outline and evaluate the humanistic approach in psychology

Question 1

outline

Answer 1

suggests scientific methods are too objective to understand humans who think and act subjectively

we are all different and so should be treated as unique individuals - holistically (as whole person rather than elements of person)

maslows hierarchy of needs (1943) :
Describes the 5 needs which must be achieved in order to promote personal growth

Physiological : food, water, sleep
Safety: shelter, health, employment
Love/belonging: family, friendship, sexual intimacy
Esteem: confidence, respect for self and others
Self-actualisation: an innate drive to meet your full potential, experiencing an ultimate feeling of satisfaction and completeness.

carl rogers self refers to how we perceive ourselves a person
3 selves which need to integrate to achieve self-actualisation

self-concept
- way you see yourself and is affected by self esteem

ideal self
- self you want to be

real self
- self you actually are, not who you think you are

congruence - when there is a similarity between self-concept and ideal self
- leads to good psychological health and greater feelings of self worth
- difference between self-concept and ideal self > state of discomfort or incongruence

Question 2

strength

Answer 2

Holistic

Which is when an approach considers the whole person (past, present and future) when explaining human behaviour

E.g. the humanistic approach rejects any attempt to break up behaviour into smaller components

This approach may have more validity than its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-life context

Question 3

limit

Answer 3

Limited practical application

Which is when the principles of an approach are put into practice outside of the laboratory

E.g. the approach has had some influence on counselling and has been used to explain motivation in the workplace, however, it remains to have had little impact within the discipline of psychology as a whole

This may be due to the approach lacking strong supporting evidence and due to the approach being described as not a comprehensive theory but a ‘loose set of abstract concepts’.

Question 4

limit 2

Answer 4

Culture bias

When an approach inappropriately judges behaviour from a particular cultural perspective

E.g. may ideas central to the approach (individual freedom & personal growth) are more associated with individualistic cultures. Collective cultures (India) emphasise the needs of the group and interdependence, may not identify with the ideals and values of the approach

Causes us to question validity of the approach as it doesn’t explain all human behaviour fairly and is therefore a product of the cultural context in which it was developed.

Question 5

limit 3

Answer 5

Unscientific and unfalsifiable

When an approach is based on unscientific and subjective concepts

Due to approach being based upon vague and abstract ideas which are difficult to test. In particular concepts such as ‘congruence’ are problematic to asses under experimental conditions as they rely heavily on participants describing their own thoughts of themselves

All of which undermines the accuracy of the humanistic approach.