Approaches To Psychology: Humanistic Approach Flashcards
What does humanistic psychology focus on and what these psychologists believe
It focuses on the person as a whole
These psychologists believe that all people are inherently good and they’re driven to achieve their full potential
How does humanistic psychology analyse and treat people
Takes into account the feelings of the individual rather than just observable behaviour, treats everyone as unique
Has an idiographic approach rather than nomothetic approach - focuses on studying individual rather than producing general rules which come from summarising a group of people
What does humanistic psychology assume
Assumes that a person’s behaviour is caused by their subjective feelings and their thoughts about themselves ( their self-concept ), especially about how they can become better people and learn new things
What does humanistic psychology believe
Disagrees with the strictly deterministic ideas of other approaches, which assume that human behaviour occurs in cause and effect relationships
Instead, it believes that human behaviour is determined by free will.
People can choose how to behave - and their behaviour isn’t caused by external or biological factors, or even the past
How are humans motivated
Humanistic psychology suggest people are motivated to use their own free will to allow them to reach their fullest potential
People can be motivated by lots of things - some needs are shared, and others are individual
E.g. we’re all motivated to find food and water, but we differ in whether we’re motivated to do things like learn a new language or become a footballer
What did Maslow do
Maslow came up with a ‘need theory’ of motivation - devised a hierarchy to show how human needs can be categorised and prioritised
This is known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
What are the categories of the hierarchy of needs
Physiological needs related to survival
Need for safety
Need for love and belonging
Need for esteem
Self-actualisation
What is the physiological needs for survival stage of need
At this level you source the food, water, shelter and sleep you need to stay alive ( as well as sex to reproduce )
What is the need for safety stage of need
At this level yous thrive to feel safe physically, psychologically and economically
What is the need for love and belonging stage of need
At this level you consider affection, acceptance and belonging to be most important
What is the need for esteem stage of need
At this level you’re focussed on achievement and gaining respect from others
What is the self actualisation stage of need
At this level you realise your fullest potential- you’ve become the best you’re capable of being
What does the hierarchy of needs say about humans
Says we spend our lives trying to reach the top of the hierarchy, but it’s hard to get up there
Stated that the higher needs can’t be met until the lower needs are achieved
E.g. you wouldn’t be interested in reading a book if you were hungry or in immediate danger
Drawbacks of humanistic psychology
Quite a westernised concept, western cultures encourages individual growth, rather than prioritising the needs of a social group
Also assumes that everyone has the ability to self-actualise.
This could be incorrect, as self actualisation may be limited to the most intelligent, well educated people
Characteristics of self actualised people
Strong sense of self awareness
A fully accepting view of themselves and others for who they are
The ability to deal with uncertainty and the unknown
Strong sense of creativity
How did Maslow say self actualisation could be measured
He said it could be measured using what he called ‘peak experiences’
These are times where the person feels wonder and euphoria towards the world around them
After these experiences, people often feel inspired, with a renewed sense of self-awareness
Method of Aronoff’s job demands and the hierarchy of needs
Aronoff compared people in two jobs in the British West Indies
Fisherman and cane cutters
Can cutters got paid according to how much cane was cut by the whole group, even when they were off sick
Had high job security, although wages were low
In contrast, fisherman worked alone, doing more challenging work
They were less secure in their jobs, although they earned more overall
Both groups of people were assessed to see which level they were at on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Results of Aronoff’s job demands and the hierarchy of needs
More can cutters were at the lower levels of the hierarchy, still trying to achieve safety and security than fishermen, many of whom had satisfied the lower levels of the hierarchy
Conclusion of Aronoff’s job demands and the hierarchy of needs
Only those men who had satisfied lower levels of the pyramid would choose to become fishermen, allowing them to develop high self esteem
This suggests that people cannot reach the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy until they have satisfied the lower levels
Evaluation of Aronoff’s job demands and the hierarchy of needs
The study supports Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, and it has ecological validity as it studied people in their natural environment
However, it only studied people from one culture, so the results can’t be generalised to the wider population
What did Rogers believe about self actualisation
Claimed that all people are inherently good and they’re motivated to achieve their fullest potential
Didn’t believe the route to self actualisation was a strict as Maslow described
Instead of working their way up a hierarchy, they move towards self actualisation depending on their own thoughts about themselves and the way they’re treated by others
How did Rogers describe two parts of the self
Outlined the differences between how someone sees themselves ( self concept ) and how they would like to be ( their ideal self )
What is unconditional positive regard
This is where the person gets affection and support no matter what their behaviour is like
We need unconditional positive regard to have a positive self-concept
What are conditions of worth
This is where approval and affection is given as a result of behaving in a certain way
What did Rogers believe about conditions of worth
Although this treatment can help someone learn to fit in with the rules of social life, Rogers believed that it could stop them from reaching self actualisation
This is because the person may focus on keeping other people, happy rather than developing their own personality
What will happen if a person receive unconditional positive regard
If they have unconditional positive regard and then receive love and acceptance for their behaviour, they will experience congruence and become a fully functioning person
What will happen a person is set conditions of worth
The person’s ideal self becomes something different to the self-concept, and the person will experience incongruence
What is incongruence
This is where there is a mismatch between someone’s self-concept and their ideal self
Rogers believed that many people’s psychological problems originated from this
How did Rogers believe that people can develop in a psychologically healthy way
If your path to self actualisation is not blocked you can develop in a psychologically healthy way
Blockages ( e.g. being raised in a difficult environment ) can lead to psychological problems
What did Rogers say that everyone needed
Believed that everyone has a need to be regarded by others in a good light, and to be shown love, affection and respect
Important for children who want to see approval from their parents
They’ll be more psychologically happy if they get this approval, or unhappy if they feel that their parents are disappointed or displeased with them
What was Rogers therapy technique
Known as client-centred therapy ( or person-centrered therapy )
The therapy of focuses on the client - they’re in charged of what is talked about, and it’s their responsibility to eventually solve their own problems
The therapist’s job is to make client aware of their thoughts, actions and behaviours
They can do this by carefully rephrasing the client’s sentences and repeating them back
What attitudes are important for the therapist to have in person-centred therapy
Unconditional positive regard (not judging), genuineness and empathy are really important in person-centred therapy
The therapy is supportive of the client no matter what they do or say, with the aim that the client will come to value themselves
Example of person-centred therapy working
Gibbard and Hanley studied impact of person centred therapy on a group of patients suffering from mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression
Studied almost 700 people over five years
Questionnaire was used to measure the extent of their condition before and after therapy
Found that nearly 70% of ppts showed improvement in mental health after therapy
Strengths of humanistic psychology
Very positive approach, states people are striving to be better
Free will is major part of humanistic psychology, which is less restrictive than more deterministic approaches.
Humanistic psychologists believe that a deterministic approach is no good for understanding the complex nature of human behaviour
The approach treats people as individuals and takes the whole person into account, rather than reducing individual behaviours to cause and effect responses
Research in this approach gathers qualitative data which is rich in detail
Rogers recorded many of his therapy sessions so they could be analysed, making it possible to observe the successes as a result of the therapy
The counselling techniques which have come from the approach have been shown to be effective
Weaknesses of humanistic psychology
The approach places less emphasis on factors such as the role of genes, etc than the biological approach
Approach lacks objectivity - largely based on feelings and subjective reports, and so it’s hard to test in a scientific way
Also features things that are hard to measure, such as self actualisation
Approach is idiographic, it doesn’t create generalised laws which can be applied to everyone, making it a less scientific approach
Negative evaluation of humanistic psychology: limited real world application
Little impact in psychology
Lacks scientific evidence
Abstract concepts
Positive evaluation for humanistic psychology: positive approach
Optimistic alternative to Freud
Says that people are basically good
Says they are free to work towards the achievement of their potential and in control of their lives
How is self concept created and developed
Suggested their self concept is created and develops in a way that depends on whether they receive unconditional positive regard or whether conditions of worth are set for them
