Humanism (School of Thought)

Question 1

prior to humanism, previous schools of thought have been criticised for what reason ?

Answer 1

being ‘reductionist’ or ‘deterministic’ in their approaches to human behaviour

Question 2

state 2 facts about reductionism

Answer 2

1. a complex system an be understood by studying its component parts
2. complex systems can be reduced to the study of individual constituents

Question 3

state a fact about deterministic

Answer 3

every human act and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedent states of affairs

Question 4

the humanistic approach to psychology can be described as holism - state 2 facts about holism

Answer 4

1. an organism is a living whole greater than the sum of its parts
2. a complex system cannot be meaningfully explained by examining component parts in isolation

Question 5

what is the humanistic view on scientific methods ?

Answer 5

scientific methods are inappropriate for studying humans

Question 6

what is the humanistic view on interpreting behaviour ?

Answer 6

behaviour should not only be interpreted through the eyes of the observer, but also through the eyes of the person engaging in this behaviour

Question 7

what is it meant by the ‘phenomenological viewpoint’ ?

Answer 7

psychology should be concerned with subjective conscious experiences of the individual (phenomenological viewpoint)

Question 8

what is the emphasis of humanistic interventions ? (2 points)

Answer 8

1. emphasis on the uniqueness of humans and their freedom to choose their own destiny
2. psychology should be about helping people to maximise their own potential for psychological growth

Question 9

state what the 4 basic assumptions of humanistic psychology are

Answer 9

1. humans aren’t solely the product of their environment and their perceptions of the world
2. humans possess ‘personal agency’ (free will) over their actions
3. all humans have the potential to strive for optimal growth and functioning
4. humans are internally directed and motivated to fulfil their potential

Question 10

state 3 introductory facts to what ‘Carl Rogers’ believed in his humanistic approach

Answer 10

1. believed people are basically good
2. individuals are unique and have need for positive regard
3. humans have an ‘actualising tendency’

Question 11

state what it is meant by the key term - actualising tendency

Answer 11

a motive which drives us towards growth and development

Question 12

what is it meant by ‘personal agency’ ?

Answer 12

personal agency = free will

Question 13

state, and explain, the two parts of ‘the self’ as identified by Carl Rogers

Answer 13

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

Question 14

how does Carl Rogers define ‘Psychological Health’ ?

Answer 14

psychological health is achieved when both versions of ‘the self’ (perceived and ideal) are comparable

Question 15

what theory did Card Rogers come up with ?

Answer 15

‘Client Centred Therapy’

Question 16

state 3 introductory facts about Carl Rogers’ client centred therapy

Answer 16

1. believed clients (not patients) have the capacity and drive to help themselves if given the right circumstances
2. facilitators (not therapists) creases an accepting atmosphere and adopts a non-directive approach
3. clients take control of identifying solutions, and facilitators withholding judgement of the solutions

Question 17

in Carl Rogers’ client centred therapy, clients are facilitated in gaining what 3 things ?

Answer 17

1. an insight into their problems
2. recognition of their own strengths and weaknesses
3. identification of real vs imagined (self-imposed) constraints

Question 18

state 2 introductory facts to Abraham Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’

Answer 18

1. humans have the capacity to strive to reach their potential
2. he was interested in the behaviour that promoted the role of ‘motives’ (2 types of motives)

Question 19

define ‘deficiency motives’

Answer 19

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

Question 20

define ‘growth motives’

Answer 20

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

Question 21

from bottom to top, state the 5 levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 21

1. physiological needs
2. safety and security
3. love and belonging
4. self-esteem
5. self-actualisation

Question 22

what are the deficiency and growth motives from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ?

Answer 22

deficiency - physiological needs, safety and security, love and belonging

growth - self-esteem, self-actualisation

Question 23

define ‘self-actualisation’

Answer 23

self-actualisation is the full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentials, etc…

Question 24

state an expansionary fact about ‘self-actualisation’

Answer 24

it is not an end state, but an ongoing process of realising one’s own potential by doing what the individual is capable of

Question 25

what should an athlete always be within a humanistic intervention ?

Answer 25

an active participant

Question 26

what should humanistic interventions always be ?

Answer 26

client centred, and focus on the athlete developing self-awareness, growth and development, etc…

Question 27

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

Answer 27

1. coach should act as a guide
2. coach should remember what it’s like to be an athlete
3. must challenge athletes by asking ‘meaningful questions’

Question 28

as a result of the factors of effective coaching stated by Lombardo in his book, what is the result ?

Answer 28

as a result, athletes remain more enthusiastic and passionate about their sport, also reducing the risk of burnout at a young age

Question 29

define ‘positive psychology’

Answer 29

positive psychology is psychology dedicated to building the best things in life whilst healing the worst (Martin Seligman)

Question 30

the client-practitioner relationship can also be termed what ?

Answer 30

the ‘therapeutic alliance’

Question 31

what must psychologists never do ?

Answer 31

sexually, emotionally or financially exploit the client

Question 32

what are the 3 key foundations of any ‘therapeutic alliance’ as stated by Carl Rogers ?

Answer 32

1. genuineness
2. non-judgemental caring
3. empathy

Question 33

state 2 facts about what Carl Rogers meant by ‘genuineness’

Answer 33

1. requires therapist to be authentic, honest and sincere
2. doesn’t put on a professional facade
3. congruent in feelings, thoughts and behaviours towards the client
4. appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication

Question 34

state 2 facts about what Carl Rogers meant by ‘non-judgemental caring’

Answer 34

1. unconditional positive regard (complex, uncensored acceptance)
2. non-threatening and secure environment is essential for the client to become vulnerable to the facilitator

Question 35

state 2 facts about what Carl Rogers meant by ‘empathy’

Answer 35

1. expression of communication with the client
2. able to share client expressions
3. demonstrate interest and importance of the experiences to the client

Question 36

how does ‘the self’ develop ?

Answer 36

the self develops as a result of an organisms interaction with the environment as it strives to maintain and enhance itself

Question 37

explain the effect of ‘downward comparisons’ (2 points)

Answer 37

1. make us feel better and provide us with a favourable yardstick
2. temporarily improves self view, LT fails to develop role models and information of how to improve oneself

Question 38

explain the effect of ‘upward comparisons’

Answer 38

can make oneself feel inadequate and unhappy at themselves

Question 39

explain the effect of internal focus on self acceptance (2 points)

Answer 39

1. moving to an internal focus can be achieved by encouraging ‘task involvement’ and discouraging ‘ego involvement’ in the individual
2. this narrows the gap between the perceived and ideal self

Question 40

state 2 examples of techniques to convey empathy and trust

Answer 40

1. reflection

2. mirroring

Question 41

what is the issue with empirical methods of studying humanistic psychology ? (2 points)

Answer 41

1. creates an ‘illusion’ that humans can effectively be studied as objects without regard of human complexity
2. can’t use quantitative as study’s variables in isolation –> humanistic view is holism

Question 42

what is the benefit of viewing effort as success rather than the outcome ?

Answer 42

allows an athlete to set their own standards which, in turn, helps them feel happier