the humanistic approach

Question 1

what are the basic assumptions of the humanistic approach

Answer 1

1) humans have free will
2) people are good and have the innate need to make themselves better
3) people are motivated to self actualize
4) rejects the scientific methodology

Question 2

outline what the approach means by free will

Answer 2

• emphasises that humans have full conscious control over their own destiny, they have free will
• humanistic psychologists believe that human beings are able to make significant personal choices within the constraints of other forces

Question 3

define the hierarchy of needs

Answer 3

the motivational theory proposed by Maslow suggesting the most basic needs are at the bottom and the higher needs are at the top of a pyramid

Question 4

define self actualisation

Answer 4

a term used in different ways

1) rogers defined it as the drive to realise ones true potential
2) maslow defined it as the final stage of his hierarchy of needs

Question 5

what is meant by the self

Answer 5

out personal identity, how we perceive ourselves as a person

Question 6

define congruence

Answer 6

if there is a similarity between a persons ideal self and their self image, a state of congruence exists a difference between the two represents as incongruence

Question 7

define conditions of worth

Answer 7

conditions imposed on an individual’s behaviour and development that are considered necessary to earn positive regard from significant others

Question 8

outline Maslow’s theory

Answer 8

1) Maslow wasn’t interested in finding out what was wrong with people, but instead what was right with them
2) he proposed a hierarchy of needs which emphasised the importance of personal growth and fulfilment
3) his hierarchy of needs shows different levels with the most basic needs at the base and higher needs at the top, each level must be fulfilled before a person can move to a higher need
4) the more basic the need the more powerfully it is felt and more difficult it is to ignore
5) individuals who reach self actualisation are more creative and accepting and he believed it is experiences as a form extreme inspiration and ecstasy

Question 9

outline the different stages of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs starting from the base upwards

Answer 9

1) physiological eg breathing, food and water
2) safety eg security of body, employment, family and health
3) love and belonging eg friendship, family, sexual intimacy
4) esteem- self confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others
5) self actualisation- morality, creativity, problem solving acceptance of others

Question 10

outline the self concept

Answer 10

1) Rogers claimed people have two basic needs, positive regard from others and the feeling of self worth
2) feelings of self worth develop in childhood and are formed as a result on interactions with parents and later interactions with significant others
3) he believed that how we think about ourselves and our feelings of self worth determine psychological health
4) the closer we are to our ideal self and our self concept are to each other the greater our feelings of self worth and greater our phycological health
5) the more congruent we are the more self worth we feel

Question 11

outline what rogers meant by conditions of worth

Answer 11

1) love and acceptance of others may be unconditional (unconditional positive regard) , where they ate accepted for who they are no matter what
2) or it can be conditional where they only experience love and acceptance for doing what others want them to do (conditions of worth)
3) an individual can only experience a state of self acceptance if they meet the conditions of others

Question 12

evaluate the humanistic approach

Answer 12

1) free will vs determinism- only approach which explains individuals having free will over their actions however then state behaviour is determined by the way others treat us so maybe an interactionist approach is better suited
2) real world applications- client centred therapies, therapist should display unconditional positive regard no matter what their client states, they are there to listen and encourage whilst it is up to the client to improve their life
3) research methods= highlights the role of individualism and idiographic psychology using methods such as case studies and interviews= qualitative data
4) research support- individuals who experience conditional positive regard more likely to display false self behaviour, Harter et al discovered teens who feel that they need to fulfil certain conditions in order to gain parent approval frequently end up not liking themselves and end up with depression and loss of touch with true self