Humanistic Approach Flashcards
Where and when was the approach made?
USA, 1950s
Who are the key figures within this approach?
Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers
What does the HA base its ideas firmly on?
The self and examines issues to do with self-concept and self-esteem
What is the aim of HA?
Aims to understand the whole person rather than examining the factors with and without control that derive behaviour
What does the HA encompass and disregard?
Encompasses freewill and holism
Disregard reductionism and determinism
What are the key parts of the HA?
Self-concept
Self-esteem
Rational choices
Whole person
Freewill
Holism
What is self-concept?
How an individual sees themselves and how they perceive others to see them.
What is self-esteem?
The ways that an individual feels about themselves.
What are rational choices?
The ways that an individual can make choices/decisions after considering all eventualities
What is free will?
Being able to choose and make decisions. Decisions and choices are made from one’s mind and aren’t determined by other factors out of one’s control
What is a whole person?
Examining the whole being, or the whole picture.
What is holism?
The examination of the whole person to explain behaviour rather than focusing on behaviour via its constituent parts
Which theories are these key terms seen within?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Roger’s client Centred Theory
What do both of the theories focus on?
Focuses on the positives an individual has in their lives and focuses on the idea of having a positive sense of self which in turn, allows individuals to meet their own needs
What are the aims of Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs?
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs emphasised the importance of striving for personal growth
Each need/stage must be fulfilled before an individual can strive for the next need
Some needs inevitably have more importance than others
Whilst some needs will need to be satisfied at different points in an individual’s life
What is the order of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
Bottom: Psychological
Safety
Love/Belonging
Esteem
Top: Self-actualization
What are the positives of the HA?
Focuses on Holism, looks at the whole person when trying to explain behaviour. Each part of the person is as important as the other parts
Rejects Reductionism (simplify behaviour down to one single cause)
Consider individual differences, focus on each person
Practical application – CCT is used to help individuals in the real world
Encompasses free will an individual suggesting an individual has control over their lives
What are the negatives of the HA?
Being open to individual differences restricts the generalisability of the theory
Subjective
Not scientific – untestable concepts
Can’t establish cause and effect
Can be too optimistic
Historical restrictions
Cultural bias towards America and Westernised cultures
What does incongruence mean?
When the real self doesn’t align well with the ideal self
What does congruence mean?
When a person’s ideal self and real self are consistent or very similar.
