Humanistic Approach Flashcards
free will
- people are not affected by external or internal influences
- but are active agents who have the ability to determine out own development
= we have a choice in what actions + behaviours we carry out
self-actualisation
- occurs when a person reaches their full potential
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
base/ basic needs:
- physiological needs = food, water, warmth, rest
- safety needs = security + safety
middle/ psychological needs:
- belongingness + love needs = intimate relationships, friends
- esteem needs:
- prestige + feeling of accomplishment
self-fulfillment needs:
- self actualisation = achieving one’s full potential, including creative activities
the self
- this is your concept of you and how you perceive yourself
- is based on how much self-worth you think you have
(it is also the basis of your self-esteem)
congruence
this is the fit/match/comparability/consistency between the perceived or actual self + ideal self (the self you would like to be)
conditions of worth
when others impose conditions on individuals in what to do or how to behave in order to love and accept them
the influence on counselling psychology
- Rogers claimed that an individual’s psychological problems were a direct result of the conditional positive regard they receive from other people
- through taking a client-centres approach to counselling
= an individual can take a positive step towards resolving their issues + achieve self actualisation
= close the gap of incongruence between self-concept + ideal self - role of therapist is to provide unconditional positive regard to the client
= does this through expressive acceptance, empathy etc.. - the counsellor accepts the client’s feelings
= offers them unconditional positive regard
= not imposing conditions of worth - 3 core conditions:
- empathetic understanding
- unconditional positive regard
- congruent
3 core conditions for therapist + client relationship
- 3 core conditions:
- empathetic understanding:
- therapist should aim to understand the reality of experience for the client + enter into their world
- unconditional positive regard:
- acceptance + prizing of the client by the therapist, fro who they are w/out conditions of worth
- congruent:
- a congruent therapist who is in touch w/ their own feelings
strengths
- holism
- personal development
weaknesses
- untestable concepts
- limited application
- cultural bias
holism - strengths
- humanistic psychs don’t show reductionism
= they practice holism - it is not a reductionist approach
- the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person
= more validity than e.g. psychodynamic or behaviourist approach
= considers more meaningful human behaviour within its real life context
personal development - strengths
- humanistic approach allows for personal development + change throughout lifespan
- acknowledges that we can change as a consequence of our environment
= complete opposite of psychodynamic approach
= which states that childhood experiences lead to our destiny
untestable concepts - weaknesses
- humanistic psych doesn’t include a number of vague ideas = abstract + difficult to test
- concepts e.g. self-actualisation + congruence
= may be useful therapeutic tools, but would prove problematic to assess under experimental conditions - approach is described as anti-scientific
- so it’s short of empirical research evidence to support its claims
limited application - weaknesses
- there is very little real-world application
- the approach has had limited impact within the discipline of psych as a whole
- this may be due to humanistic psych lacking a sound evidence-base
- also due to the fact that the approach has been described as a loose set of rather abstract concepts
- rather than a comprehensive theory
cultural bias - weaknesses
- many of the ideas that are central to humanistic approach
- e.g. individual freedom, autonomy, personal growth etc..
= more associated w/ individualistic cultured in Western world e.g. USA - collectivist cultures e.g. India
= emphasise the needs of the group, community + interdependence - may not easily identify w/ the ideals of humanistic psych e.g. self actualisation
= therefore this approach wouldn’t be accepted cross-cultural
= suffers from Western centred cultural bias
