Humanistic & Positive Psych Flashcards
1
Q
BACKGROUND
A
- first 1/2 of 20th century
- American/European mainstream psych dominated by 2 schools of thought:
1. behaviourism (Maslow: “1st force”)
2. psychoanalysis (2nd force) - neither studied values/intentions/meaning as conscious existence elements
2
Q
BEHAVIOURISM & PSYCHOANALYSIS
A
- contributed to human behaviour understanding BUT didn’t include holistic view
- instead focused on:
1. biological reductionism/determinism of classical psychoanalysis - aka. Freud; driven/determined by unconscious motives; sexual/aggressive instincts)
2. mechanistic explanations from behaviourism - environmental stimuli response w/little control; beh determined by situation we are/have been aka. not personal choice)
- humanistic approach/3rd force in response
3
Q
THE 3RD FORCE
A
- humanistic psychology emerged mid 1950s in reaction to behaviourism/psychoanalysis
- key distinction = people largely responsible for actions
- sometimes we respond automatically to events via unconscious impulses BUT we have power to determine own destiny/decide actions at any moment aka. FREE WILL
- main roots = phenomenology/existential philosophy
4
Q
PHENOMENOLOGY: HISTORY
A
- philosophical approach to human nature; started in Europe w/Edmund Husserl (1859-1938)
- phenomenologists/humanistic psychologists strongly question idea that study of mind = just another science that should resemble other sciences ie. physics/chemistry
- mind = fundamentally dif from ie. molecules/atoms as:
1. AWARE
2. KNOWS ITS BEING STUDIED
3. STUDIES ITSELF
5
Q
PHENOMENOLOGY
A
- emphasises subjective experience of individual
- awareness = everything
- everything you hear/feel/think
- immediate/conscious experience > important psychologically that IRL/past experience aka. basis of free will
- past is gone/future not here yet
- you are here now; CHOOSE
6
Q
PHENOMENOLOGY: REALISM & POSITIVISM
A
- philosophies underpin scientific/quantitative approach
- objective reality can be: measured/quantified
- inferences made derive hypotheses/operationalise concepts/set up experiments to test them
- manipulate/measure variables
- nomothetic approach = aim to developing universal laws of cause/effect
7
Q
PHENOMENOLOGY: IDEALISM, CONSTRUCTIVISM & RELATIVISM
A
- philosophies underpin phenomenological/qualitative approach
- world features exist ONLY as result of meaning sets actively constructed by within communities (ie. scientists/students)
- no one valid interpretation of world possible; multiple interpretations exist; each appears equally valid when viewed from interpreter’s perspective
- idiographic approach = aim to understand beh in contexts when it occurs
8
Q
CONSTRUCTIVISM
A
- theory of knowledge
- introduced first by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
- human knowledge neither solely dependent on environments/innate qualities but generated from interactions between them
- Piaget contributed constructivist developmental model; we actively construct knowledge individually/collectively
- all have toolkit of conceptions/skills aka. construct knowledge/solve issues presented by environment
9
Q
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
A
- emphasises importance of culture/context in producing knowledge
- reality = constructed via human activity; cannot be discovered; does not exist prior to social invention
- knowledge = human product; socially/culturally constructed (ie. who writes history?)
- learning = social process; meaningful learning occurs when individuals engaged in social activities (mediated by language)
10
Q
PSYCHOLOGY OF CONSCIOUS EXPERIENCE
A
WUNDT (1873): PRINCIPLES OF PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- defined scientific psych as systematic study of immediate conscious experience/phenomenally accessible to observer of own mind
11
Q
INTROSPECTION METHOD
A
- trained observers described immediate conscious experience when exposed to standard/repeatable situations in minute detail to try and meet standards of scientific enquiry
- used objective mental processes indicators: reaction time/word associations/discriminative responses to sensory stimuli
- BUT higher mental processes = inaccessible to experimentation; essentially social in character so replaced by behaviourism
12
Q
EXISTENTIALISM
A
- human = challenged by reality of temporary existence; life = no inherent meaning; meaning = constructed by humans
- Sartre/Nietzsche/Kierkegaard
- authentic humans face existential futility and still construct meaningful life
- authenticity = living genuinely w/angst; achieving meaning despite temporary existence
13
Q
EXISTENTIALISM: FREE WILL & CHOICE
A
- helping people BE/take responsibility for lives
- everyone = responsible for actions/everything
- even when we seek advice we choose advisor/have some idea of what they’ll recommend
- freedom entails the burden of responsibility -> anxiety/despair
14
Q
EXISTENTIALISM: KEY BELIEFS
A
OUR ACTS DEFINE US
- we may see/imagine ourselves in ways BUT what defines us is what we DO
FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
- rejection of determinism; freedom to choose constitutes us as human
CHOICE
- we are defined by choices; if we choose not to do things, it’s still a choice
RESPONSIBILITY (CONDEMNED TO FREEDOM)
- we’re responsible for everything we do even if we avoid it
BAD FAITH
- denial of own freedom/responsibility
15
Q
EXISTENTIALISM: PESSIMISM
A
- authentic existence = honestly facing up to mortality; taking responsibility for destiny
- life has no meaning beyond what we give it; any apparent meaning = illusion (subjective interpretations of meaning)
- Satre tried to implement optimism; we musn’t give up; do all we can to better human condition for dignity/freedom to find meaning in life
16
Q
HUMANISTIC PSYCH: HISTORY
A
- early 1950s onwards; Rogers & Maslow
- begins w/existential assumptions
- phenomenology/subjective experience = central; people have free will
- people = basically good; innate need to make themselves/the world better
17
Q
HUMANISTIC PSYCH: OPTIMISM
A
- emphasis on:
1. personal worth of individual
2. centrality of human values
3. creative/active nature of humans - optimistic focus on noble human capacities to:
1. overcome hardship/pain/despair
2. help others/improve world
