Humanism (School of Thought) Flashcards
prior to humanism, previous schools of thought have been criticised for what reason ?
being ‘reductionist’ or ‘deterministic’ in their approaches to human behaviour
state 2 facts about reductionism
- a complex system an be understood by studying its component parts
- complex systems can be reduced to the study of individual constituents
state a fact about deterministic
every human act and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedent states of affairs
the humanistic approach to psychology can be described as holism - state 2 facts about holism
- an organism is a living whole greater than the sum of its parts
- a complex system cannot be meaningfully explained by examining component parts in isolation
what is the humanistic view on scientific methods ?
scientific methods are inappropriate for studying humans
what is the humanistic view on interpreting behaviour ?
behaviour should not only be interpreted through the eyes of the observer, but also through the eyes of the person engaging in this behaviour
what is it meant by the ‘phenomenological viewpoint’ ?
psychology should be concerned with subjective conscious experiences of the individual (phenomenological viewpoint)
what is the emphasis of humanistic interventions ? (2 points)
- emphasis on the uniqueness of humans and their freedom to choose their own destiny
- psychology should be about helping people to maximise their own potential for psychological growth
state what the 4 basic assumptions of humanistic psychology are
- humans aren’t solely the product of their environment and their perceptions of the world
- humans possess ‘personal agency’ (free will) over their actions
- all humans have the potential to strive for optimal growth and functioning
- humans are internally directed and motivated to fulfil their potential
state 3 introductory facts to what ‘Carl Rogers’ believed in his humanistic approach
- believed people are basically good
- individuals are unique and have need for positive regard
- humans have an ‘actualising tendency’
state what it is meant by the key term - actualising tendency
a motive which drives us towards growth and development
what is it meant by ‘personal agency’ ?
personal agency = free will
state, and explain, the two parts of ‘the self’ as identified by Carl Rogers
perceived self - person’s view of themselves, acquired through experience of what makes I/me
ideal self - how an individual would like to be viewed
how does Carl Rogers define ‘Psychological Health’ ?
psychological health is achieved when both versions of ‘the self’ (perceived and ideal) are comparable
what theory did Card Rogers come up with ?
‘Client Centred Therapy’
state 3 introductory facts about Carl Rogers’ client centred therapy
- believed clients (not patients) have the capacity and drive to help themselves if given the right circumstances
- facilitators (not therapists) creases an accepting atmosphere and adopts a non-directive approach
- clients take control of identifying solutions, and facilitators withholding judgement of the solutions
in Carl Rogers’ client centred therapy, clients are facilitated in gaining what 3 things ?
- an insight into their problems
- recognition of their own strengths and weaknesses
- identification of real vs imagined (self-imposed) constraints
state 2 introductory facts to Abraham Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’
- humans have the capacity to strive to reach their potential
- he was interested in the behaviour that promoted the role of ‘motives’ (2 types of motives)
define ‘deficiency motives’
Deficiency motives are basic human needs which must be fulfilled to allow basic human functioning. If these are not met, negative functioning (eg - mental health problems) can occur
define ‘growth motives’
Growth motives are human drives to develop beyond the ‘status quo’ and progress towards a higher level of human functioning. These motives explain the tendency to grow
from bottom to top, state the 5 levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
- physiological needs
- safety and security
- love and belonging
- self-esteem
- self-actualisation
what are the deficiency and growth motives from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ?
deficiency - physiological needs, safety and security, love and belonging
growth - self-esteem, self-actualisation
define ‘self-actualisation’
self-actualisation is the full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentials, etc…
state an expansionary fact about ‘self-actualisation’
it is not an end state, but an ongoing process of realising one’s own potential by doing what the individual is capable of
what should an athlete always be within a humanistic intervention ?
an active participant
what should humanistic interventions always be ?
client centred, and focus on the athlete developing self-awareness, growth and development, etc…
According to ‘Lombardo’s Humanistic Model of Coaching’ in 1999, the goals of the athlete should always come before the coach. State 3 facts to explain this
- coach should act as a guide
- coach should remember what it’s like to be an athlete
- must challenge athletes by asking ‘meaningful questions’
as a result of the factors of effective coaching stated by Lombardo in his book, what is the result ?
as a result, athletes remain more enthusiastic and passionate about their sport, also reducing the risk of burnout at a young age
define ‘positive psychology’
positive psychology is psychology dedicated to building the best things in life whilst healing the worst (Martin Seligman)
the client-practitioner relationship can also be termed what ?
the ‘therapeutic alliance’
what must psychologists never do ?
sexually, emotionally or financially exploit the client
what are the 3 key foundations of any ‘therapeutic alliance’ as stated by Carl Rogers ?
- genuineness
- non-judgemental caring
- empathy
state 2 facts about what Carl Rogers meant by ‘genuineness’
- requires therapist to be authentic, honest and sincere
- doesn’t put on a professional facade
- congruent in feelings, thoughts and behaviours towards the client
- appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication
state 2 facts about what Carl Rogers meant by ‘non-judgemental caring’
- unconditional positive regard (complex, uncensored acceptance)
- non-threatening and secure environment is essential for the client to become vulnerable to the facilitator
state 2 facts about what Carl Rogers meant by ‘empathy’
- expression of communication with the client
- able to share client expressions
- demonstrate interest and importance of the experiences to the client
how does ‘the self’ develop ?
the self develops as a result of an organisms interaction with the environment as it strives to maintain and enhance itself
explain the effect of ‘downward comparisons’ (2 points)
- make us feel better and provide us with a favourable yardstick
- temporarily improves self view, LT fails to develop role models and information of how to improve oneself
explain the effect of ‘upward comparisons’
can make oneself feel inadequate and unhappy at themselves
explain the effect of internal focus on self acceptance (2 points)
- moving to an internal focus can be achieved by encouraging ‘task involvement’ and discouraging ‘ego involvement’ in the individual
- this narrows the gap between the perceived and ideal self
state 2 examples of techniques to convey empathy and trust
- reflection
2. mirroring
what is the issue with empirical methods of studying humanistic psychology ? (2 points)
- creates an ‘illusion’ that humans can effectively be studied as objects without regard of human complexity
- can’t use quantitative as study’s variables in isolation –> humanistic view is holism
what is the benefit of viewing effort as success rather than the outcome ?
allows an athlete to set their own standards which, in turn, helps them feel happier
