Humanistic approach

Question 1

Why does the humanistic approach have no research

Answer 1

Everyone is unique so there can be no general rules

Question 2

What approach/es did humanism aim to replace and as such what is it also known as

Answer 2

aimed to replace - behaviourism and psychodynamic
It is dubbed the ‘third force’ because of this

Question 3

Explain why humanistic theories follow the idiographic approach

Answer 3

Humanistic theories are concerned with human experiences, uniqueness, meaning, freedom and choice

Question 4

What are the key features of the humanistic approach

Answer 4

• Free will
• Self-actualisation/ hierarchy of needs
• congruence
• conditions of worth

Question 5

How many key features are in the humanistic approach

Answer 5

4/5

Question 6

Give the assumptions of the humanistic approach

Answer 6

• Humanists believe everyone is unique, so psychologists should focus on the subjective experiences, feelings and thoughts of a person.
• Humanism is idiographic - we must study humans’ uniqueness rather than look for laws
• Humanism is the closest to a free will approach in psychology.
• Personal growth is a key concept

Question 7

define free will

Answer 7

free will is the notion that humans can make choices and their behaviour/ thoughts are not determined by internal (biological) or external forces.

Question 8

What key feature is Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs connected to

Answer 8

self-actualisation

Question 9

define self-actualisation

Answer 9

self-actualisation is the desire to grow psychologically and fufil one’s potential

Question 10

What is Mazlow’s heirarchy

Answer 10

Mazlow’s hierarchy is a hierarchy of needs.
It is a 5-levelled hierarchial sequence in which basic physiological needs must be satisfied before higher psychological needs can be achieved

Question 11

State the levels of Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs

with examples

Answer 11

• Base = largest = physiological needs = air, water, food, sleep
• 2nd level = safety needs = health, employment, personal security
• 3rd level = love and belonging = friendship, family, sense of connection
• 4th level = esteem needs = respect, freedom, self-esteem
• 5th level = Top = self actualisation = desire to fufil potential

Question 12

How does Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs work

Answer 12

• As each need is satisfied, the person may go up the hierarchy and attempt to satisfy the next need.
• The first 4 levels are called deficiency needs and the 5th is called a growth need
• Self-actualisation therefore can only take place if the lower needs are satisfied.

Question 13

what ways does Rogers say self-actualisation can be achieved

Answer 13

• practicing acceptance
• practicing religion
• some kind of art or poetry

Question 14

What are the preconditions to self-actualise

Answer 14

1. No restraints imposed by others on what you can do
2. Little or no distractions from deficiency needs
3. An ability to know yourself well

Question 15

List characteristics of a self-actualised person

Answer 15

• self-accepting
• enjoy solitude and privicy
• realistic
• autonomous
• open and spontaneous

Question 16

define peak experience

Answer 16

The experience of self-actualisation is described as having a peak experience, which is an experience of great significance.
It is feelings of ecstacy, which are strongly felt and transcend the reality of time.

Question 17

How many people self-actualise on average

Answer 17

Most never achieve self-actualisation

Question 18

Why is regard important for Rogers

Answer 18

Humans have a basic need to feel nurtured and valued by significant people in their lives

Question 19

Define unconditional positive regard

Answer 19

unconditional positive regard is where the basic need to feel nurtured and valued by significant people in our lives is fufilled. It is given freely without conditions

Question 20

What will happen if a person recieves unconditional positive regard

Answer 20

They will develop a healthy sense of self-worth, recognising their abilities and difficulties

Question 21

What is negative regard

Answer 21

critism and blame

Question 22

What is the result for the children who recieve negative regard

Answer 22

they develop low self esteem

Question 23

How do you avoid negative regard when telling off a child

Answer 23

parents should blame the behaviour not the child

Question 24

How is a healthy sense of wellbeing established

Answer 24

A healthy sense of wellbeing is established if an individual maintains a reasonable consistency between ideal self and actual behaviour

Question 25

define congruence

Answer 25

Congruence is the aim of Rogerian therapy, when the self-concept and the ideal self are seen to broadly match

Question 26

What can incongruence lead to

Answer 26

low self-worth and maladjustment

Question 27

What happens when the gap between the ideal self and the actual self widens

Answer 27

The greater the gap between the. ideal self and the actual self, the greater the incongruence

Question 28

define self

Answer 28

The 'self' is the ideas and values that characterise 'I' and 'me' and includes perception and valuing of 'what i am' and 'what i can do'

Question 29

How does Rogers suggest the gap between the ideal self and the actual self can be narrowed

Answer 29

through client-centered therapy (CCT)

Question 30

define conditions of worth

Answer 30

When a parent places limits or boundaries on their love of their children. e.g 'i will only love you if you study medicine'

Question 31

what does an effective therapist in CCT do

Answer 31

provide the client with the unconditional positive regard they had failed to recieve as children.

Question 32

How has the humanistic approach contributed to society

Answer 32

its primary application has been to theraputic treatments - CCT - Gestalt therapy

Question 33

what happens in client-centred therapy

Answer 33

the client is encouraged to develop positive self-regard and overcome the mismatch between their perceived self, actual self and ideal self.

Question 34

what is the aim of gestalt therapy

Answer 34

the aim is to help the client become a 'whole' (gestalt) person by getting them to accept every aspect of themselves

Question 35

What techniques are used in gestalt therapy

Answer 35

- confrontation - dream analysis - role-playing

Question 36

list the characteristics of a humanistic therapist

Answer 36

- show unconditional positive regard - be congruent with the client - show empathy and genuineness

Question 37

What are the strengths of the humanistic approach

Answer 37

- It emphasises choice (free will and responsibility) which is largely ignored by other approaches - It considers subjective conscious experiences - It values personal ideals and self-fufilment - It has enabled psychologists to explore human existance with more sensitivity than the more scientific methods

Question 38

What are the weaknesses of the humanistic approach

Answer 38

- this approach has less impact on mainstream psychology than the other approaches - the use of qualitative techniques has been questioned - As the subject matter is individual experience it is not possible to formulate general laws of behaviour and as such it is not a comprehensive theory but rather a loose set of abstract ideas - Little empirical research can be carried out on these untestable concepts due to the vagueness of terms like self-actualisation and 'fully-functioning person'. - Not all cultures share the assumption that individual achievement brings fufilment.

Question 39

give the linking statments for the assumption: Personal growth is a key feature of the humanistic approach

Answer 39

- Assumption: Personal growth is a key feature - Key feature: Maslow’s hierarchy - No research - Strength: It emphasises free will/ simplifies the process of reaching self-actualisation - Weakness: Due to vagueness of such term as ‘self-actualisation’ and ‘fully-functioning person’, little empirical research has been carried out – untestable concepts. /Not all cultures share the assumption that individual achievement brings fulfilment. / can’t be generalised

Question 40

give the linking statments for the assumption: Humanism is the closest to a free will approach in psychology

Answer 40

- Assumption: Humanism is the closest to a free will approach in psychology. A free will approach believes that people are not determined to be the way they are due to a specific cause, but they freely choose the way they live their life: they choose the kind of person they are. - Key feature: Free will vs determinism - No research - Strength: emphasises choice unlike other approaches - Weakness: by focusing on free will humanism has less impact on mainstream psychology than other approaches

Question 41

give the linking statments for the assumption: Humanism is ideographic

Answer 41

- Assumption: Humanism is ideographic - we must study humans’ uniqueness rather than look for laws that apply to all people (called a nomothetic approach). - Key feature: congruence - No research - Strength: values personal ideals and self-fulfilment - Weakness: not all cultures share the assumption that individual achievement brings fulfilment.