The humanistic approach

Question 1

What makes up the humanistic approach?

Answer 1

Free will, self-actualisation and Maslow’s hierarchy on needs
The self, congruence and conditions of worth
The influence of the approach on counselling psychology

Question 2

What are the assumptions of the humanistic approach?

Answer 2

Argues that people are born with free will and a wish to grow and fulfil their potential.
Also believes that that people are basically good, and have an innate need to make themselves and the world better.
It is less scientific than other approaches as it relies on subjective judgements or concepts that are impossible to measure empirically.
It is holistic as it considers all factors and addresses the understanding of human behaviour in a more personal and holistic way.

Question 3

What is free will?

Answer 3

Humanists believe that we have free will, meaning that we are in control of their own behaviour. It acknowledges that there are many constraints on free will, such as laws. Humanistic psychologists don’t care that other approaches have criticised the concept because it cannot be objectively measured. They propose it doesn’t matter if we really have free will, but that people perceive they have some choice over what happens in their lives.

Question 4

What is self-actualisation?

Answer 4

Humanistic psychologists believe everyone has an innate drive to fulfil their full potential. This is the peak state of existence that any individual can attain. Rogers and Maslow believe that it is unique to everyone. He developed the hierarchy of needs to explain the journey we must take to achieve self actualisation. Rogers developed theories related to the importance of a positive sense of self and congruence. Not all of us achieve self actualisation.

Question 5

What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 5

In order to achieve self actualisation we must satisfy different levels of needs. These are represented as a pyramid where our most basic biological needs are at the bottom. If we satisfy all these needs we achieve self-actualisation.

Question 6

What Maslow’s hierarchy of needs from bottom to top?

Answer 6

Physiological needs such as food and water
Safety and security such as employment and property
Love and belonging like friends and family
Esteem like having the respect of others and confidence
Self-actualisation

Question 7

Are there methodological issue within Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 7

The concept is difficult to measure. Psychologists who view psychology as a science view it as too subjective but Maslow argues that that scientific methods are too objective, and humans are subjective in the way they behave. Some psychologists reject this theory as they believe it to be too open to interpretation.

Question 8

Are there practical applications of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 8

Concepts such as self-actualisation have been widely accepted, and sport and business psychology have made use of this notion. It helps us to understand what motivates human behaviour, so it can be used to help people progress in these fields.

Question 9

Does Maslow’s hierarchy of needs have cultural bias?

Answer 9

It relates to individualistic cultures but not to collectivist cultures. Research by Nevis found that in China, belongingness needs were more fundamental than physiological needs, which is different than Maslow’s hierarchy. Therefore it isn’t a universal concept.

Question 10

Who put forward the idea of the self?

Answer 10

Rogers

Question 11

What makes up the self?

Answer 11

Our ideal self - who we want to be
Our actual self - who we really are. Subjective experience means that everyone will report this differently.
Our perceived self - How we see ourselves. This can be easily distorted.

Question 12

What is congruence?

Answer 12

The degree of similarity between the ideal self and perceived self. If you have congruence you have self worth, which is important for psychological health. Psychological distress is caused by incongruence.

Question 13

How do we measure congruence?

Answer 13

The Q sort test by Stephenson.
It gets you to sort a range of qualities to show progression of incongruence to congruence.

Question 14

What are conditions of worth?

Answer 14

The conditions imposed on an individual’s character or behaviour that are considered necessary to earn positive regard from significant others. Key people in our lives provide us with unconditional positive regard - their love isn’t conditional on behaving in a certain way. Believing that love can be conditional can damage our mental health. These conditions of worth can be real or perceived.

Question 15

What did Rogers believe about the benefits of the humanistic approach on counselling psychology?

Answer 15

He claimed that an individuals psychological problems were a direct result of their conditions of worth and the conditional positive regard they receive from other people. He believed that people could solve their own problems in constructive ways using counselling. The role of the counsellor is to facilitate and help the individual to understand themselves.

Question 16

What is person centred therapy?

Answer 16

The client is encouraged to develop positive self regard and overcome the mismatch between the perceived, true and ideal selves.
The client must feel comfortable and accepted, so they can identify barriers to becoming congruent. Rogers encouraged that they look at current subjective understandings of the situation rather than other people’s.

Question 17

What are the core conditions of person centred therapy?

Answer 17

Congruence - counsellor must be completely genuine
Unconditioned positive regard - counsellor must remain non-judgemental and value the client
Empathy - counsellor must strive to understand the client’s experience

Question 18

Does the humanistic approach have practical applications?

Answer 18

Core conditions promoted in person centred therapy, such as congruence and empathy have merged into many forms of effective psychotherapy.

Question 19

Is the approach scientific?

Answer 19

Cannot support with empirical evidence as concepts like congruence and unconditional positive regard are very difficult to study without using subjectivity, inferences or retrospection.

Question 20

Is the approach holistic?

Answer 20

It acknowledges the effect that our subjective experiences have on our lives. Some argue that this is essential to being human and can explain how we interpret the same events in many diverse ways. This promotes a more positive and realistic image of the human condition.

Question 21

Is there evidence to back up the approach?

Answer 21

Harter discovered some of the dangers by giving conditions of worth to adolescents. Some teenagers create ‘false self behaviour’ doing things to meet other people’s expectations even when they clash with their own views. He concluded that teenagers have to fulfil certain conditions in order to gain parent’s approval and frequently end up not liking themselves.

Question 22

Does the approach have a cultural bias?

Answer 22

It relates well to individualistic cultures not collectivist cultures. Nevis found that in China, belongingness needs were more fundamental than physiological needs, which is different than the order proposed by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Question 23

Issues and debates?

Answer 23

Free will
Mostly nurture
Holism
Idiographic
Not scientific