Humanistic psychology Flashcards
What is humanistic psychology?
An approach to understanding behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each person’s capacity for self-determinism
What are Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
o Physiological needs o Safety and security o Love and belongingness o Self-esteem o Self-actualisation
What is self-actualisation?
o Innate tendency
o Last stage of hierarchy of needs
o Desire to grow psychologically and fulfil one’s full potential, becoming what you are capable of
What did Rogers argue?
That for personal growth to be achieved an individuals concept of self must have congruence with their ideal self
What is the self?
The ideas and values that characterise ‘I’ and ‘me’ and perception of of ‘what I am’ and ‘what I can do’
What is congruence?
The aim of Rogerian therapy when the self-concept and ideal self are seen broadly accord
How did Rogers close the gap between self and ideal self?
With client-entered therapy to help people cope and unconditional positive regard that clients weren’t given as a child
How did Rogers suggest that many issues were caused?
o Childhood experience
o Conditions of worth set by parents will cause psychological problems for that child in the future
Evaluation points for the Humanist approach?
\+ Not reductionist - Limited application \+ Positive approach - Untestable concepts - Cultural bias
How is the Humanist approach not reductionist?
o Humanists reject any attempt to break up behaviour and experience into smaller components
o Advocate holism
o Idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person
o Has more validity than its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-life context
How does the Humanist approach have limited application?
o Relatively little application
o Rogerian therapy has revolutionised counselling techniques however it has limited impact within the discipline of psychology as a whole
o Lacks a sound evidence-base and it a loose set of rather abstract concepts
How is the humanist approach a positive approach?
o Praised for ‘bringing the person back into psychology’ and promoting a positive image of human condition
o Refreshing and optimistic alternative as it sees all people as good and free to work towards the achievement of their potential and in control of their lives
How does the humanist approach have untestable concepts?
o ‘self-actualisation’ and ‘congruence’ would prove problematic to assess under experimental conditions
o Rogers did attempt to introduce more rigour into his work by developing the Q-sort
o The approach describes itself as anti-scientific and is short on empirical evidence to support its claims
How does the humanist approach have cultural bias?
o Personal growth associated with individualist cultures
o Collectivist cultures wouldn’t identify as easily with the concepts of humanist psychology
