lecture 7 Flashcards
lecture 7 material
What is humanistic psychology?
A unique object of study as the human mind is self aware
- Self awareness produces uniquely human qualities such as free will, creativity, introspection, should be the subject matter of psychology
What are the basic assumtions of humanistic psychology?
phenomenology is central
- it emphasizes that one’s conscious experience of the world is more imporant than the objective world itself
the past and the future are ideas
- only the present matters
- past, present, and future influence you through their effects on your current experience
humans have free will
What did Wilhelm Wundt do?
- established one of the first psychological labs
- research assistants analyzed their own perceptions and thought processes
Name and explain the elements of humanistic psychology
Humanistic
- study of humans, not animals
Holistic
- human system is greater than the sum of its parts
Historic
- whole person from birth to death
Phenomenological
- focus on interior, experiential, and existential aspects of personality
Real life
- person in natural enviornment
Positivity
- Joy, Happiness, Virtues
Will
- choice, decisions
Value
- what is good and desirable
What are some qualitative research methods?
- diary accounts
- open-ended questionnaires
- unstructured interviews
- unstructured observations
Explain what a construal is
a unique basis of how you live your life, and the experiences you encounter
- how you would view doing certain things
- how you interpret your world
free will
- achieved by choosing your constural; choosing how you interpret your world and experiences
- surrenduring this choice is a loss of autonomy
How does your constural impact personality?
- Narcissists tend to interpret situations as placing them in the spotlight.
- People high in openness see situations as intellectually stimulating.
- Gender trends: Men may perceive threats; women may perceive the need for support and assertiveness
Explain, in your own words, what existentialism is
the fact that human beings exist at a particular moment in time in space
- the need to connect with this existence
- your experience exists for a small moment before it disapears and gets replaced
common questions
- what is the nature of existence?
- how does it feel?
- what does it mean?
What is Binswangers theory of the conscious experience?
3 parts
Umwelt: the biological experience
- sensations you feel as a biological organism
- pleasure, pain, heat, cold
- feeling cold = the experience is umwelt
Mitwelt: the social experience
- thoughts/emotions experienced as a social being
- thinking about someone you love = the experience is mitwelt
Eigenwelt: the inner psychological experience
- reflection on ones own mind, and existential awareness
- observing your own mind/feelings = the experience is eigenwelt
What is Heideggers “thrown-nes”?
the time, place, and circumstances of you were born into determine experience in which you did not choose
Common questions:
- “why am i here”
- “what should i be doing”
difficulty/failure to answer these questions causes angst; existential anxiety
- uncertainty causes anxiety as you question wether or not your living your short life in the best way
What are the three seperate sensations of angst (sartre)
Anguish
- choices are never perfect; they lead to both good and bad outcomes
Forlornness
- you are solely responsible for your choices; no one can make them for you
Despair
- the realization that many outcomes are beyond control
- many important things in life cannot be controlled by you, leading to despair
How do you face angst directly?
- Moral imperative to face mortality & meaninglessness of life
- Requires optimistic toughness
- Can chose to live in bad faith when ignoring these issues (angst)
What are the main problems with “living in bad faith”
Living a lie
- avoiding truths is cowardly
- you are giving up the meaning of life if you refuse to examine the substance of your experiencce
Material doesnt bring true happiness
- people value meaningful experiences over wealth
Wasting lifes meaning
- by refusing to question the meaning of life, you miss out in discovering your purpose
Ignoring these existential issues is still a choice. As Sartre says, “If I do not choose, I am still choosing,”
- Choosing to not choose, is still making a choice; meaning, there’s no way to avoid making choices about how to live
What is the authentic existence?
Accepting your mortality, lifes brevity, and personal responsibiliy to shape destiny
- being honest, self aware, and morally conscious doesnt eliminate loneliness; life has no inherent meaning
- the unique human experience lies in recognizing our own mortality
those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’
What did Viktor Frankl believe?
- Meaning came from three possible sources
- purposeful work
- love/relationships
- courage in the face of Suffering
Explain what the will to meaning is
- it begins with the feeling of despair; questioning your meaning for existing which is better then nothing at all
- life would be easier if we were solely driven by instincts
- frustration occurs when man can not find meaning to life
- this frustration is shown through the will to power, or to pleasure
- will to power: violence
- will to pleasure: pursuit to happiness
Explain Jean-Pauls existential choice video
believed humans lived in anguish because we are forced to be free, exist, be aware, and make choices
Everything but humans have a know design/essence
- a car wont be a car if it didnt move
- humans do not have an essence; no set way for us to exist
existentialism is a humanism
- existene precedes essence
- you create yourself through what you do and the choice you make
anguish of existence
What is considered the eastern alternative?
- Existentialism : Western focus on the individual
- The true reality is your experience at this moment—past and future are out of reach.
Buddhism and existentialism
Anicca, Annatta/nonself, nirvana
anicca: nothing lasts forever
- the want to hold onto pleasure, and push away the pain = unnecessary suffering
- nothing good or bad lasts forever; acceptance of this brings peace
Anatta/nonelf: self as an entity is an illusion
- form, sensation, perception,consciousness
- accepting self as entity causes suffering
- are you the same person as you were 5 years ago?
- instead of being alone and powerless, you are part of the universe, as it is you, just as the present is equal parts of the past and future
Nirvana: a serene, selfness state
- state of wisdom achieved by realizing interconnectedness and selflessness
- enlightenment: well being of others matters as much as your own
- leads to universal compassion and ultimately to Nirvana
What is optimistic humanism?
carl rogers and maslow
self actualization
- an individuals innate tendency to actualize, maintain, and enhance the self
- peeople naturally strive to do this
- each persons persepctive of reality shapes their goals; the ultimate goal in life is to fulfill this drive
phenomenal field
- all experiences available at a given moment, conscious and unconscious; a person subjective reality
Personality and regard
self, self concept, positive and negative regard
Self
- personal identity developing through interactions and interpretation of experiences
Self-concept
- core component of personality; self image, self esteem, and the ideal self
Unconditional positive regard
- as self emerges, the need for love and approval, should be unconditional from others
- no anxiety, confidance, and sense of innate good
- self-actualization
conditional positive regard
- leads to conditions of worth
- limit of freedom of act and think
- self-discrepencies
What is Rogers psychotherapy
Incongruence
- because of conditions of worth, individual may deny or distrot certain experiences to receive positive regard; ideal self may come from conditions of worth
- psychological and emotional health is a function of the degree of congruence (between our self-concept and experiences)
Explain/list what the goals of person-centered therapy is
Goal: help the client become a fully functioning person
- Develop insight
- Remove conditions of worth
- Congruence between selves
Therapist
- Unconditional positive regard
- Empathy
- Genuineness
List the criticisms of person centred therapy
- Only way to understand is through subjective experience
- People may not always be truthful
- May not consciously know, deny, distort, repress, forget.
- Efficacy research
- Real and ideal self-perceptions became more closely aligned after therapy.
- Criticism of research
- Both real and ideal selves change with therapy.
- closely aligned real and ideal selves not always a good measure of
List and name in order the 5 innate needs that direct behaviour
lowest to highest (PSBES)
Psychological needs
- food, water, warmth, rest
- basic needs
Safety needs
- security, safety
- basic needs
Belongingness and love needs
- intimate relationships, friends
- psychological needs
Esteem needs
- prestige and feelings of accomplishment
- psychological needs
Self-actualization
- achieving ones full potential, including creative activities
- self-fulfillment needs
Explain the theory behind Maslow hierachy of 5 needs
This hierachy was made based on the assumption that a persons ultimate need was to self-actualize
- these motives only become active after basic needs are met
practical applications
- career choice
- employee motivation
cross-cultural application
- correlation between well-being and economic status in poor versus rich countries
What is the evolutionary hierachy of needs?
bottom to top (ISASMMP)
- Immediate physiological needs
- Self-protection
- Affiliation
- Status/esteem
- Mate acquistion
- Mate retention
- Parenting
What is the full functioning person?
an individual who faces the world without fear, self-doubt, or neurotic defenses
self concept is positive and congruent with reality
- rogers: possible only if you receive unconditional positive regard from important people in life
- maslow: anyone can become full functional
What did George kelly come up with?
Believed that an individuals experience of the world created their construals (how we percieve, interpret and comprehend the world)
- emphasizes how ones cognitive system assembles ones construals, creating personal constructs
- these constructs can be revised due to different interpertations
- understanding someone = understanding their constructs; used in psychotherapy
Research on Kelly’s ideas
- Our personal constructs remain stable over time
- We choose friends whose constructs are similar to ours
- Spouses whose constructs are alike tend to be happier
- Focusses too much on rationality and analysis
bipolar dimensions
- viewed constructs as scales betweein opposing concepts (good vs evil)
What is the personal construct theory
george kelly
people organize their world of experience the same way as scientists do (hypothesis’ and testing)
- everyone has a unique set of constructs
- assesed using role construct repertory
- Kelly believed that the ways you discrimate against other things/people/ideas, reveals your personal constructs
What is the goal of positive psychology?
Positive psychology aims to counter the tradional emphasis on the dysfunctions in psychology
- examines positive experiences, and traits that enhance quality of life; rebirth of humanistic
- emphasizes growth, development, and positivity
Name and explain the 6 virtues of positive psychology
CJHTWT
Courage
- emotional strengths involving the will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition
- bravery, perseverance, honesty
Justice
- strengths that underlie healthy community life
- fairness, leadership, teamwork
Humanity
- protecting and taking care of others
- love, kindness
Temperance
- strengths that protect against excess
- forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-control
Wisdom
- acquisition and use of knowledge
- creativty, curiosity, judgement, perspective
Transcendence
- gives meaning to life by connecting to the universe
- gratitude, hope, spirutality
may be evolutionary based, but not every person has these traits
also may vary based on religion/tradition
What is a positive experience?
the heart of the phenomenological approach; conscious awareness of being alive
- your moment-moment experience is what matters
What are the 3 ways to make the most of a positive experience
mindfulness
- how to make the most of one’s conscious awareness
- being fully aware of your thoughts, sensations, and experiences in the present moment
- helps with: reducing stress, enhancing creativity, improving memory, and emotional regulation
Flow
- the enjoyable, immersive state experienced during activities
- characteristics: intense concentration, no distractions, time goes by quickly
- occurs when: challenges match your skill, too much difficulty leads to anxiety, too little leads to boredom
Awe
- when individuals encounter an entity that is vast and challenges their worldview
- seen as more humble; leads to a more balanced perspective, open-mindedness, humility
- shifts attention from ourselves and makes us feel we are a part of something greater than ourselves: landscape, religous experience, skycrapers
What are the implications of pgenomenology?
the mystery of experience
Phenomenology: root of existentialism & humanistic
- moment –to-moment experience of every aware person
Three unique contributions
- the Mystery of Experience, “Here and Now”
- Understanding phenomenological worlds
- Phenomenology & cultural and moral relativism
