The Humanistic Approach Flashcards
What does the humanistic approach focus on?
The worth and uniqueness of the individual (less deterministic and more focused on free will).
What is determinism?
The belief that all behaviour is governed by factors that are out of our control.
What is free will?
Free choice on how to behave (giving one moral responsibility).
What are the main assumptions of the humanistic approach?
-Each person is unique and psychology should study the whole person (holism).
-Each person can exercise free will.
-Each person is a rational and conscious being.
-Humans strive towards achieving self-actualisation.
Human beings can make significant ________ ________ within the ________ imposed by biological and societal forces.
Personal choices, constraints.
Why do humanistic psychologists reject scientific methods?
They believe that every individual is unique (idiographic approach), and don’t believe in making general laws for humans (nomothetic approach).
What is the idiographic approach?
Focusing on the individual and emphasising the unique personal experience of human nature.
What methods do human psychologists prefer (to collect data)?
Qualitative methods.
What qualitative methods do humanistic psychologists use?
-Unstructured interviews: open questions.
-Participant observation: researcher joins in with participant.
-Diaries, letters, biological materials.
Maslow wasn’t interested in what went ________ with people but rather in what could go ________ with them.
Wrong, right.
What did Maslow do?
He produced a hierarchy of needs (basic needs at the bottom, advanced needs at the top).
How is self-actualisation to be achieved?
All previous levels must be met.
What are the 5 levels (in order of basic needs to advanced needs)?
Physiological, Safety, Love & Belonging, Esteem, Self-Actualisation.
What are physiological needs?
Food, water, sleep, air, shelter, clothing, homeostasis, reproduction.
What are safety needs?
Security of body, health, employment, resources (e.g. financial).
What are love & belonging needs?
Family, friends, intimacy.
What are esteem needs?
Respect (of self and of others), confidence.
What are self-actualisation needs?
Morality, acceptance, fulfilment.
What is self-actualisation?
One’s motivation to reach their full potential.
What are deficit needs (in the hierarchy)?
Physiological, Safety, Love & Belonging.
Who was Carl Rogers?
One of the founders of the humanistic approach. He focused on self and self-acceptance.
What is the self?
How we perceive ourselves as a person.
Rogers believed that Freud dealt with the ‘________ ________’ of psychology, and focused on ________ ________.
‘Sick half’, healthy upbringing.
What are the two selves?
The real self and the ideal self.
What is the real self?
Who I am as a person and how people see me (objective).
What is the ideal self?
Who I wish I am (growth potential, but could be unrealistic expectations).
When do feelings of self-worth develop?
Childhood.
What are feelings of self-worth influenced by?
Interactions with significant others.
What is congruence?
A sense of healthy wellbeing, where consistency between the real self and ideal self is established.
What is incongruence?
Where there is a large difference between the actual self and ideal self.
What does incongruence lead to?
Low self-worth and anxiety.
What can widen the gulf between real self and ideal self?
Defence mechanisms (e.g. denial).
The ________ our real self and ideal self are to each other, the ________ our feelings of self worth are.
Closer, greater.
Rogers believed that people ________ the process of self-actualisation.
Hinder.
What are conditions of worth (negative regard)?
When a person is accepted ONLY if they do as they’re told (strings attached).
What is unconditional love (positive regard)?
When a person is accepted for who they are (no strings attached).
What is an example of conditions of worth?
‘We’ll love you more if you win this race.’
What is an example of unconditional love?
‘We love you no matter what.’
How does conditions of worth affect people?
- Children who receive conditions of worth develop low self-esteem.
- Psychological issues arise, making self actualisation difficult.
- Therapists should provide clients with unconditional positive regard to help resolve conditions of worth and guilt.
How does client-centred therapy help with conditions of worth?
A therapist that provides unconditional positive regard for clients help resolve conditions of worth, and guide clients towards self-actualisation (focusing on the real self).
Rogers believed that the individual’s central motivation is to ________ and ________.
Learn, grow.
What are the characteristics of a good therapist?
*Congruence- harmony between real self and ideal self.
*Empathy- understanding of one’s situation.
*Absolute positive regard- unconditional liking and respect.
What are the strengths of the humanistic approach?
-Emphasises choice of free will, unlike the other approaches.
-Values personal ideals and self-fulfilment, which is believed to be achievable for everyone.
-Harter: teenagers who have to fulfil false self-behaviour end up disliking themselves.
What are the weaknesses of the humanistic approach?
-Little empirical research has been carried out on ‘vague’ terms such as self-actualisation.
-Culturally biased, as many of the ideas of humanistic psychology (autonomy/personal growth) are individualistic values.
