the humanistic approach Flashcards
abraham maslow
developed the hierarchy as a way for employers to get the best out of their employees by understanding their needs
assumptions of the humanistic approach
-individuals have free will to make their own choices
-focus on human worth of the individuals and being more optimistic
-focus on the physiological growth of the individual, people can self actualise
how are needs like ‘vitamins’
we can never be healthy without them, long term deficiency can encourage mental health disorders
what do the top and bottom levels of the hierarchy mean
bottom- deficiency needs
top- growth needs
you need to satisfy the lower needs to move up
what did rogers say about the self and congruence
personal growth in achieved when a persons self is near to their ideal self
what is the self
how they see themselves
what is the ideal self
the person that they want to become
what happens if the self and the ideal self differ largely
it will lead to incongruence, the person will have negative views on themselves and not reach self actualisation
what is lack of unconditional positive regard and what does it cause
lack of unconditional love from parents and it causes problems for adulthood
what is client centred therapy
a way to reduce the gap between the self and the ideal self
therapists give their patients unconditional positive regard that they didnt receive in childhood
strengths and weaknesses of the humanistic approach
-there is relatively little real world application
+ it promotes a positive image of the human condition
-includes a number of abstract ideas rather than a full theory
-more readily associated with individualist cultures than collectivist cultures
what are the hierarchy of needs from highest to lowest
-self actualisation
-need for esteem
need for loving and belonging
-need for safety
-physiological needs
what happens if physiological needs are not met (-) and met (+)
-you will begin to crave food, water etc
+no cravings, higher needs will present themselves
what happens if needs for safety are not met (-) and met (+)
-you will become anxious and display fight or flight behaviour
+you will experience physical security, your safety needs decrease
what happens if needs for love and belonging are not met (-) and met (+)
-you will become lonely, withdrawal, and rejected and will show hostility towards ‘out groups’
+you will demonstrate mutual love and freedom. high needs will present themselves
what happens if needs for esteem are not met (-) and met (+)
-you will become fearful of criticism, failure, and risks. inferior helpless and feel frustration towards those who withhold respect. envious bitter and arrogant
+feel confident and content, show self belief and respect and will be prepared to step out of comfort zone
what happens if self actualisation is not met (-) and met (+)
-view life as meaningless and become restless and bored, with a tendency to avoid growth and development
+feel a desire to develop, feel creative positive and energetic, a desire to contribute, live curiously and independently, develop an identity
Limited real world application
They have a limited impact on explaining human behaviour
These abstract concepts have very specific uses but limited application to other real world situations outside of counselling and the workplace
Positive perspective
Promotes a positive perspective on the human experience
Other approaches such as psychodynamic see humans as slaves to their past selves and in a state of unhappiness
Offers an optimistic alternative to other approaches where humans are happy and good beings with free will
Unscientific
Includes many unique and untestable concepts
They are useful in therapy but difficult to scientifically test
This means it is unscientific and lacks empirical evidence
This is clear as humanists reject any way of studying human behaviour scientifically
Based on western culture
The humanist approach is based on western ideas, individualist freedom and personal growth are western ideas whereas collectivist cultures will most likely prioritise the the needs of the group
The humanistic approach cannot be used universally
