humanistic approach Flashcards
what are the assumptions of the humanistic approach
- every person is unique
- each person is a rational and conscious human being
- humans should be viewed as a whole and not reduced to component parts
- the scientific method is not a valid way to study human behaviour
what is free will in the humanistic approach
- the ability to choose how to behave
- unlike other approaches that suggest thought and behaviour is determined
- acknowledges that we have a limited amount of options to choose from due to social rules, laws and morals
- suggests that humans are active agents who have the ability to determine their own development
what is self actualisation in the humanistic approach
- believe that every human has an innate tendency to try and self actualise
- this is when people attempt to achieve their full potential and become the best they can be
- regard personal growth as an essential part of what it is to be human and believe this is the path to self actualisation
- unique to each individual and that not everyone will manage to achieve it
what is rogers theory of self actualisation
- that to be able to reach the state of self actualisation it is important for the person to be fully functioning
- Roger also regarded being fully functioning person as unattainable for most and identified five characteristics of a fully functioning person:
- is open to experience
- lives existentially
- trusts feelings
- is creative
- has a fulfilled life
what is maslows hierarchy of needs
- suggested that in order to achieve self actualisation a number of deficiency needs must be met first
these range from psychological needs at the bottom to self esteem needs at the top - he suggested that each stage must be successfully achieved before moving onto the next
- also suggested self actualisation isn’t permanent
outline Rogers theory of the three selves
- suggested that we have three selves which need to integrate to achieve self actualisation
- the self concept: the person you perceive yourself to be, and has a huge impact on how an individual thinks, feels and behaves and contributes to their self esteem
- the ideal self: the person you wish to be
- the real self: the person you actually are
what is rogers theory of congruence
- suggested for self actualisation it is necessary for a person to be congruent
- this means that their ideal self, self concept and real self are the same/ similar, however this is difficult to achieve ad therefore means that people do not realise their full potential
- to achieve congruence the individual needs to close the gap between their ideal self, real self and self concept
outline rogers theory of the role of conditions of worth
- assumed all individuals need unconditional positive regard and suggested its essential to the development of a well adjusted adult
- claimed that many of the issues we experience as adults can be explained by a lack of unconditional positive regard and the conditions of worth put on us by out parents
discuss rogers therapy
- created person centred therapy in order to help incongruent individuals achieve congruence, it sees the individual as an expert of their own thoughts and feelings
- non directive and the client is encouraged to discover their own solutions within a therapeutic setting that is supportive and non judgemental
- therapists help clients become congruent by treating them with unconditional positive regard and empathy to restore the lack they experienced in infancy
- the therapy helps them gain positive self worth and reduces incongruence so the person can become fully functioning and have the potential to self actualise
what is a strength of the humanistic approach (contribution)
made a significant contribution to psychology- put forward an alternative viewpoint to other approaches by suggesting that people are active agents who are able to change and determine their own development. has had a huge influence on psychology by promoting the idea of personal responsibility and have been widely accepted. without the contribution of this approach our knowledge of human behaviour would be limited
what is a strength of the humanistic approach (treatment)
their is evidence to suggest that client centred therapy and other therapies that developed from the approach are effective and its popularity has increased in recent years. sexton and Whiston found that cct’s were successful in reading anxiety. practical applications, and suggests approach has validity
what is a limitation of the humanistic approach (rejection of scientific approach)
has been criticised for rejecting the scientific approach and its failure to use the experimental method. as it maintains that is is more informative to study subjective human behaviour It has little objective evidence. this is a limitation as the subjective experience of an individual is difficult to test therefore lacks scientific rigour.
what is a limitation of the humanistic approach (culturally biased)
promoted concepts such as personal growth and self actualisation that are valued in western societies and critics claim that the notion of a fully functioning person is a product of western culture- for collectivist cultures where people often prioritise other peoples needs these concepts may not be relevant
evaluate overall humanistic approach
contribution, successful treatment, rejects scientific approach, culturally biased
