Humanistic Psychology Flashcards
Humanistic view on free will and scientific models
-human beings are essentially self determining and have free will, they are active agents who determine their own development
-reject scientific models that attempt to establish general principles of human behaviour, have little value compared to subjective experience of individuals(person-centred approach)
What is self-actualisation and what needs to be fulfilled for this to be achieved
The desire to grow psychologically and fulfil one’s full potential,humans have an innate need to make themselves self actualise
-all four lower levels(deficiency needs) must be met before self actualisation can happen(growth need)
Five levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in order and examples
Self actualisation- creativity and problem solving
Self esteem- confidence
Love and belongingness- friends and family
Safety and security- living without fear of violence
Physiological needs- food, shelter, water and sex
What is personal growth and what must be in congruence
It is an essential part of being human-developing and changing as a person to become fulfilled and goal orientated
-perceived self(way they see themselves) must have congruence with ideal self(who they want to be)
What is incongruence and what are the consequences
-when there is a difference between perceived and ideal self
-if gap too big=self actualisation and personal growth not possible due to negative feelings of self worth
How to reduce gap between perceived and ideal self
-Rogers developed client centred therapy which aims to increase self worth and decrease incongruence by encouraging client to find their own solutions in therapeutic atmosphere
-role of therapist is to listen and non judgemental, give client unconditional positive regard which they failed to received in childhood
What are conditions of worth
When a parent places limits on their love of their children and does not give child unconditional positive regard= creating future psychological problems for child
Expand on the strength that the approach is not reductionist
-rejects any attempt to break up behaviour into smaller components, advocated holism instead
-subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person
-increases ecological validity by considering behaviour within real life context
Expand on limitation that approach has limited applications
-although Rogerian therapy has revolutionised counselling techniques and hierarchy can explain motivation, the approach has had limited impact within the discipline of psychology
-this may be because it lacks sound evidence base, more of a loose set of abstract concepts
Expand on the strength that humanistic approach is a positive approach
-‘brings the person back into psychology’, promotes positive image of human image
-unlike Freud who saw humans as slaves to their past
-claims all people are basically good with ability to work towards the achievement of their potential-optimistic
