15

emphasises the importance of the present and future over the past and aims to assist clients in achieving congruence between their perceived and ideal selves

Question 16

nature of client-centred therapy:

Answer 16

• referred to those in therapy as ‘clients’ as he viewed them as experts of their own condition
• non-directive
• client encouraged towards discovery of their own solutions in a warm, supportive atmosphere

Question 17

what should therapists provide their client with?

Answer 17

with genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard

Question 18

evaluation of humanistic approach: unscientific

Answer 18

• although Rogers attempts to measure congruence using Q-sort (objective, quantitative measure), many concepts are non-scientific
• reliance on non-experimental qualitative methods
• e.g. self-actualisation cannot be measured or tested in a scientific way bc of there would be a lack of empirical evidence to support its claims
• criticised for vague definitions and lack of operationalisation
• challenging to test validity

Question 19

evaluation of humanistic approach: holistic accuracy

Answer 19

• a holistic approach to explaining behaviour is more accurate
• advocates holism, the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person
• captures the complexity of human experience
• simple explanations often face criticism for overlooking multiple contributing factors
• more validity than alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-life context

Question 20

evaluation of humanistic approach: cultural bias

Answer 20

• developed in 1960s America -> discredited as culturally biased towards Western individualism
• emphasises self-actualisation through personal success
• contrasts with collective values of many cultures, where group harmony and family are prioritised, even at the expense of the individual’s needs
• suggests a superiority of Western individualistic norms, implying people in collectivist societies are less capable of achieving self-actualisation
• approach would not travel well -> product of the cultural context within which it was developed.

Question 21

comparing traits of humanistic psychology:

Answer 21

• ## only humanism stands alone in its assertion that human beings have free will and act as active agents in their own development