Humanistic approach

Question 1

Assumptions of the humanistic approach

Answer 1

-behaviour is under our conscious control
-people should be viewed holistically (everyone is unique)
-scientific method not appropriate, focus on the study of subjective experiences
-everyone has an innate drive to reach self-actualisation

Question 2

Free will

Answer 2

-Humanists psychologists claim that humans are basically self determining & have free will
-active agents who can determine own development
-person-centred approach

Question 3

Who developed the hierarchy of needs?

Answer 3

Maslow

Question 4

What is self-actualisation?

Answer 4

The innate desire to grow and fulfil ones full potential

Question 5

Describe Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 5

Question 6

What happens if the first stage is not met?

Answer 6

All the other needs cannot be fulfilled

Question 7

Whose works focuses on the self?

Answer 7

Roger

Question 8

What did Roger say must happen if personal growth was to be achieved?

Answer 8

an individuals concept of the self and ideal self must be in congruence

Question 9

What is the ideal self?

Answer 9

the self you wish to be or should be

Question 10

What is the self-concept?

Answer 10

the person you feel you are

Question 11

What happens if there is a too big of a gap between the two selves?

Answer 11

-person experiences a state of incongruence
-self actualisation can not be achieved due to negative feelings of self worth

Question 12

What did Roger develop in order to reduce gap between the two selves?

Answer 12

Client-centred therapy (counselling) to help people cope with everyday living

Question 13

What are many issues experienced in adulthood the result of, according Roger?

Answer 13

-roots in childhood and can be explained by a lack of unconditional positive regard from parents
-conditions of worth - parents places limits or boundaries on the love for their child e.g. ‘I will only love you if..’

Question 14

What did Roger see his role as a therapists?

Answer 14

provide his clients with unconditional positive regard that they had failed to receive as children

Question 15

Influence on counselling psychology

Answer 15

• Roger referred to those in therapy as ‘clients’ rather than ‘patients’ >saw individual as expert of own condition
• effective therapist must provide client with three things:
  unconditional positive regard, empathy, genuineness

Question 16

What is the aim of Rogerian therapy?

Answer 16

increase the person self worth, reduce level of incongruence

Question 17

What is a strength of the humanistic approach? (reductionism)

Answer 17

-rejects attempts to break down human behaviour into small components (reductionism)
> unlike other approaches such as behaviourist, biological, & psychodynamic
-humanistic approach advocates holism- the idea that a person can be viewed as a whole rather than its constituent
parts
-has more validity

Question 18

Counterpoint for strength (reductionism) of humanistic approach

Answer 18

-not scientific & made of abstract concepts that are difficult to test
-concepts such as congruence may be useful tools but problematic to test under experimental conditions
- short of empirical evidence

Question 19

What is a another strength of the humanistic approach?

Answer 19

-it is optimistic
-humanistic psychology praised for brining the person back into psychology
- focuses on the hear and now & see humans as in control of own lives (unlike psychodynamic which sees us as prisoners of past)
-refreshing & optimistic view

Question 20

What is a weakness of the humanistic approach?

Answer 20

-culturally biased
-many of the ideas that are central to humanistic psychology e.g. individual freedom, personal growth & self-actualisation associated with western (UK, USA) individualistic cultures
-collectivist countries emphasise more the needs of the group
-self-actualisation not as important
approach not applied universally