Approaches: Humansitic approach Flashcards
what are the basic assumptions of the humanistic approach
- free will: ability to choose -> in control of own behaviour.
- humans are self-determining -> we are ‘active agents’.
- people should be viewed holistically -> should not be looking at one aspect of an individual.
- believe whole life should be considered -> not just childhood.
what are Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
- self-actualisation
- Esteem
- love/belonging
- safety
- physiological
what are the physiological needs (Maslow)
- breathing, food, water, sleep etc.
what are safety needs (Maslow)
- strive to feel safe physically, psychologically and economically.
what is the need for belongingness and love (Maslow)
- intimate relationships, friends. Consider affection, acceptance and belonging to be important.
what are esteem needs (Maslow)
- prestige and feeling of accomplishment -> focused on achievement and gaining respect from others.
what is self-actualisation (Maslow)
- you’ve become the best you are capable of being -> everyone has an innate drive to achieve their full potential.
- ‘a growth need’ -> personal growth is an essential part of being human.
- fulfilled, satisfied and goal-oriented.
List the key concepts of Karl Roger’s approach
- the self concept
- the ideal self
- the real self
- self-actualisation
- congruence
what is the self concept (Karl Rogers)
- the self that can be described as the self you feel you are.
- It is similar to self-esteem, there self-concept will be poor and they will have a distorted view of how capable they are.
what is the ideal self (Karl Rogers)
- the self you wish to be -> it is who you are aiming towards becoming.
- a typical way of knowing whether someone is still working towards their ideal self is when you hear someone say ‘I wish I was more’ or ‘I wish I was able to’.
- differs from the self-concept in that it is not who you think you are, it is who you wish you were.
what is the real self (Karl Rogers)
- the 3rd self is the real self, the person you actually are, not who you wish you were.
what is self-actualisation (Karl Rogers)
- Rogers felt that to be able to reach the state of self-actualisation it is important for the person to be fully functioning.
- means they have the opportunity to strive for self-actualisation and are actually doing so.
what is congruence (Karl Rogers)
- Rogers believed self-actualisation can only be achieved if their is full congruence.
- an important part of achieving congruence is ‘unconditional positive regard.’ -> means that at some point someone has to be loved for who they are by someone else.
-> need to be accepted unconditionally. - Congruence = ideal self, self-image and true self are fully aligned.
what is client-centred therapy (Karl Rogers)
- a form of psychotherapy.
- seen as ‘clients’, not ‘patients’ -> expert of their own condition.
- warm, supportive and non-judgemental.
- therapist provides: genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard.
-> Increase self-worth, reduce incongruence and become a fully functioning person.
explain Gibbard and Harley’s study on client-centred therapy (Karl Rogers)
- studied the impact of person-centred therapy on a group of patients suffering from anxiety and depression.
- sample size of 700 people over 500 years.
- questionnaire was used to measure the extent of their condition before and after therapy.
- 70% showed a significant improvement in their mental health.
list the evaluations for the humanistic approach
strengths:
- not reductionist
- positive approach
weaknesses:
- limited real world application
- untestable concepts
(+) explain how the humanistic approach is not reductionist (holistic)
- advocates holism -> we must consider the whole person .
- validity as it considers meaningful human behaviour within a real life context.
-> unlike other approaches like psychodynamics or biological.
(+) explain how the humanistic approach adopts a positive approach
- about ‘bringing the person back into psychology’.
- optimistic alternative to Freud -> people are free to work towards the achievement of their potential and in control of their lives.
(-) explain how the humanistic approach has limited real world application
- the approach has had little impact on psychology
- lacks scientific evidence
- based on abstract concepts
(-) explain how the humanistic approach is based on untestable concepts
- can we test self-actualisation and congruence in an experiment.
- Rogers ‘Q-sort technique’ -> given to clients before and after therapy -> see if situations have improved through psychotherapy.
- Anti-scientific and lacks empirical evidence.
(-) explain how the humanistic approach displays cultural bias
- Individual freedom, autonomy and personal growth are associated with individualist cultures
- collectivist cultures emphasise the need for group, community and interdependence.
