humanistic approach Flashcards
humanistic psychology definition
an approach to understanding behvaiour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each person’s capacity for self-determinism
free will definition
the notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by internal biological or external forces
self-actualisation definition
the desire to grow psychologically and fulfil ones potential become what you are capable of
hierarchy of needs definition
a five-levelled 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
self definition
the ideas and values that characterise ‘I’ and ‘me’ and includes perception and valuing of ‘what I am’ and ‘what I can do’
congruence definition
the aim of Rogerian therapy, when the self-concept and ideal self are seen to be broadly accord or match
conditions of worth definition
when a parent places limits or boundaries on their love of their children. for instance, a parent saying to a child, I will only love you if…
what does humanist approach think people have
free will and are essentially self-determining
how is free will different from other approaches
lots of other approaches are determinist and behaviour is completely or partly shaped by forces which we have no control, even in the cognitive approach which claims we are free to choose our own thoughts, we could argue that such choice is constrained by limits of our cognitive system
do internal and external influences prevent free will
people are still affected by external and internal influences but are also active agents who can determine their own development
examples of humanist psychologists
Rogers and Maslow
why do humanist psychologists reject more scientific models that attempt to establish general principles of human behaviour
as active agents we are all unique, and psychology should concern itself with the study of subjective experience rather than general laws. this is often referred to as a person-centred approach to psychology
who came up with a hierarchy of needs
Maslow
who was Maslow
one of the founders of humanist movement in psychology
what do Maslow’s hierarchy of needs describe
motivate our behaviour
how does hierarchy work
in order to achieve our primary goal of self-actualisation, a number of other deficiency needs must first be met
bottom of hierarchy
physiological needs such as food and water
hierarch after physiological needs
safety and security followed by love and belonginess and then self-esteem
top of the hierarchy
self-actualisation
progression through hierarchy
only able to progress once the current need in the sequence has been met
what is self-actualisation
most people have an innate desire to achieve their full potential- to become the best they can possibly be
self-actualisation as part of hierarchy of needs
represents the uppermost level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. all 4 lower levels of the hierarchy (deficiency needs) must be met before the individual can work towards self-actualisation (a growth need) and fulfil their potential. this applies to early development when a baby is first focused on physiological needs and applies through life
what did Rogers argue has to achieved for personal growth to occur
an individual’s concept of self (the way they see themselves) must be broadly equivalent to, or have congruence with, their ideal self (the person they want to be). if the gap is too big between the two selves the person will experience a sate of incongruence and self-actualisation will not be possible due to the negative feelings of self-worth that arise form incongruence
humanist psychology as a regard for personal growth
humanistic psychologists regard personal growth as an essential pert of what it is to be human. personal growth is concerned with developing and changing as a person to become fulfilled, satisfied and goal-orientated. not everyone will manage this, however, and there are important psychological barriers that may prevent a person from reaching their potential
what did Rogers develop to reduce the gap between the self-concept and the ideal self
clinet-centered therapy (counselling) to help people with the problems of everyday living
order of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (lowest to highest)
-physiological needs
-safety and security
-love and belongingness
-self-esteem
-self-actualisation
what did Rogers claim the issues we experience as adults (such as worthlessness and low self-esteem) come from
roots in childhood and can often be explained by a lack of unconditional positive regard (or lack of unconditional love) from our parents. a parents who sets boundaries or limits to on their love for their child (conditions of worth) by claiming ‘I will only love you if …’ is storing up psychological problems for that child in the future. thus, Rodgers saw one of his roles as an effective therapist to provide his clients with unconditional positive regard that they had failed to receive as children
strength of the humanistic approach - not reductionist
-it rejects attempts to break up behvaiour and experience into smaller components (reductionism)
-behaviourists explain human and animal learning in terms of simple stimulus-response connections. supporters of the cognitive approach see human beings as a little more than information-processing machines. biological psychologists reduce behaviour to its basic physiological processes. Freud describes the whole of the personality as a conflict between 3 things (Id, ego and superego). in contracts, humanistic psychologists advocate holism, the idea that the subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person. –> approach may have more validity that its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-world context
limitation of humanistic approach - counterpoint to not reductionist
reductionist approaches may be more scientific. this is because the ideal of science is the experiment, and experiments reduce behaviour to independent and dependent variables. one issue with humanistic psychology is that, unlike behaviourism, there are relatively few concepts that can be broken down into single variables and measures –> humanistic psychology in general is short on empirical evidence to supports its claims
strength of humanistic approach - positive approach
-optimistic
-humanist psychologists have been praised for bringing the person back into psychology and promoting a positive image of the human condition. Freud saw human beings as prisoners of their past and claimed all of us excised somewhere between ‘common unhappiness and absolute despair’ in contrast, humanistic psychologists see all people has basically good, free to work towards the achievement of their potential and in control of their lives –> suggests that humanistic psychology offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative to other approaches
limitation of humanistic approach - cultural bias
-may be culturally-biased
-many of the ideas that are central to humanistic psychology, such as individual freedom, autonomy and personal growth , would be much more readily associated with countries that have individualist tendencies such as the US. countries with collectivist tendencies emphasise more the needs of the group and interdependence. in such countries, the ideals of humanists psychology may not be as important as in others (such as self-actualisation) – it is possible the approach does not apply universally and is the product of cultural context within which it was developed
evaluation of the humanistic approach - limited application
-critics have argued that humanistic psychology has had a relatively little impact in psychology - or little practical application in the real world (in comparison with the other approaches, such as behaviourism or biological approach). the approach ahs been described, not as a comprehensive theory, but as a loose set of abstract ideas.
-on the other hand, Rogerian therapy revolutionised counselling techniques and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been used to explain motivation, particularly in the work place
which humanist psychologist developed person centred therapy
Rodgers
what is client-centred therapy an important form of
modern-day psychotherapy
what did client-centred therapy lead to
general approach of counselling which is applied in many settings today (such as Samaritans and other helplines)
why is it called client-centred (or person-centred) therapy
Rodgers refers to those in therapy as clients rather than patients as he saw the individual as the expert on their own condition. Thus, therapy is not directed by the therapist (non-directive), and the client is encouraged towards the discovery of their own solutions within therapeutic atmosphere that is warm, supportive and non-judgemental
what did Rogers think the 3 things an effective therapist should provide the client with
genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard. the aim of Rogerian therapy is to increase the person’s feelings of self-worth, reduce the level of incongruence between the self-concept and the ideal self, and help the person become a more fully functioning person
how did Rogers work transform psychotherapy
transformed psychotherapy and introduced a variety of counselling and techniques. in the Uk and US, similar counselling skills are practices, not only in clinical settings, but throughout education, health, social work and industry
how has client-centred therapy been praised
as a forward-looking and effective approach that focuses in present problems rather than dwelling on the past.
what does client-centred therapy work best at treating
much like psychoanalysis, it is best applied to the treatment of mild psychological conditions, such as anxiety and low self-worth
