Humanistic approach

Question 1

What are the 4 core assumptions?

Answer 1

• People should all have free will
• Everyone is unique
• People should be viewed ‘holistically’
• The scientific method is not appropriate to measure behaviour

Question 2

Explain the assumption ‘people should all have free will’

Answer 2

The approach acknowledges there are constraints on our free will - social rules, laws and morals

If we want to do something we should be able to do it

Question 3

What is free will?

Answer 3

The freedom to chose what we do and we’re in control of our behaviour. We are in charge of our own development and progress through life

Question 4

Explain the assumption ‘everyone is unique’

Answer 4

Humanists believe we are all different and should be treated as such

No point trying to generalise groups since there will still be too many differences

Question 5

What does idiographic mean?

Answer 5

Viewing people as unique individuals

Question 6

Explain the assumption ‘people should be viewed holistically’

Answer 6

• Humanists agree there’s no point in focusing at a single aspect of a person - otherwise you may miss something
• Do not agree with looking at childhood in therapy - whole life course should be considered
• Seeing someone as elements rather than whole means that much of what is important is lost

Question 7

Explain the assumption ‘the scientific method is not appropriate to measure behaviour’

Answer 7

• Humanistic psychology not described as scientific
• Argues Scientific method is too objective since humans are subjective in the way they think and behave
• Humanistic approach thinks other methods for measuring behaviour are inappropriate as they don’t take into account the subjective experience of the individual

Question 8

Is the humanistic approach determinist?

Answer 8

No, it’s different from the other approaches in which it claims human beings are self-determining and have free will

We are active agents who have the ability to determine our own development

Question 9

What is self-actualisation?

Answer 9

When one has fulfilled their desire to grow psychologically and fulfilled one’s full potential - becoming what you are capable of

Question 10

What did Maslow develop in 1940-1950?

Answer 10

Hierarchy of needs

Question 11

What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in order?

Answer 11

From bottom to top

Psychological needs
Safety 
Love and belonging
Esteem
Self actualisation

Question 12

How do you reach self-actualisation in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 12

All lower levels of hierarchy need to be met before an individual can work towards self-actualisation and fulfilling their potential

Question 13

How do humanist psychologists regard personal growth?

Answer 13

As an essential part of what it is to be human. It is concerned with the developing and changing of as a person to be fulfilled, satisfied and goal-orientated

Question 14

What is the self-concept?

Answer 14

The self you feel you are

Question 15

What is the ideal self?

Answer 15

The self you wish to be

Question 16

What is the real self?

Answer 16

The person you actually are

Question 17

What is congruence?

Answer 17

The aim of Rogerian therapy when your self concept and ideal self match

Question 18

What is unconditional positive regard?

Answer 18

No requirements that an individual feels they need to meet in order to be loved

e.g. i’ll love you no matter what

Question 19

What are conditions of worth?

Answer 19

Requirements that the individual feels the need to meet to be loved

Question 20

What did Carl Rogers do?

Answer 20

He suggested that we have 3 selves which need to integrate in order to reach self-actualisation

Came up with congruence

Question 21

What is client centred therapy?

Answer 21

Aims to address issues with worthlessness and low self-esteem which Rogers claimed have their roots in childhood

Question 22

How can worthlessness and low self-esteem by explained by Rogers?

Answer 22

By a lack of unconditional positive regard by parents. Parents place conditions of worth on the child leading to incongruence of the selves

Question 23

What does client centred therapy aim to provide?

Answer 23

Provides genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard.

It is non-directive as clients are seen by experts in their condition and are encouraged towards discovery of own solutions

Question 24

How does the therapist act in client centred therapy?

Answer 24

As a mirror, reflecting the client’s subjective thoughts

Question 25

What are the strengths of this approach

Answer 25

• Not reductionist = humanistic psychologists advocate holism as they assume subjective experiences can only be understood by considering the whole person. May provide a more complete, valid and meaningful picture of an individual’s behaviour and experiences.
  It does not ignore the complexity of human behaviour unlike other approaches
• Positive approach as it’s optimistic , sees all people as being good, free to work towards the achievements of their potential and in control of their lives. It promotes positive image of the human condition
• Allows for personal change and development throughout life and acknowledges change as a consequence from the environment
• Subjective experience difficult to test but a strength as it acknowledges the effect on behaviour
• The argument that everyone is unique supported by evidence that often finds that in group differences are greater than between group differences. E.g. Hyde 2005 showed difference between men and women as a group is greater than the differences between men and women

Question 26

What are the limitations of this approach?

Answer 26

• Holistic explanations may be unhelpful in psychology as the degree to which an answer influences a behaviour may be lost. It’s hard to test scientifically and casual explanations may be lost. Can only gain subjective evidence and there’s no manipulation of variables
• Limited application as some illnesses cannot be treated by client centred therapy if people aren’t aware of reality and cannot help solve their problems as they are not rational e.g. schizophrenia
• Cultural bias, some ideas central to humanistic psychology may not apply in different countries as it’s been designed on western cultures like USA. Many cultures generalise actions and behaviours so humanists cannot be applied to single people.
• Concepts are vague, which makes them difficult to measure and falsify so we can’t measure the effects on individuals

Question 27

What is humanistic psychology?

Answer 27

An approach to understanding behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each persons capacity for self-determination