Humanistic approach Flashcards
Basic assumptions
Scientific method is too objective to understand humans who think and act subjectively
We are all different and so should be treated as unique individuals
People should be viewed holistically (as a whole person rather than just elements of a person e.g. childhood or love life)
People are free to choose their own course of action, that is, they have free will
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943)
Describes the 5 needs which must be achieved in order to promote personal growth
Physiological : food, water, sleep
Safety: shelter, health, employment
Love/belonging: family, friendship, sexual intimacy
Esteem: confidence, respect for self and others
Self-actualisation: an innate drive to meet your full potential, experiencing an ultimate feeling of satisfaction and completeness.
Self-actualisation
Refers to the innate tendency that each of us has to want to achieve our full potential and become the best we can possibly be
Not a permanent state and is only achieved when the first four basic needs are met and maintained
Self-actualising characteristics
Tolerating uncertainty
Being highly creative
Accepting oneself/others as they are
Strong moral standards
Carl rogers focus on self
The self (or self concept) refers to how we’re perceive ourselves as a person
Rogers suggested that we have 3 selves which need to integrate to achieve self-actualisation
3 selves
Self-concept
Ideal self
Real self
Self-concept
The way you see yourself and is affected by self esteem (e.g. low self esteem may lead to feeling less capable)
Ideal self
This is the self you want to be (e.g. I wish I I was more outgoing)
Real self
The self you actually are, not who you think you are (e.g. what others see of you such as being kind or generous)
Congruence
When there is similarity between a person’s self-concept and ideal self, a state of congruence exists
This leads to good psychological health and a greater feeling of self-worth
If there is a difference between the self concept and ideal self, the person experiences a state of discomfort or incongruence
Most people experience some degree of incongruence and use defence mechanisms to feel less threatened
Conditions of worth
Unconditional positive regard is when a person is accepted for who they are or what they do
Conditions of worth are developed when people experience conditional positive regard
These are the requirements that an individual feels they need to meet in order to be loved by others (e.g. achieving good school grades)
If an individual feels they need to meet these conditions of worth in order to be loved, they will struggle to achieve congruence
Strength of humanistic approach h
Holistic
Which is when an approach considers the whole person (past, present and future) when explaining human behaviour
E.g. the humanistic approach rejects any attempt to break up behaviour into smaller components
This approach may have more validity than its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-life context
Limitation of approach p
Limited practical application
Which is when the principles of an approach are put into practice outside of the laboratory
E.g. the approach has had some influence on counselling and has been used to explain motivation in the workplace, however, it remains to have had little impact within the discipline of psychology as a whole
This may be due to the approach lacking strong supporting evidence and due to the approach being described as not a comprehensive theory but a ‘loose set of abstract concepts’.
Limitation of approach c
Culture bias
When an approach inappropriately judges behaviour from a particular cultural perspective
E.g. may ideas central to the approach (individual freedom & personal growth) are more associated with individualistic cultures. Collective cultures (India) emphasise the needs of the group and interdependence, may not identify with the ideals and values of the approach
Causes us to question validity of the approach as it doesn’t explain all human behaviour fairly and is therefore a product of the cultural context in which it was developed.
Limitation u
Unscientific and unfalsifiable
When an approach is based on unscientific and subjective concepts
Due to approach being based upon vague and abstract ideas which are difficult to test. In particular concepts such as ‘congruence’ are problematic to asses under experimental conditions as they rely heavily on participants describing their own thoughts of themselves
All of which undermines the accuracy of the humanistic approach.
