Section 5 : The Approaches In Psychology - Humanistic Approach Flashcards
What does humanistic psychology focus on
- it focuses on the person as a whole
What do humanistic psychologists believe about people
They believe that all people are inherently good and that they’re driven to achieve their full potential
What does humanistic approach to psychology take into account
They take into account the feelings of the individual rather than just their observable behaviour
What type of approach is the humanistic approach
An idiographic approach
What does idiographic mean
It focuses on studying the individual rather than producing general rules which come from summarising a group of people
What do humanistic psychology assume causes a person’s behaviour
Humanistic approach assumes that a person’s behaviour is caused by subjective feelings and their thoughts about themselves
What does humanistic psychology disagree with
It disagrees with the strictly deterministic ideas of other approaches which assume that human behaviour occurs in cause and effect relationship
What does humanistic psychology believe about behaviour
It believes that human behaviour is determined by free will. People can choose how to behave - and their behaviour isn’t caused by external or biological factors or, even the past
Who developed the hierarchy of needs
Maslow
What does humanistic psychology suggest
It suggests that people are motivated to use their own free will to allow them to reach their full potential
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
A hierarchy to show how humans needs can be categorised and prioritised
What is the first level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
- Physiological needs to survive
- at this level you source the food, water, shelter and sleep you need to stay alive (as well as sex to reproduce)
What is the second level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
At this stage you strive to feel safe physically, psychologically and economically
What is the third level in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
At this level you consider affection, acceptance and belonging to be the most important
What is the fourth level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
At this level you’re focused on achievement and gaining respect from others
What is the fifth and final stage of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
At this level you realise your fullest potential - you’ve become the best you’re capable of being. Self-actualisation
What did Maslow believe about the hierarchy
He believed that we spend our whole lives trying to reach the top of the hierarchy, but hardly anyone get there. He also stated until lower levels need aren’t met, you can’t attempt to satisfy higher levels needs
Humanistic psychology assumes everyone has the ability to self-actualise. Why may this be incorrect
Because self-actualisation may be limited to the most intelligent, well-educated people
What are the list of characteristics that self-actualised person might show
- Strong sense of self-awareness
- a fully accepting view of themselves and others for who they are
- the ability to deal with uncertainty and the unknown
- a strong sense of creativity
What did Maslow believe about how self actualisation is measured
He believed it could be measured using what he called ‘peak experiences’
What are peak experience
These are times where the person feels wonder and euphoria towards the world around them. After these experiences people often feel inspired with a renewed sense of self awareness
How much evidence is there in support of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
- There is little evidence or research to support the hierarchical nature of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
- Maslow supported his hierarchy with biographical evidence of famous self-actualised people
- Hierarchy doesn’t explain with the characteristics of self-actualised person deprive themselves of basic needs such as food (e.g. mother teresa)
What is Aronoff 1967
A study tested whether the higher levels of the hierarchy are only satisfied once the lower levels have been satisfied
What was the method of Aronoff 1967
- compared people in two jobs in the British West Indies - fishermen and cane cutters
- cane cutters got paid according to how much canes was cut by the whole group even if they were off sick, high job security although wages were low
- Fishermen worked alone, doing more challenging work, so less secure in their job although they earned more overall
- both groups of people were assessed to see which level they were at in. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
What were the results of Aronoff 1967
- more cane cutters were at the lower levels of the hierarchy, still trying to achieve safety and security
- Many if the fishermen had satisfied the lower levels of the hierarchy
What was the conclusion of Aronoff 1967
- Only men who had satisfied lower levels of the pyramid would chose to become fishermen allowing them to develop high self-esteem
- This suggests that people cannot reach the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy until they have satisfied the lower levels
Give the evaluations of Aronoff 1967
- Study supports Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory
- Has ecological validity as it studied people in their natural environment
- However, it only studied people from one culture so results can’t be generalised to the wider population
What did Rogers believe
- All people try to achieve self-actualisation, claimed all people are inherently good and motivated to achieve full potential
- didn’t believe the route to self-actualisation was as strict as Maslow’s had described
- he believed that people move towards self-actualisation depending in their own thoughts about themselves and the way they’re treated by others
- believed you develop in a psychologically healthy way if your path to self-actualisation is not blocked
- believed Everyone had the need to be regarded by others in a good light and to be shown love, respect and affection
Rogers outlined the differences between how someone….
- Sees themselves (their self-concept)
- how they would like to be (their ideal self)
What did rogers suggest about how someone’s self concept is created and developed
He suggested it is created and develops in a way which depends on whether they receive unconditional positive regard or whether conditions of worth are set for them
What is unconditional positive regard
- This is where the person gets affection and support no matter what their behaviour is like
- We need unconditional positive regard to have a positive self-concept
What is conditions of worth
- This is where approval and affection is given as a result of behaving in a certain way
- although this treatment can help someone learn to fit in with the rules of social life, Rogers believed that it could stop them from reaching self-actualisation - this is because person may focus on keeping other people happy rather than developing their own personality
What happens to someone if they have unconditional positive regard and then receive love and acceptance
If they have unconditional positive regard and then receive love and acceptance for their behaviour, they will experience congruence - and become a fully functioning person
What happens to someone’s if they are set conditions of worth
Then their ideal self become something different to the self-concept, and the person will experience incongruence
What did Rogers develop his ideas into
A form of therapy
What did Rogers believe about the cause of psychological problems
Rogers believed that many people’s psychological problems were caused by incongruence
What is incongruence
This is where there is a mismatch between someone’s self concept and their ideal self
What did Rogers therapy aim to do
His therapy aimed to remove this incongruence by making it possible for the person to become their ideal self
What was Rogers Therapy known as
Client-centred therapy
What does the therapy focus on
Focuses on the client - they’re in charge of what is talked about, and it’s their responsibility to eventually solve their own problems
What is the therapists job in Client-centred therapy
The therapists job is to make the client aware of their thoughts, actions, behaviours. They can do this by carefully rephrasing the clients sentences and repairing them back
How may a conversation of client-centred therapy go
Client: I find my parents really annoying. They’re always going on at me and won’t let me do what o want
Therapist: So you’re feeling quite frustrated. Your parents treat you like you’re still a child and not an adult
What is really important in client centred therapy
-Unconditional positive regard
- genuineness and empathy.
- The therapist is supportive of the client no matter what they do or say with the aim that the client will come to value themselves
What evidence shows client centred therapy is effective
Gibbard and Hanley 2008
What is Gibbard and Hanley
- studied the impact of client centred therapy on a group of patients suffering from common mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression
- they studied 700 people over 5 years
- a questionnaire was used to measure the extent of their condition before and after therapy
- It was found that nearly 70% of the participants showed a significant improvement in their mental health after taking part in client centred therapy
What at the strengths of Humanistic psychology
- very positive approach, people are striving to be better
- free will is a major part, less restrictive to than more deterministic approaches
- approach trades people as individuals and takes the whole person into account rather than reducing individual behaviours to cause and effect responses
- research gathers qualitative data which is rich in detail. Rogers recorded many session so they could be analysed, making it possible to observe successes as a result of therapy
- the counselling techniques which have come from the approach have been shown to be effective
What are the weaknesses of humanistic psychology
- Approach places less emphasis on factors such as the role of genetics
- the humanistic approach lacks objectivity - largely based in feelings and subjective reports
- Hard to test in a scientific way
- Features things that are hard to measure such as self-actualisation
- approach is idiographic, means it doesn’t create generalised laws which can be applied to everyone, making it a less scientific approach
