The humanistic approach Flashcards
Assumptions of the humanistic approach.
-Rejects scientific principles.
-Each person has a unique way of perceiving and understanding the world.
-People are self-determining- we have free will about the choices we make and the way we act.
Define self-actualisation.
The desire to grow psychologically and fulfil one’s full potential.
However, this is not possible until our basic needs have been met.
Name the different levels on maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Physiological
Safety
Love/belonging
Esteem
Self-actualisation
What did Carl Rogers say about self-actualisation?
For personal growth, a person must have congruence between their ideal self and their self-concept/perceived self. If too big of a gap exists between the two selves then the person will experience incongruence and will not be able to reach self-actualisation.
How do we reduce the gap between self-concept and ideal self?
Person centered therapy.
Outline person centered therapy.
This therapy is non-directive and the client is encouraged to develop their own solutions to their difficulties in a supportive and non judgemental environment.
What is the aim of person centered therapy?
-To increase an individual self worth
-To reduce levels of incongruence.
-To help the person become a more fully functioning individual.
Problem associated with person centered therapy.
Will not help someone with schizophrenia but may help someone with anxiety.
What are the three conditions of the therapist for person centered therapy?
-Empathy.
-Congruence
-Unconditional positive regard
Why do therapists need to be empathetic during person centered therapy?
They must completely understand and accept their client’s thoughts and feelings in an attempt to reshape the individuals sense of their experiences.
Why do therapists need to show congruence during person centered therapy?
Therapists should carry no air of superiority but instead present a true and accessible self that clients can see as honest and transparent
Why do therapists need to show unconditional positive regard during person centered therapy?
Therapists must be non-judgemental as they accept the clients words no matter what and convey feelings of understanding,trust and confidence. Makes the patient feel valued.
Give a strength of the humanistic approach.
It is not reductionist therefore it rejects attempts to break behaviour up into smaller parts. E.g the cognitive approach and behavioural approach.
Humanists advocate ‘holism’ the idea that we should consider the whole person and take everything into account rather than a small part of a person. It will not ignore vital factors.
Give a limitation of the humanistic approach.
Non-scientific.
Give a limitation of the humanistic approach (cultural bias)
One limitation of the humanistic approach is that it may be culturally biased. Many ideas central to the approach such as individual freedom and personal growth would be more readily associated with individualist countries (e,g the USA) as oppose to collectivist countries which emphasise the needs of a group.
Therefore, the approach does not apply universally.
