Humanistic approach Flashcards
Conditions of worth Conditions:
imposed on an individual’s behaviour and development that are considered necessary to earn positive regard from significant others
Although other people may help the process of self-actualisation, Rogers (1959) believed that more often they hinder it.
The love and acceptance given by others may be unconditional (unconditional positive regard), when a person is accepted for who they are or what they do, or conditional, when they are accepted only if they do what others want them to do.
When people experience conditional positive regard they develop conditions of worth.
These are the conditions that they perceive significant others (e.g, parents or a spouse) put upon them, and which they believe have to be in place if they are to be accepted by others and see themselves positively.
An individual may experience a sense of self-acceptance only if they meet the expectations that others have set as conditions of acceptance.
Congruence
If there is similarity between a person’s ideal self and self-image, a state of congruence exists.
A difference represents a state of incongruence.
When there is similarity between a person’s ideal self and how they perceive themselves to be in real life, a state of congruence exists.
However, if there is a difference between the self and ideal self, the person experiences a state of incongruence.
The closer our self-image and ideal self are to each other, the greater the congruence and the higher our feelings of self-worth It is rare for a complete state of congruence to exist, with most people experiencing some degree of incongruence.
Because most people prefer to see themselves in ways that are consistent with their self-image, they may use defence mechanisms in order to feel less threatened by inconsistencies between how they would like to be and how they really are.
Free will:
The ability to act at one’s own discretion, i.e. to choose how to behave without being influenced by external forces.
Unlike most other approaches, humanistic theories emphasise that people have full conscious control over their own destiny, i.e. they have free will.
This is not to say that we are free to do anything at all, as we are subject to many other forces, including biological and societal influences.
However, humanistic psychologists believe that human beings are able to make significant personal choices within the constraints imposed by these other forces.
Hierarchy of needs:
The motivational theory proposed by Abraham Maslow, often displayed as a pyramid.
The most basic needs are at the bottom and higher needs at the top.
Although Maslow did not include the visual idea of a ‘pyramid’ in his original theory, the hierarchy of needs is usually represented in this way.
The most basic, physiological needs are represented at the bottom of the pyramid and the most advanced needs at the top.
Each level must be fulfilled before a person can move up to a higher need.
Maslow believed that the more basic the need, the more powerfully it is experienced and the more difficult it is to ignore.
Humanistic:
Refers to the belief that human beings are born with the desire to grow, create and to love, and have the power to direct their own lives.
Self
Our personal identity, used synonymously with the terms ‘self-image’ and ‘self-concept.
Self-actualisation
A term used in different ways. Rogers used it as the drive to realise one’s true potential.
Maslow used it to describe the final stage of his hierarchy of needs.
Maslow found that most of those who attained this level shared certain characteristics.
They tended to be creative, accepting of other people and had an accurate perception of the world around them.
Maslow believed that such individuals experienced self-actualisation in the form of peak experiences.
These are moments of extreme inspiration and ecstasy during which they felt able to leave behind all doubts, fears and inhibitions.
Maslow’s theory (Maslow, 1943):
Unlike the psychoanalysts, Maslow was not interested in what went wrong with people, but rather he was interested in finding out what could go right with them.
His hierarchy of needs emphasised the importance of personal growth and fulfilment and opened the door for later movements in psychology, such as positive psychology and happiness.
Focus on the self:
The self (or self-concept refers to how we perceive ourselves as a person.
Rogers 1951 claimed that people have two basic needs: positive regard from other people and a feeling of self-worth (what we think about ourselves).
Feelings of self-worth develop in childhood and are formed as a result of the child’s interactions with parents.
Further interactions with significant others (friends, spouse, etc.) also influence the persons feelings of self-worth.
Rogers believed that how we think about ourselves, and our feelings of self-worth, are important in determining our psychological health.
The closer our self-concept and our ideal self (i.e. who we feel we should be or would like to be) are to each other, the greater our feelings of self-worth and the greater our psychological health.
The influence on counselling psychology:
Rogers (1959) claimed that an individual’s psychological problems were a direct result of their conditions of worth and the conditional positive regard they receive from other people.
He believed that, with counselling, people would be able to solve their own problems in constructive ways, and move towards becoming a more fully functioning person.
Instead of acting in a directive way, humanistic therapists regard themselves as ‘guides’ or ‘facilitators’ to help people understand themselves and to find ways to enable their potential for self-actualisation.
Therapists provide empathy and unconditional positive regard, expressing their acceptance and understanding, regardless of the feelings and attitudes the client expresses.
By doing this, a therapist is able to offer an appropriately supportive environment to help dissolve the client’s conditions of worth.
This results in the client moving towards being more authentic and more true to self, i.e. able to behave in a way that is true to the person they are, rather than the person others want them to be.
EVALUATION/DISCUSSION:
Links to economic development:
Research support for conditions of worth:
The humanistic approach is unrealistic:
Links to economic development:
Research suggests that Maslow’s hierarchy may have relevance on a much larger stage than individual growth.
Hagerty (1999) looked at the relationship between economic growth and measures of Maslow’s levels in 88 countries over a 34-year period.
Countries in the early stages of economic development were characterised by lower level needs (e.g. physiological needs such as access to food and safety needs).
As would be predicted by Maslow’s model, it was only in the advanced stages of economic development that self-actualisation became important (e.g. using levels of educational enrolment as a measure of people’s desire to better themselves).
Research support for conditions of worth:
Research with adolescents has shown evidence consistent with Rogers’ view.
Individuals who experience conditional positive regard are likely to display more ‘false self behaviour’ - doing things to meet others’ expectations even when they clash with their own values.
Harter et al. (1996) discovered that teenagers who feel that they have to fulfil certain conditions in order to gain their parents’ approval frequently end up not liking themselves.
Consistent with Rogers’ predictions, adolescents who created a ‘false self, pretending to be the kind of person his or her parents would love, were more likely to develop depression and a tendency to lose touch with their true self.
The humanistic approach is unrealistic:
Humanistic psychology represents an overly idealised and unrealistic view of human nature.
Critics argue that people are not as inherently good and ‘growth oriented’ as humanistic theorists suggest, and the approach does not adequately recognise people’s capacity for pessimism and self-destructive behaviour.
The view that personality development is directed only by an innate potential for growth is seen as an oversimplification, as is the humanistic assumption that all problems arise from blocked self-actualisation.
This suggests that encouraging people to focus on their own self-development rather than on situational forces may be neither realistic nor appropriate in modern society.
