Module 5 1A Flashcards
Humanistic and Existential Approaches: Abraham Maslow
Viktor Frankl Quote: The last human freedom is the ability to choose one’s attitude in any situation (Frankl, 1946).
Existential & Humanistic Themes:
Free will is central to the human condition.
Healthy functioning = exercising freedom with responsibility and relationships.
Search for meaning and purpose is vital in personality development.
Humans are driven toward growth and self-actualization.
Focus on positive human capacities (growth, potential) rather than pathology in research/therapy.
Sartre’s “No Exit”: Hell is not fire, but our own perceptions of others; we have the freedom to choose how we interpret situations.
Camus: Sisyphus represents freedom; he chooses how to interpret his suffering.
Humanism: Philosophy that values human worth and emphasizes human-centered values.
Humanistic psychology = “third force” in psychology (along with psychoanalysis and behaviorism).
Emphasizes active, creative, spontaneous qualities in humans.
Focuses on the inner capacity to overcome challenges and despair.
Draws from existentialism: Purpose, meaning, and relationships are central to existence.
Aims to help people realize inner potential through dialogue, relationships, self-disclosure, and introspection.
Maslow: Born 1908, NYC; difficult childhood, animosity toward mother.
Started as an experimental psychologist studying primates, trained by Harry Harlow.
Influenced by Thorndike, Adler, Fromm, Horney, Wertheimer, and Ruth Benedict.
Rejected reductionist psychology, pursued holistic humanistic approach.
Maslow’s view of motivation:
Holistic: Motivation involves the whole person, not just one part.
Complex: Behavior comes from multiple motives, both conscious and unconscious.
Continuous: Once a need is satisfied, it loses power, replaced by another need.
Universal: All people are motivated by the same basic needs.
Hierarchy: Needs are arranged in a hierarchy.
Flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996; 2000): A mental state of full immersion in an activity.
6 Components of Flow:
Intense concentration
Merging of action and awareness
Loss of self-consciousness
Sense of personal agency
Distortion of time
Intrinsic rewards
Peak Experience (Maslow, 1962):
A rare moment of extreme joy, pleasure, or accomplishment (e.g., love, music, creativity).
People transcend the self and feel at one with the world.
Key Points:
Important for personality: Reveals unique aspects of an individual’s personality.
Self-actualized individuals often have peak experiences.
Similar to epiphanies, they offer insight for maintaining a healthy, mature personality.
Foundational to personality and life goals, providing meaning and purpose.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
Conative Needs: Associated with purposeful striving.
D-needs (Deficit needs): First 4 levels (physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem); must be relatively satisfied before B-needs become motivators.
B-needs (Growth/Being needs): Self-actualization and self-transcendence; not necessary for survival but foster personal growth.
Once D-needs are satisfied, B-needs become more important in shaping personality and future goals.
Personality is shaped by more than just instincts or behaviors—it’s influenced by the pursuit of growth and self-fulfillment.
“It is quite true that man lives by bread alone-when there is no bread?” Maslow (1970
Maslow on Self-Actualization (1954):
Self-actualized people: Fully human, creative, striving for self-fulfillment and potential.
Studied figures like Ruth Benedict and Max Wertheimer to find common traits.
These patterns can be generalized to others.
Modern Examples: Creative, growth-driven individuals (e.g., artists, innovators).
Key Insight: Learn from them about personal growth and realizing potential.
Criteria for Self-Actualizers:
Free from pathology.
Have progressed through the hierarchy and can tolerate frustration of D-needs.
Embrace B-values (meta-needs): truth, goodness, beauty, aliveness, uniqueness.
Fully use their talents, capacities, and potential.
Maslow’s 15 qualities of self-actualizing people:
Efficient perception of reality.
Acceptance of self, others, and nature.
Spontaneity, simplicity, and naturalness.
Problem-centering (vs. self-centering).
Need for privacy.
Autonomy.
Freshness of appreciation.
Peak experiences.
Social interest (Gemeinschaftsgefühl).
Profound interpersonal relationships.
Democratic character.
Discrimination between means and ends.
Philosophical humor.
Creativity.
Resistance to enculturation.
Maslow’s View of Therapy:
Goal: Help clients embrace B-values and activate natural growth.
Therapy must promote self-actualization and reflect the client’s hierarchy of needs.
A warm, accepting therapist helps with love and belongingness issues.
Positive therapy relationships build self-confidence and improve outside relationships.
Research on Maslow’s Theory:
Reiss & Havercamp (2005): Found lower motives stronger in younger people, higher motives stronger in older people.
Taormina & Gao (2013): Mixed support for the idea that lower needs must be met before higher ones; adjacent needs often correlated but not always.
Positive Psychology:
Burton & King (2004): Writing about positive life experiences for 20 minutes daily improved physical health (fewer doctor visits).
