Humanistic Approach Flashcards
What is the humanistic approach?
Why did the humanistic approach emerge?
The humanistic approach emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as a rebellion against what some psychologists saw as the limitations of the behaviourist and psychodynamic psychology.
For this reason, the humanistic approach is often called the ‘third force’ in psychology, after psychoanalysis and behaviourism.
Humanistic approach assumptions
- Humanism emphasises the study of the whole person. The humanistic approach is called phenomenological. This means that personality is studied from the point of view of the individual’s subjective experience. This approach defends that psychology should study the individual case (idiographic) rather than the average performance of groups (nomothetic). Phenomenology and that people have free will are central assumptions in this approach.
- People are basically good and have an innate need to make themselves and the world better. This approach is optimistic and focuses on noble human capacity to overcome hardship, pain and despair. Personal growth and fulfilment in life is regarded as a basic human motive. This has been captured by the term self-actualisation.
- Humanistic psychologists argue that objective reality is less important than a person’s subjective perception and understanding of the world. Because of this, humanistic psychologists reject a rigorous and scientific approach to psychology as they see it as dehumanising and unable to capture the richness of conscious experience. Humanism also rejects comparative psychology (the study of animals) as it does not tell us anything about the unique properties of human beings.
- The humanistic approach typically uses qualitative research methods. For example. diary accounts, open-ended questionnaires, unstructured interviews and unstructured observations. Qualitative research is useful for studies at the individual level, and to find out, in depth, the ways in which people think or feel (e.g., case studies).
What two people proposed the most influential and enduring theories in humanistic psychology?
- Carl Rogers
- Abraham Maslow
What did Carl Rogers propose?
Roger’s Personality Development Theory
What did Abraham Maslow propose?
Maslow’s Theory of Motivation
- Roger’s Personality Development Theory
- Central to Roger’s personality development theory is the notion of self.
- This is defined as ‘the consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself’.
- The self-concept includes 3 components:
- Self-worth - what we think about ourselves - it is developed in early childhood. It is formed from the interaction of the child with the mother and father. As the child grows older, interactions with significant others will affect feelings of self-worth.
- Self-image - how we see ourselves - self-image includes the influence of our body image on our inner personality. Self-image has an effect on how a person thinks, feels and behaves in the world.
- Ideal self - the person we would like to be - it consists of our goals and ambitions in life, and is dynamic, i.e. forever changing.
Self-worth and positive regard
Carl Rogers viewed the child as having two basic needs:
1. Self-worth
2. Positive regard (from other people)
Self-worth
Our feelings of self-worth are of fundamental importance both to psychological health and to the likelihood that we can achieve goals and ambitions in life and achieve self-actualisation.
For Carl Rogers, a person who has high self-worth, that is, has confidence, has positive feeling about themselves, faces challenges in life, accepts failure and unhappiness at times, and is open with people.
Positive regard
Carl Rogers believed that we need to be regarded positively by others; we need to feel valued, respected, treated with affection and loved.
Positive regard is to do with how other people evaluate and judge us in social interactions.
Rogers made a distinction between unconditional positive regard and conditional positive regard. Unconditional positive regard is where parents, significant others, etc accepts and loves the person for what he or she is. Positive regard is not withdrawn if the person does something wrong or makes a mistake. Conditional positive regard refers to when an individual receives approval, affection or acceptance only if they meet certain conditions or behave in a way that aligns with others’ expectations.
People who are able to self-actualise are more likely to have received unconditional positive regard from others, especially their parents in childhood.
Congruence
According to Rogers, we want to feel, experience and heave in ways which are consistent with our self-image and which reflect what we would like to be like, our ideal-self.
Where a person’s ideal self and actual experience are consistent/similar, a state of congruence exists.
The closer our self-image and ideal-self are to each other, the more congruent we are and the higher our sense of self-worth.
However, a person’s ideal self may not be consistent with what actually happens in the life and experiences of a person. Hence, a difference may exist between a person’s ideal self and actual experience. This is called incongruence.
Rarely, if ever, does a total state of congruence exist; all people experience a certain amount of incongruence. We may use defence mechanisms like ‘denial’ or ‘repression’ in order to feel less threatened by some of what we consider to be our undesirable feelings.
The development of congruence is dependent on unconditional positive regard. Carl Rogers believed that for a person to achieve self-actualisation, they must be in a state of congruence.
- Maslow’s Theory of Motivation
Instead of focusing on psychopathology and what goes wrong with people, Maslow formulated a more positive account of human behaviour, which focuses on what goes right with people.
Maslow stated that human motivation is based on people seeking fulfilment and change through personal growth.
He believed that people are motivated to achieve certain needs, possess a set of motivation systems unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfil the next one, and so on.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1)
The earliest and most widespread version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes 5 motivational needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
Maslow’s original 5-stage model was expanded to include cognitive and aesthetic needs and later transcendence needs.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (2)
One must satisfy lower level, basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level, growth needs. Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy towards a level of self-actualisation. As each person is unique, the motivation for self-actualisation leads people in different directions. Maslow believed self-actualisation could be measured through the concept of peak experiences, which occur when a person experiences the world totally for what it is, and there are feelings of euphoria, joy and wonder.
Unfortunately, progress to self-actualisation is often disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs. Maslow noted only 1 in 100 people become fully self-actualised.
However, it is important to note that self-actualisation is a continual process of becoming rather than a perfect state one reaches of a ‘happy ever after’.
Behaviour leading to self-actualisation
- Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and concentration.
- Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths.
- Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of the voice of tradition, authority and the majority.
- Avoiding pretence and being honest.
- Being prepare to be unpopular if your views do not coincide with those of the majority.
- Taking responsibility and working hard.
- Trying to identify your defences and having the courage to give them up.
(these don’t need to be memorised)
Characteristics of self-actualisers
- They perceive reality efficiently an can tolerate uncertainty.
- Accept themselves and others for what they are.
- Spontaneous in thought and action.
- Problem-centred (not self-centred).
- Unusual sense of humour
- Able to look at life objectively.
- Highly creative.
- Resistance to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional.
- Concerned for the welfare of humanity.
- Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience.
- Establish deep, satisfying and interpersonal relationships with a few people.
- Peak experiences.
- Need for privacy.
- Democratic attitudes.
- Strong moral/ethical standards.
Hierarchy of needs (8-stage model)
- Biological and physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
- Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, etc.
- Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and love - from work group, family, friends and romantic relationships.
- Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
- Cognitive needs - knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration, need for meaning and predictability.
- Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.
- Self-actualisation needs - realising personal potential, self-fulfilment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
- Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self-actualisation.
Strength
Strength
Weakness
Weakness
