Paper 2 - Humanistic Approach Flashcards
Who introduced the approach
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow
Define Humanistic Approach
Approach to understanding behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each persons capacity for self-determination
Main assumptions of Humanistic Approach
Free Will
Hierarchy of Needs
Congruence between Self and Ideal Self
Conditions of Worth and Unconditional Positive Regard
Free Will
- rejects scientific approach
- each human is unique
- psychology should study subjective experience
- person centered approach
Hierarchy of Needs and Self Actualisation (name the stages)
Self - Actualisation
Esteem
Love / Belonging
Safety
Physiological
Physiological examples
Food, Water, Breathing, Sex, Sleep, Excretion
Safety examples
Resources, Health, Property, Family, Morality, Employment
Love / Belonging examples
Friendship, Family, Sexual Intimacy
Esteem examples
Self-esteem, Respect from others, Confidence, Achievement
Self-actualisation examples
Achieved full potential, Spontaneity, Lack of Prejudice, Acceptance, Creativity
Define Self-Actualisation
An innate tendency to achieve our full potential
Deficiency needs must be met before this can be achieved
A growth need
Congruence between Self and Ideal Self
The way they see themselves must have congruence with the person they want to be
If there is a big gap between the two then the person will experience incongruence and cannot reach self-actualisation
What is client centered therapy
- Referred to as ‘clients’ not ‘patients’
- Encouraged towards discovery of their own solutions
- Atmosphere is warm, supportive and non-judgemental
- Helps mild psychological issues not severe ones
What are problems a result of
Lack of positive regard during childhood
What does conditions of worth result in
Psychological problems for the child in the future
Define Unconditional Positive Regard
The love and acceptance by others for you are
Define Conditions of Worth
They are accepted only if they do what others want them to do
Define Free Will
Ability to determine our own journey and development
Evaluation (strength) - Non Reductionist
Looks at behaviour as a whole
Advocates holism
More external validity than other reductionist approaches as it considers meaningful behaviour in a real life context
Evaluation (strength) - Positive Approach
Offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative to approaches
Sees all people as good and having the ability to self-actualise (humanism)
Evaluation (limitation) - Limited Application
Little application to the real world
Little impact with the discipline of psychology
Lacks a sound evidence base
Described as a loose set of rather abstract concepts rather than comprehensive
Evaluation (limitation) - Untestable Concepts
Vague ideas that are abstract and difficult to test
Self-actualisation and congruence are difficult to test in experimental conditions
Lack of empirical evidence to support concepts if the approach
Evaluation (limitation) - Cultural Bias
Concepts are more associated with Individual Cultures in a Western World (autonomy, individual freedom)
Collective Cultures (Eastern World) emphasise the needs of a group and community and therefore may not identify with the concepts
Approach is a product of the cultural concepts of which it was developed in
