jones - humanism Flashcards
What is free will?
Human brings are active agents which have the ability to determine our own development
What is a deterministic approach?
Our behaviour is entirely, or at least partly, shaped by forces over which we have no control
What is humanistic psychology?
An approach to understanding behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each person’s capacity for self determination
What does humanistic psychology claim that human beings are?
Essentially self determining and have free will
What type of approach is the humanistic approach?
Person-centred approach
What do humanistic psychologists such as Maslow and Rogers reject and why?
Scientific models that attempt to establish general principles of human behaviour as they believe that humans are all active agents who are unique so psychology should concern itself with the study of subjective experience rather than general laws
What are the main features of Maslow’s theory?
- Emphasises the role of motivation in personal growth towards one’s potential (what motivates people)
- equates motivation to the satisfaction of certain needs
- arranged these needs in a hierarchy
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
The key needs that all humans are required to fulfil which is arranged into a hierarchy
-> the bottom (deficiency needs) are more likely to be satisfied
-> the further you go up, the less likely you are to fulfil these growth needs which relate to our desire to grow as a person
-> A person almost always have to satisfy the lower needs before the higher needs can be satisfied
What does Maslow say about life?
Series of peak experiences: moments of great achievement, ecstasy or elation when all deficiency needs are satisfied
What are the five stages of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
- self actualisation
- esteem
- belongingness and love
- safety, protection and security
- physiological
What are self actualizers?
People who, for whatever reason, were fulfilled in life and had used their abilities to the fullest
What are some characteristics of self actualizers?
1) More efficient perception of reality
2) Acceptance
3) Spontaneity and naturalness
4) Problem centred rather than ego centred
5) Need for privacy and being detached from situations
6) Independence from both cultural and environmental influences
7) Freshness of appreciation and experience
8) Having mystical or peak experiences
9) Feelings of kinship to others
10) Deep relationship with others
11) Democratic attitudes
12) Distinguishing between needs and ends, goods and evil
13) Philosophical, not hostile, sense of humour
14) Self actualising forms of creativity
15) Forming attitudes and values independently of cultures
How many self actualisers did Maslow study to come up with the 15 characteristics?
18 (9 contemporaries and 9 historical figures)
How many percent of people could self actualize? According to who?
20% according to rogers
What is self actualisation?
The innate tendency to achieve their full potential and become the best they can possibly be
-> uppermost level of the hierarchy of needs therefore all four levels (deficiency needs) must be met before the individual can work towards it
What is esteem?
Respect from others: status and public recognition
Respect for self: sense of competence and confidence
What is belongingness and love?
Belongingness: membership of families, school communities, community groups, gangs etc
Love: from family, friends, or a significant other
What is safety, protection and security?
Feeling and being safe from harm from family members, strangers or occupational hazards
What are physiological needs?
The basic needs for physical survival including food, shelter, water, a liveable environment, clothing
What was Maslow’s main interest?
Finding out what motivated people
How does humanistic psychologists describe personal growth?
- essential part of what to be humans
- concerned with developing and changing as a person to become fulfilled, satisfied and goal orientated
- not managed by everyone
- important psychological barriers that may prevent a person from reaching their potential
What is self?
The ideas and values that characterise “I” and “me” and includes perception and valuing of “what I am” and “what I can do”
What is unconditional positive regard?
Being loved and cared for who you are and not what you do
What is unconditional positive regard important and essential for?
Development of the self concept and well adjusted child
Where is unconditional positive regard obtained from?
The mother in childhood
What is resulted without unconditional positive regard?
Mental distress and psychological problems
What is self worth?
High self worth means you value yourself
How is high self worth achieved?
Our self image and ideal self has to be closely matched
What does high self worth mean?
People are able to self actualise
What is self image?
The idea one has towards their own abilities, appearance and personality
What does Rogers believe about self image?
What we want to feel, experience and how we want to behave are consistent with our self image
What is the ideal self?
Idealised version of yourself created out of what you have learnt from your every day life experiences, the demands of society, and what you admire in people
What is congruence?
Similarity between a person’s ideal self and self image
Why it is hard to achieve perfect congruence?
Due to conditions of worth
What are conditions of worth?
When a parent limits or boundaries on their love of their children (eg. “I will only love you if…”
What isnt closely matched when we experience incongruence?
Self image and ideal self
What are we not capable of when in a state of incongruence?
Self actualisation
What can incongruence create?
Negative self worth
What do we use to hide the gap between self image and ideal self to reduce negative self worth?
defence mechanisms
What do we do to make ourselves better?
Rationalise
What is aim of the client centred theory?
to help people cope with the everyday living
Why did Rogers call his patients clients instead?
Because he saw the individual as the expert of their own conditions
What three things should therapy provide their clients with?
1) genuineness
2) empathy
3) unconditional positive regard
What are the aims of Rogerian therapy?
1) increase the person’s feeling of self worth
2) reduce the level of incongruence between ideal and current self
3) help the person become a more fully functioning person
Why would Rogers’ therapy be less effective in treating more serious mental disorders?
Because patients of more serious mental disorders cant discover their own solutions or an expert on themselves (eg. hallucinations or delusions in their hesd)
What are some strengths of the humanistic approach?
+ holistic
-> humanists reject any attempt to break up behaviour and experience into similar components so it considers the whole person not single aspects
-> more valid because it considers meaningful human behaviour within its real life context
+ positive approach
-> humanistic psychologists have been praised for promoting a positive image of the human condition
-> humanistic psychology offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative as it sees all people as basically good, free to work towards the achievement of their potential and in control of their lives
What are some limitations of the humanistic approach?
- limited application in real life
-> humanistic psychology lacks a sound evidence base and it bring a described loose set of rather abstract concepts instead of a comprehensive theory
-> the humanistic approach has a limited impact within the discipline of psychology as a whole - untestable concept
-> humanistic psychology includes a number if vague ideas that are abstract and difficult to test
-> short on empirical evidence to support its claims - cultural bias
-> Many if the ideas that are central to humanistic psychology would be much more readily associated with individualist cultures in the Western world such as the United States
-> Collectivist cultures which emphasise the needs if the group, community snd interdependence may not identify so easily with the ideals and values of humanistic psychology
-> humanistic psychology wouldn’t travel well and is a product of the cultural context within which it is developed
