Humanistic approach Flashcards
Define the humanistic approach
An approach to understanding behaviour, which emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each person’s capacity for self-determination
Define free will
The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by internal biological or external forces
Define self actualisation
The desire to grow psychologically and fulfil one’s full potential becoming what you are capable of
Define hierarchy of needs
A five level hierarchical sequence in which basic physiological needs (such as hunger) must be satisfied before higher psychological needs (such as self esteem and self actualisation) can be achieved
Define self
The ideas and values that characterise ‘i’ and ‘me’ and includes perception and valuing of ‘what I am’ and ‘what can I do’
Define congruence
The aim of rogerian therapy , when the self -concept and ideal self are seen to broadly accord/ match
Define conditions of worth
When a parent places limits/ boundaries on their love for their children. For instance , a parent saying ‘I will only love you if…’ I
How is the humanistic approach different to other approaches?
Many of the approaches are considered determinist to some degree with the suggestion that behaviour is shaped by forces we have no control in, even the cognitive approach.
The humanistic approach is different as it claims that humans are self - determining and have free will
What does the humanistic approach argue about free will?
That people are still affected by external and internal influences, but are also active agents who can determine their own development
As active agents, we are all unique
Who was Abraham Maslow ?
One of the founders of the humanistic movement
What was one of Maslow’s main interests?
What motivates people
How did Maslow talk about motivation?
He described a hierarchy of needs that motivate behaviour
In order to achieve our primary goal of self actualisation , a number of deficiency needs must be met first
What is at the bottom of the hierarchy of needs?
Physiological needs (food water etc)
What is the next stage in the hierarchy of needs?
Next deficiency need is Safety and security
What is next?
Love and belongingness
What is next of the hierarchy of needs ?
Self esteem
What are the ‘rules’ of the hierarchy of needs?
A person is only able to progress through the hierarchy once the current need in the sequence has been met , at the top is self actualisation
What does self actualisation represent?
The uppermost level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
What are the four lower levels called?
Deficiency needs - they must be met before an individual can work toward self actualisation
What is personal growth?
It’s concerned with developing and changing as a person to become fulfilled, satisfied and goal orientated
There are important psychological barriers that may prevent a person from reaching their potential
What did Carl rogers argue?
For personal growth to be achieved , an individual’s concept of self must have congruence with their ideal self
What did Rogers suggest if the gap between the two ‘selves’ was too big?
The person will experience a state of incongruence and self actualisation will not be possible due to negative feelings and low self esteem
How did Roger’s say one could reduce the gap between self-concept and ideal self ?
Rogers developed client-centred therapy (counselling) to help people with the problems of everyday living
What did Rogers claim about negative feelings?
They have their roots in childhood and can often be linked to a lack of unconditional positive regard from parents
So what did Rogers do as a therapist?
Provided clients with unconditional positive regard that they failed to receive as children
What is a strength of this approach?
It rejects attempts to break up behaviour and experience into smaller components (reductionism)
What approaches are reductionist ?
Behaviourists - explain behaviour as a simple stimulus
Cognitive approach - see humans as information processing machines
Biological approach- reduces behaviour into its basic physiological processes
Psychodynamic - Freud describes the whole personality as three things thé I’d, ego and superego
In contrast what does the humanistic approach advocate?
Holism- the idea that subjective experiences can only be understood by considering the whole person
However , what is good about reductionist approaches?
They may be more scientific because the ideal of science is reduce behaviour to independent and dependant variables
What is an issue with the humanistic psychology?
There are relatively few concepts that can be broken down to single variables and measured
This means that in general, humanistic psychological is short on empirical evidence to support it’s claims
What is another strength of this approach ?
It is optimistic
It has been praised for bringing a positive image of the human condition
Freud saw humans as prisoners of their past and claimed that all of us existed between ‘common unhappiness and absolute despair’
Humanistic’s see all humans as basically good - so suggests that this approach is refreshing compared to other approaches
Why May this approach be culturally biased?
Many ideas that are central to humanistic psychology (individual freedom , autonomy, personal growth) would be more associated with individualistic tendencies (USA)
Countries with collective tendencies emphasises more the needs of the group and interdependence
Therefore, it is possible that this approach does not apply universally and is a product of cultural context
What was rogerian therapy like?
Those in therapy were ‘clients’ not ‘patients’ - he saw the individual as an expert of their condition
The therapy encourages the client towards the discovery of their own solutions within a therapeutic, warm atmosphere
What should an effective therapist be like?
Genuine , empathetic, unconditional positive regard
What has client -centred therapy been praised for?
Forward looking that focuses on present problems rather than dwelling on the past
However, much like psychoanalysis, it is best applied to mild psychological conditions
