evaluation of humanist approach

Question 1

Positive (not simplistic)

Answer 1

-not reductionist
-rejects attempts to break up behaviour into smaller parts
-advocated holism
-higher validity, meaningful behaviour in real world context
-maslows heirachy takes multiple things into accounts
-better than other approaches used

Question 2

Positive (happy approach)

Answer 2

-its optimistic
-promotes positive image of human condition
-contrasts psychodynamic where freud saw humans as prisoners of past
-humanists saw people as innatley good and wants to work towards self actualisation
-refreshing alternative

Question 3

positive- real world approaches

Answer 3

-links to economic development
-maslows heirachy has relevance on a much larger stage than individual growth
-hagerty looked at relationship between economic growth and measure of maslows levels in 88 countries over 34 years
-found countries in lower development= earlier stages
-only advanced stages that self actualisation became important

Question 4

negative (contrast to reductionist)

Answer 4

-reductionist processes are more scientific
-ideal of science experiment is experiment, must have independant and dependant variables
-humanistic is short on empircal evidence

Question 5

negative (culture)

Answer 5

-culture bias
-many ideas that are central e.g. individual freedom, personal growth associated with countries like US that are more individualist
-countries with collectivist tendancies emphasise more needs of interdependance
-e.g. china (nevis 1998) found self actualisation defined more as contributions to community

Question 6

negative - unrealistic

Answer 6

-overly idealised and unrealistic view of human nature
-critics say humans arent “inheritantly good” as humanists say
-approach doesnt recognise pessimism and self destructive behaviour
-idea that development stems from innate potential for growth is over simplistic
-encouraging people to focus on self development rather than situational forces neither realistic or appropraite