Humanistic Approach

Question 1

what is the humanistic approach?

8

Answer 1

developed by Rogers and Maslow in the 1950s

focuses on conscious experience rather than on behaviour

strong emphasis and belief in free will as well as personal growth and fulfilment

believes that humans are born with the desire to grow, create, love and direct our own lives

holistic - studies the whole person in their environment

ideographic - studies subjective, personal experience, rather than using the experimental method

positive - believes that humans are inherently good and born with the desire to grow, create and love

rejects animal experimentation and believes that an understanding of human nature can only be gained by studying humans

Question 2

what are the basic assumptions and key parts of the humanistic approach?

4

Answer 2

free will

Maslow’s theory - hierarchy of needs and self-actualisation

Rogers’ theory…
• focus on the self
• congruence
• conditions of worth

counselling psychology

Question 3

free will

3

Answer 3

people have full conscious control over their own destiny and behaviour, we are active agents

we act at our own discretion, choosing how to behave without being influenced by external forces

although we are not free to do anything at all - we are still subject to biological and societal influences but have the ability to make significant personal choices within these constraints

Question 4

Maslow’s theory

6

Answer 4

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs emphasises the importance of personal growth and fulfilment

he did not include the visual idea of a pyramid in his original theory but the hierarchy of needs is usually represented in this way

the most basic, physiological needs that promote survival are represented at the bottom of the pyramid

Maslow believed that the more basic the need, the more powerfully it is experienced and the more difficult it is to ignore

the most advanced, higher needs that promote growth are represented at the top of the pyramid

each level must be fulfilled before a person can move up to a higher need

Question 5

Maslow’s theory: pyramid order / hierarchy of needs

5

Answer 5

P.S. Let’s Eat Soon

Physiological - breathing, food, water, sex, sleep

Safety - security of body, employment, resources, health, property

Love/Belonging - family, friendship, sexual intimacy, deep and meaningful relationships

Esteem - self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect, recognition, honour

Self-actualisation - morality, creativity, lack of prejudice, acceptance of fact, living to your highest potential and being the best you can

Question 6

Maslow’s theory: self-actualisation

5

Answer 6

self-actualisation is the final stage of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Rogers described it as the drive to reach our true potential

he found that most of those who attained this level shared characteristics like being creative, accepting of others and having an accurate perception of the world

such individuals experience self-actualisation in the form of peak experiences - these are moments of extreme inspiration and ecstasy during which a person feels able to leave behind all doubts and fears

everyone has the innate tendency and potential to achieve self-actualisation and everyone achieves it differently

however, it is complex and not achieved by all - for example, self-actualisation may not be reached due to a failure to meet lower level needs or perhaps a life experience like divorce may get in the way

Question 7

Rogers’ theory: the self

5

Answer 7

the self-concept/image refers to how we perceive ourselves as a person, it is our personal identity

Rogers (1951) claimed that we have 2 basic needs…

1) positive regard from others
2) a feeling of self-worth (what we think about ourselves)

feelings of self-worth develop on childhood, forming as a result of a child’s interaction with their parents - further interactions with significant others (friends, spouse, etc) also influence a person’s 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-image and ideal self (who we would like to be or feel that we should be), the greater our feelings of self-worth and the greater our psychological health

Question 8

Rogers’ theory: the self (continued)

4

Answer 8

Rogers claimed that the self has 3 elements…

• self-worth - what we think and feel about ourselves, a personal judgement of worthiness, feelings of self-worth develop in childhood
• self-image - how we see ourselves, important for good psychological health, at a simple level we might perceive ourselves as good or bad or beautiful or ugly, effects how we think, feel and behave
• ideal self - the person we would like to be, includes our goals and ambitions in life, the ideal self is forever changing (i.e. the ideal self in childhood is not the ideal self in our teens or adulthood)

Question 9

Rogers’ theory: congruence

5

Answer 9

a state of congruence exists when there is a similarity between a person’s ideal self (who they want to be) and their self-concept/image (how they see themselves in real life)

if there is a difference between the self and ideal self, a state of incongruence exists

the closer our self-image and ideal self, the greater the congruence and higher our feelings of self-worth as when we are congruent we are being our authentic selves

it is rare for a state of complete congruence to exist, most people experience some degree of incongruence

people often use defence mechanisms to feel less threatened by inconsistencies between how they would like to be and how they really are, as we prefer to see ourselves as consistent with our self-image

Question 10

fully functioning person

5

Answer 10

a FFP is one that grows, it is someone that accepts themselves, lives more fully in the present, values themselves and experiences life as a process

• accepting oneself - recognising values, conditions of worth, etc
• experiencing life as a process - openness to experience and the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s role in that experience
• living fully in the present - being free from control by past events and fear of the future, dedicating more attention and energy to the present moment
• valuing oneself - integrating all aspects of ourselves (intellectual, physical, emotional, etc) into a unified whole and valuing all of oneself

Question 11

how do conditions of worth prevent someone becoming a FFP?

4

Answer 11

conditions of worth can prevent us from becoming a FFP

a person cannot grow if there are psychological barriers like COW

COW prevent self-acceptance (which is key to being a FFP) because these conditions are often hard to meet so give the impression of never meeting others’ expectations

this can stop us accepting ourselves because positive regard from significant others is important to us

Question 12

conditions of worth

5

Answer 12

Rogers believed that other people can hinder the process of self-actualisation

love and acceptance given by others may be…
• unconditional positive regard - a person is accepted for who they are and what they do, regardless of the circumstances or situation, no conditions of worth are imposed

• conditional positive regard - a person is only accepted if they do what others want them to do

people experiencing CPR develop conditions of worth, which are conditions that they perceive people impose upon them and conditions that they feel they must meet in order to be accepted by others and thus see themselves positively - basically the perception that you must meet the expectations of others in order to be accepted

they may only experience self-acceptance if they meet these conditions, which prevents growth and actualization as these conditions may often be hard to meet, creating a sense of never being good enough or meeting expectations

Question 13

the influence of the humanistic approach on counselling psychology

7

Answer 13

most counselling is based on the humanistic approach

Rogers claimed that a person’s psychological problems were a direct result of their conditions of worth and the CPR they receive from others

with counselling, people will be able to solve their own problems in constructive ways and move towards becoming a more fully functioning person and finding their true selves, thus reaching congruence

humanistic therapists regard themselves as guides and facilitators to help people understand themselves and find ways to enable their potential for self-actualisation, rather than giving directive counselling

therapists provide empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence (CUE)

they express acceptance and understanding by listening without judgement, regardless of the feelings and attitudes the client expresses

this supportive environment helps dissolve the client’s conditions of worth and move them towards being more authentic, congruent and true to self rather than who others want them to be, which will improve their psychological well-being

Question 14

core conditions in humanistic counselling

4

Answer 14

a humanistic counsellor will try to create 3 core conditions in their relationship with the client (CUE), as Rogers stated that these provide the best environment for change…

• CONGRUENCE - a counsellor must be real and genuine, they do not need to act as an expert, feel superior or pretend in any way, this encourages the client to seek the truth within themselves and identify their problem more effectively
• UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD - the counsellor respects and values the client without any conditions attached, they show acceptance and understanding no matter what situation the client presents themselves in
• EMPATHY - the counsellor should be able to understand the client and place themselves in the client’s shoes

Question 15

x4 evaluation points

Answer 15

research support

unrealistic

cultural differences

linked to economic development

Question 16

evaluation
RESEARCH SUPPORT

6

Answer 16

Rogers believed that people who experience conditional positive regard are likely to display ‘false self’ behaviour and do things to meet others’ expectations even when they clash with their own values

in doing this, they are not being their true selves and are instead displaying incongruence, which leads to low feelings of self worth

research conducted by Harter et al supports this view and found that teenagers who feel that they have to meet certain conditions in order to gain their parents’ approval frequently ended up not liking themselves

it was also found that those creating a ‘false self’ and pretending to be the kind of person their parents would love are more likely to develop depression and lose touch with their true self

this supports the concept of conditions of worth, a key aspect of humanistic psychology, and the idea that UPR from significant others is essential for developing self worth and maintaining good mental health

therefore, the humanistic approach may be very useful in explaining human behaviour as there is support for some of its fundamental ideas

Question 17

evaluation
UNREALISTIC

5

Answer 17

a limitation of the humanistic approach is that it is unrealistic with an overly idealised view of human nature that is not necessarily reflective of real life

the approach assumes that people are inherently good and growth orientated, but it does not seem to consider that some people possess the capacity for self-destructive behaviour and severe pessimism

critics suggest that the view that personality development is directed by an innate potential for growth is an oversimplification of human nature

in addition, the humanistic approach assumes that all problems arise from blocked self-actualisation but this ignores situational factors in society such as prejudice and inequality of opportunity

therefore, the approach may not give a full or accurate depiction of human behaviour and development and should be viewed with caution when being used to explain human behaviour

Question 18

evaluation
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

6

Answer 18

a limitation of the approach is that there are cultural differences concerning Maslow’s hierarchy of needs - for some people, the needs may appear in a different order or may be completely absent

this is supported by cross cultural evidence - for instance, Nevis carried out a study in China and found that belongingness needs were seen as more important and fundamental than physiological needs

Nevis also found that self-actualisation was not defined in terms fo personal development, it was instead defined in terms of contributions to the community

furthermore, many other studies have found that Europeans and Americans (individualist) focus more on personal identity in defining their self concept whereas Asians (collectivist) define the self concept more in terms of social relationships

therefore, the humanistic approach as whole may be limited in its ability to explain human behaviour and development in every person due to cultural differences and should be viewed with caution when doing so

however, Maslow did develop his theory at a later stage and acknowledged that different cultures value different needs

Question 19

evaluation
LINKED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

6

Answer 19

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is linked to economic development

Hagerty (1999) looked at the relationship between economic growth and measures of Maslow’s needs in 88 countries over a 34 year period

they found that countries in the early stages of development were characterised by lower level, physiological needs such as access to food and safety needs, demonstrated by the higher murder rates

only in countries in the advanced stages of economic development did esteem needs, such as female emancipation, and self actualisation needs, such as levels of educational enrolment, become important

this suggests that Maslow’s hierarchy and the humanistic approach as a whole may have relevance on a much larger scale than simply individual growth as it can be seen in the widescale economic development of whole countries

this also supports the idea that lower level needs must be met first in order to progress to higher level needs - less developed countries had not adequately met the lower level needs so the higher level needs were not important