Humanistic Approach - Focus on self

Question 1

Focus on self

Answer 1

Rogers (1951) claimed that people have two basic needs, feelings of self-worth
(i.e. valuing ourselves) and positive regard from others.

Question 2

Feelings of self worth

Answer 2

Feelings of self-worth develop in childhood as a result of the child’s interactions with parents. Further interactions with significant others in adulthood (friends, spouses etc.) also have an influence.

When there is a similarity between a persons’ perceived self (how they view themselves) and their ideal self (how they would like to me) a state of congruence exists. However, if there is a difference between the perceived self and ideal self, the person experiences a state of incongruence. The closer the perceived self is to the ideal self, the higher our feelings of self-worth.

It is rare for a complete state of congruence to exist; most people experience some degree of incongruence. However, most people see themselves in ways that are largely consistent with their ideal self.

Question 3

Conditions of worth

Answer 3

Psychological issues are thought to arise as a direct result of conditions of worth. These are constraints an individual believes are put upon them by significant others that they deem necessary to gain positive regard

Question 4

Counselling psychology

Answer 4

Rogers (1959) believed that therapists should provide clients with unconditional positive regard to help them resolve their conditions of worth and guide them towards self-actualisation, focusing on the authentic self. Instead of acting in a directive way, humanistic psychologists, regard themselves as guides to help people understand themselves and find ways to enable their potential

Question 5

Advantages of Humanistic Approach

Answer 5

1) There is supporting research evidence about the role of conditions of worth by Harter et al. They found that teenagers that felt they had to fulfil certain conditions in order to gain parents approval, frequently end up not liking themselves, and were more likely to develop depression. Therefore conditions of worth are an important element for well-being and mental health (+)

6) A strength of the humanist approach is the focus on personal growth. Humanistic therapy focuses on self actualisation and personal development. It helps people uncover their authentic selves and realize their full potential. Through this process, people can gain clarity about their values, aspirations, and goals, leading to a more fulfilling and meaningful life. (+)

Question 6

Disadvantages of Humanistic Approach

Answer 6

• Humanistic Psychology lacks scientific rigour; it proposes that we should study the whole person because each individual is unique however science relies on reductionism i.e. reducing behaviour into its simplest components so that they can be studied objectively.
• Humanists propose concepts such as self-actualisation where definitions lack operationalisation. There is no objective measure of whether someone has self-actualised leading to a lack of empirical evidence to support its claims.
• Many of the ideas that are central to humanistic psychology, such as personal growth, would be much more readily associated with individualist cultures in the Western world (e.g. the United States). Collectivist cultures (e.g. in China) which emphasise the needs of the community may not identify so easily with the ideals and values of humanistic psychology. Therefore, it is possible that this approach is the product of the cultural context within which it was developed.
• Some critics argue that the humanistic approach presents an overly idealised and unrealistic view of human nature. People are not as inherently good or growth orientated as this approach suggests, in fact this approach ignores peoples’ capacity for pessimism and self-destruction