Humanism (Maslow)

Question 1

When did Maslow rise to prominence?

Answer 1

In the 1960’s and 70’s when his theory of human needs and concept of self-actualisation became influential

Question 2

What did Maslow state that human motivation is based on?

Answer 2

People seeking fulfilment and change through personal growth
Also characterised the human condition as one of wanting - we are always desiring something

Question 3

What did Maslow conceptualise these wantings into?

Answer 3

A hierarchy of five needs made up of basic or deficiency needs and growth needs

Question 4

What five needs did Maslow outline?

Answer 4

Physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, self-esteem needs and self-actualisation needs - traditionally represented on a pyramid where basic needs must be met before other needs can be dealt with

Question 5

What are physiological needs?

Answer 5

Strong, basic needs deriving from biology and relate directly to the survival of the individual

Question 6

What are safety needs?

Answer 6

Include the need for security, protection and stability - relate to freedom from fear

Question 7

What are belongingness and love needs?

Answer 7

Reflect the assumption that we are social animals and need to be with people and be loved by someome

Question 8

What are self-esteem needs?

Answer 8

To do with self-respect and regard from other people

Question 9

What are self-actualisation needs?

Answer 9

To do with realising full potential

Question 10

What re the first four needs?

Answer 10

Deficiency needs - according to Maslow it is only when these needs are satisfied that a person can attempt to satisfy their self-actualisation needs

Question 11

What do some argue about the hierarchy?

Answer 11

It oversimplifies human needs and behaviour and that the four deficiency needs don’t have to be fully satisfied before moving onto self-actualisation as human behaviour may be partially satisfying a number of needs at the same time (only in extreme poverty and deprivation is a person motivate by just physiological needs)

Question 12

What is the growth need of self-actualisation?

Answer 12

Refers to the need for personal growth present throughout a person’s life
For Maslow a person is always becoming and does not remain static
With self-actualisation a person comes to find a meaning life that is important to them

Question 13

What does the growth include?

Answer 13

Striving for goodness
Helping others
Seeking truth and justice
Striving to create beauty and order

Question 14

Why did Maslow believe some people feared self-actualisation and what is this called?

Answer 14

As it brings duties and responsibilities for the individual

The idea that some people fear being their best or reaching their potential is called the Jonah complex

Question 15

What is the difference in the Jonah complex in males and females?

Answer 15

In males the complex shows itself as a wish to avoid responsibility or a belief that does not bring social recognition
In females the complex I said to show itself as a reluctance to use intellectual abilities and the fear of being successful in career

Question 16

What did Crawford and Maracek and later Hyland criticise?

Answer 16

The idea that females fear success
C+M say that females are often wrongly judges against male norms of competition and winning
H stated that females do not display the Jonah complex if judged against female norms which include the making and sustaining of friendships

Question 17

What did Maslow conduct extensive but unscientific research on?

Answer 17

People he categorised as self-actualisers

Question 18

What did he define self-actualisers as?

Answer 18

People who are fulfilled and use their abilities to the fullest (this is subjective)

Question 19

What did Maslow state were the three pre-conditions for a person to be a self-actualiser?

Answer 19

Absence of restraints, no or little distraction from deficiency needs and a good knowledge of themselves

Question 20

What characteristics did Maslow identify in self-actualisers?

Answer 20

Perceptive, accepting of others, spontaneous, problem-centred, autonomous, creative, sense of humour, democratic, detached, private

Question 21

What was Maslow’s idea of peak experience?

Answer 21

These are feelings of ecstasy or a deep and satisfying sense of fulfilment that causes a feeling of timelessnesss
They often happen spontaneously and aren’t frequent - during a peak experience the person experiences an absence of deficiency needs - peak experience may change a person’s life.
Some regard it as religious and some as an event of major significance in their life

Question 22

What did both theories regard people as?

Answer 22

Essentially good and viewed human nature as positive

Both also view people as active, creative and constantly seeking to express themselves

Question 23

What did both theories believe about personal growth?

Answer 23

People seek personal growth and may suffer psychologically if they are not able to grow and change psychologically in a positive way throughout their life
Saw it as a basic human motive - includes self-actualisation which is about psychological growth, fulfilment and satisfaction in life

Question 24

What is the humanist approach known as?

Answer 24

The ‘third force’ in psychology - it has rejected both the behaviourist and psychodynamic approach due to them being deterministic and dehumanising

Question 25

Why do humanists regard scientific method as inappropriate for understanding and studying people?

Answer 25

Due to the focus on person and personal experience and the subjective perception of the world

Question 26

How did Maslow identify self-actualisers in his research into healthy personality?

Answer 26

Didn’t adopt a rigorous scientific approach - he interviewed people he thought were self-actualisers and made his own judgements on the characteristics of these people - self actualisers were not compared with none self-actualisers

Question 27

What did Shostrum develop?

Answer 27

A standardised personality questionnaire to measure self-actualisation - this is called the Personal Orientation Inventory that consists of 150 fixed choice items - the result of scoring reveals the degree to which a person self-actualises in their life

Question 28

What has research shown about those who score low on self-actualisation?

Answer 28

They experience poor inter-personal relationships

Creative thinking has been shown to be associated more with high self-actualisers