Humanism Flashcards
Humanism is known as the ‘third force’ in Psychology alongside what other approaches?
Behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches.
What is humanism referred to as?
A person-centred approach.
Outline key assumptions of the humanist approach.
Every individual is unique and we should be treated as such.
Free-will takes place.
People are viewed holistically and ideographically.
The scientific method is not appropriate to measure behaviour, as humans are subjective; there is no point looking at a specific aspect of an individual.
There is no point trying to generalise to groups, as there are so many differences within each group.
This approach is unlikely to try and generalise groups of people and subdivide the population into clusters that share a characteristic, e.g. age, gender.
Don’t agree with focusing on childhood in therapy - they believe that the whole life course should be considered.
What did Carl Rogers believe about Freud?
Carl Rogers believed that Freud had dealt with the “sick half” of Psychology, so the humanistic approach focused on explanations of ‘healthy’ growth in individuals.
What is free-will?
The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces. (Flanagan et al 2016).
Ultimately this means that we are in charge of how we develop and progress through life.
What did Lawton and Willard state in 2015 about free-will?
Acknowledge that there are some constraints on the choices available to an individual (number of options are reduced), so it is not always the case that the person behaves how they would have preferred.
Who founded Humanism?
Abraham Maslow.
What did Maslow do?
Known for his hierarchy of needs.
We seek first to have our basic needs satisfied (e.g. hunger and safety) after this has been achieved we are driven by “higher” motives such as love, belonging and knowledge.
How does Maslow know that the hierarchy of needs is valid?
Studied mentally healthy individuals and observed that people experience “peak experiences”.
Peak experiences are high points in life when the individual is in harmony with themselves and the world around them.
What is self-actualisation?
A belief of the humanistic approach is that everyone has an innate tendency/ drive to reach their full potential - this is called ‘self-actualisation’.
Both Rogers and Maslow believed that individuals self-actualise in their own unique way.
Self-actualisation is the ultimate feeling of well-being and satisfaction, although others describe it as ecstasy or a religious/ spiritual experience.
What is a self-actualised state like?
Reality centred, creative, healthy, happy, humble and accurately perceived individuals.
Does everyone achieve self-actualisation?
No.
What did Carl Rogers find? What did he develop? What terms did he use?
Founder of the client-centred therapy.
Developed the idea of ‘self-concept’.
Brought about the terms conditional and unconditional positive regard.
Worked on the ‘self’, or the ‘selves’.
How has Rogers benefited psychology?
He has been extremely influential and has played a major role in the development of counselling and psychotherapy.
What did Williams James state in 1982?
“Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is.”