Chapter 11: The Humanistic Approach Flashcards
roots of humanistic psychology
Lie primarily in existential psychology (European) and the work of American psychologists like Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow
existential philosophy
addresses questions like the meaning of our existence, the role of free will, and the uniqueness of each human being
existential psychologists
psychologists who align themselves closely with existential philosophers
what does existential therapy focus on?
existential anxiety
existential anxiety/crisis
the feelings of dread and panic that follow from the realization that there is no meaning to one’s life
when was the humanistic approach widespread?
was most widespread in the 1960s and 70s
key elements of the humanistic approach
- An emphasis on personal responsibility
- An emphasis on the “here and now”
- A focus on the experience of the individual
- An emphasis on personal growth
the emphasis on personal responsibility
people are responsible for what happens to them
the emphasis on the here and now
people can’t become fully functioning individuals when they live their lives as they happen
the emphasis on the individual
therapists provide a therapeutic atmosphere that allows clients to help themselves
the emphasis on personal growth
people are motivated to progress toward some ultimately satisfying state of being
Carl Rogers’ main ideas
- Was the first to popularize a “person-centred” approach to treating clients
- Was an early advocate of using groups as a form of therapy
- Maintained that each of us naturally strives to reach an optimal sense of satisfaction
- Believed in every individual’s potential for a fulfilling and happy life
applications of Carl Rogers’ ideas
- Expanded his ideas from his work with clients to a general theory of personality
- Applied the humanistic approach to social issues such as education and world peace
fully functioning people
those who achieve an optimal sense of satisfaction in their lives
characteristics of fully functioning people
- Open to new experiences
- Learn to trust their feelings
- Sensitive to the needs of others, but aren’t overly concerned with meeting societal standards
- Experience emotions more deeply and more intensely than most people
- Deal with their problems directly rather than relying on psychological defences to avoid them
why does anxiety occur according to Rogers?
Anxiety results from encountering information that is inconsistent with the way we think of ourselves
how do fully functioning people deal with inconsistent information?
they accept it
how do most people deal with inconsistent information?
they experience anxiety
Subception/ rationalization (Rogers)
processing threatening information at a level somewhere below consciousness
distortion (Rogers)
a reinterpretation of the situation to make it less threatening
what defence mechanism is Rogers’ distortion similar to?
rationalization
denial (Rogers)
refusing to accept facts
what defence mechanism is Rogers’ denial similar to?
denial
effects of distortion and denial
Distortion and denial often succeed in the short run by reducing anxiety, but in the long term, they take us further away from experiencing life fully
disorganization
a state when the gap between self-concept and reality becomes so large that even our defences are inadequate
what does disorganization lead to?
extreme anxiety
conditional positive regard
affection as long as one does what is expected of them
childhood and positive regard
Most children grow up in an atmosphere of conditional positive regard, making it hard to face the facts and incorporate relevant information as we develop a sense of who we are
effects of conditional positive regard in childhood
- Children learn to accept only the parts of themselves their parents deem appropriate
- This process continues as an adult
- As we lose touch with our real self, we become less fully functioning
- This results in an incongruent person
what is the cure for conditional positive regard?
unconditional positive regard
unconditional positive regard
knowing that one will be accepted no matter what they do
how did Rogers suggest parents communicate with their children?
Rogers advised parents to communicate that although they don’t approve of specific behaviour, they will always love and accept the child
Abraham Maslow
Argued that the needs that affect our behaviour depend on the circumstances of our lives
Maslow’s two types of motives
deficiency & growth motives
deficiency motives
result from a lack of some needed object
growth motives
satisfied by expressing the motive for the object we desire
example of a growth motive
Unselfishly giving love to another person
Hierarchy of needs
Maslow’s 5 basic categories of needs organized in order of prominence
how do we progress through the hierarchy of needs?
We typically attend to needs at the lower levels before turning to higher-level needs
what are Maslow’s 5 basic needs?
- physiological needs
- safety needs
- belongingness and love needs
- esteem needs
- self-actualization
physiological needs
the most demanding needs that must be satisfied before we can move to higher-level needs
examples of physiological needs
Hunger, thirst, air, and sleep
safety needs
needs that dominate our thoughts and actions when the future is unpredictable or when living in an area where social order is unstable
examples of safety needs
Security, stability, protection, order, and freedom from fear or chaos
belongingness and love needs
the need for friendship and love
maslow’s two types of love
D & B-love
D-love
- based on a deficiency in which we need love to satisfy emptiness
- Concerned with taking, not giving
B-love
- a non-possessive, unselfish love based on a growth need rather than a deficiency
- Grows as a result of being in a relationship
esteem needs
the need to achieve and maintain a positive sense of self-esteem
two subtypes of esteem needs
- The need to perceive oneself as competent and achieving
- The need for admiration and respect
self-actualization
when we identify our true self and reach our full potential
Maslow on the simplicity of the hierarchy of needs
Maslow acknowledged that the five-level hierarchy is an oversimplification
3 main misconceptions about the hierarchy of needs
- People assume that needs must be satisfied in order
- People assume that lower needs must be fully satisfied before we turn to higher needs
- People assume that any given behaviour is motivated by a single need
can people satisfy their needs out of order?
yes
do we often satisfy the five levels of Maslow’s hierarchy?
no
what % of Maslow’s needs are met?
For the average person in our culture, 85% of physiological needs, 70% of safety needs, 50% of belongingness and love needs, 40% of esteem needs, and 10% of self-actualization needs are met
how many needs motivate behaviour?
Maslow maintained that most behaviour is the result of multiple motivations
who was Maslow most interested in studying?
- Maslow studied psychologically healthy individuals to learn abot how individuals reach their true potential
- He turned to records of historical figures and interviews with people who he believed lived self-actualized lives
who did Maslow believe was self-actualized?
Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Albert Schweitzer
what approach did Maslow employ?
holistic analysis
holistic analysis
considering all of the information collected about an individual to arrive at general impressions of that person
Maslow’s findings about self-actualized people
- Tend to accept themselves for what they are
- Admit to personal weaknesses and work to improve themselves where they can
- Don’t spend a lot of time worrying about things they might have done
- Respect and feel good about themselves for what they are
- Are less restricted by cultural norms and customs than the average person
- Express their thoughts and desires in a way that suits them, regardless of whether society approves
- Often dress, live, and spend their free time differently than the typical citizen
- Display self-actualizing creativity
- Have a few, deep and rewarding friendships
- Have a philosophical, unhostile sense of humour
- Have a strong need for solitude
- Tend to have peak experiences
self-actualizing creativity
exhibiting novel approaches in routine tasks
peak experiences
the transcendence of time and place
self-actualizers who don’t have peak experiences
- have a clear direction in their lives
- are the social world improvers, politicians, workers of society, reformers, and crusaders
self-actualizers who have peak experiences
- less conventional and more concerned about abstract notions
- tend to be less conventional and are more likely to write poetry, music, philosophy, and religious texts
who outlined the psychology of optimal experiences?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
optimal experience (flow)
a state of happiness and satisfaction characterized by the absorption in a challenging and personally rewarding task
are optimal experiences easy?
Most optimal experiences are quite demanding
flow across cultures
People of all ages and cultures tend to describe flow similarly
Eight components of optimal experience
- the activity is challenging and requires skill
- one’s attention is completely absorbed by the activity
- the activity has clear goals
- there is clear feedback
- one can concentrate only on the task at hand
- one acheives a sense of personal control
- one loses self-consciousness
- one loses a sense of time
when are we more likely to have flow-like experiences?
- Certain people have flow-like experiences when engaging in recreational activities
- Flow experiences are more likely to happen when people are at work than during off hours
flow and challenges
A challenging job creates numerous opportunities to experience mastery and accomplishment
flow in high-school students
High school students are most content when they face academic assignments that are challenging but within their power to accomplish
flow in intrinsically-motivated undergraduates
Intrinsically motivated undergraduates were more likely to lose track of time and to report that study time passed more quickly than those who were less interested in the learning experience
what aspect of flow provides enjoyment
the struggle and experience of acheiving a goal
how do we acheive happiness according to Csikszentmihalyi?
Happiness comes from taking control of our lives rather than caving in to conventional standards or demands from others
strenghts of the humanistic approach
- Emphasizes the healthy side of personality
- Has had a huge impact on the way psychologists approach therapy
- Has influenced many other domains, such as education, business, and communication
criticisms of the humanistic approach
- Relies on the concept of free will to explain human behaviour
- Many key concepts are poorly defined
- Lack of scientific rigour
- Limited applicability of humanistic psychotherapy techniques
- Makes overly naive assumptions about human nature
benefit of optimal experiences
They are occasions for personal growth
characteristics of an existential crisis
- An increased sense of struggle
- Painful emotions like despair or regret
- Withdrawal from activities or people
- Questioning long-held beliefs, including but not limited to religious faith
- Panic attacks
what happens when we overrely on defences according to Rogers?
neurosis
neurosis (Rogers)
- rigidity in perceptions, overgeneralizations, and black-and-white thinking
- not really dealing with the threats themselves
two types of psychologically healthy individuals
nonpeakers & peakers
