chapter 17 - humanistic psychology Flashcards
what are the socio-cultural factors that influenced Humanistic Psychology?
- the acceleration of the Vietnam War and the antiwar movement
- assassinations of JFK, Robert Kennedy, and MLK Jr
- violent, racist protests occurred in a number of major cities; hippies and college students were in open rebellion against values of their parents and their nation
- found little worth in believing (Skeptics) and dropped out of society to seek a simpler life (Cynics)
- by mid-20th century, structuralism had disappeared as a school, and functionalism and Gestalt psychology had lost their distinctiveness as schools
- by 1950s and early 60s, only behaviorism and psychoanalysis remained as influential; many saw them as incomplete, distorted, or both during these times
- needed a new view of psychology, one that emphasized neither mind nor body but the human spirit
how is Humanistic Psychology a reaction to behaviorism and psychoanalysis?
- Maslow and others claimed that behaviorism and psychoanalysis neglected a number of important human attributes
- by applying the techniques used in natural sciences to the study of humans, behaviorism likened humans to lower animals or computing machines
- for behaviorists, there was nothing unique about humans
- major argument against psychoanalysis was that it concentrated mainly on emotionally disturbed people and on developing techniques for making people normal; was missing information that would help the healthy become healthier
- needed a model of humans that emphasized their uniqueness and their positive aspects
what is the nature of human nature according to Maslow?
according to Maslow’s theory, humans are compelled to satisfy physiological needs first to pursue higher levels of intrinsic satisfaction. to advance higher-level needs in Maslow’s hierarchy, physiological needs must be met first
what role does the subjective experience play in Existential and Humanistic Psychology?
humanistic psychology is a positive approach that theorizes that each individual’s subjective experience is the central factor in behavior. individuals have free will and because of this, individuals must take personal responsibility in order to grow
existential psychology assumes that humans have free will and self-awareness. humans are self-actualizing beings with great capacities for growth. as subjective life experiences change, so does the individual and the self-identity.
what are the similarities and differences between Humanistic and Existential Psychology?
Similarities:
- humans have free will and are responsible for their actions
- to study humans, you must study the intact subjective experience
- to be understood, the human must be studied as a whole
- humans are unique, so animal research is of limited use for the understanding of humans
- anything learned about one human is of limited use for the understanding of others
- living an authentic life is better than living an inauthentic one
- due to free will and other unique attributes, humans cannot be effectively studied using just traditional scientific methodology
Differences:
- humanists assume that people are basically good, and with a healthy environment, they will naturally live in harmony with others
- humanists see actualizing tendency as the major motivation in life; innate and continually drives a person to events conducive to self-actualization
- humanists are more optimistic yet does not dwell on the importance of death
- existentialists see human nature as neutral
- existentialists believe that humans create meaning by effectively making choices
- existentialists prioritize the role of death
- existentialists believe that we are only born with the freedom to choose the nature of our existence
how would Humanistic Psychologists describe the causes of human behavior and thought?
humanistic psychologists are not primarily concerned with instinctual drives. they consider conscious choices, responses to internal needs, and current circumstances to be important in shaping human behavior
how did Maslow come up with the ideas of self-actualization and the hierarchy of needs?
- Maslow’s main point was that being scientific and studying psychological problems were only a part of psychology
- psychology needs to attempt to understand humans who are in the process of reaching their full potential; we need to know how such people think and what motivates them
- believed that psychology no longer should emphasize the study of lower animals and psychologically disturbed individuals; to remedy this, he studied a number of people he thought were self-actualizing
- for the hierarchy of needs, if the lower needs are satisfied, one can deal with the next higher need to reach self-actualization
what is a fully functioning person and how does development play a role in this?
Characteristics:
- congruence of self and experience
- open to experience
- willingness to change self-concept
- trust their feelings and judgements
Development:
- according to Rogers, personality develops amongst the relationship between our own needs and the needs of our society/our relationships with our parents
- influenced by Horney; need for positive regard
- unconditional positive regard (ideal, unconditional loves) -> positive seld regard (feel you are worthy and good enough)
- conditional positive regard (bad, parents withhold love and attnetion) -> conditions of worth (acceptance based on relying on approval of others)
- when people are living in accordance with their organismic valuing process, they are fully functioning
what are the connections between Rogers and Horney’s ideas?
Horney’s who we wish we were vs who we actually are. the real and ideal self with some overlap being good but too many differences being bad
Roger’s congruence and incongruence. being true to your own feelings or not
They both emphasize the striving after wholeheartedness, refer to being authentic and genuine in one’s life and work
