the humanistic approach

Question 1

what does Maslow think motivates behaviour?

Answer 1

the hierarchy of needs - in order to achieve the goal of self-actualisation a number of other needs must be met first - at the bottom is Physiological needs (food and water), then Safety and Security (avoiding danger), then Love and Belongingness, then Self Esteem and finally Self Actualisation

Question 2

what is self actualisation?

Answer 2

an innate desire to acheive their full potential - a concept regarding the process by which an individual reaches his or her full potential

Question 3

what is personal growth?

Answer 3

humanistic psychologists regard personal growth as an essential part of being human- it is changing as a person to become self-satisfied, goal oriented and fulfilled.

Question 4

what did Rogers argue was needed for growth?

Answer 4

a persons view of their self must have congruence with their view of their ideal self - if the gap between the two ‘selves’ is too big self actualisation will not be possible due to the negative feelings of self worth

Question 5

what did Rogers develop?

Answer 5

Client centred therapy to reduce the gap in the two ‘selves’ - he claimed many of the issues we experience in adulthood have their roots in childhood from a lack of unconditional love from parents.

Question 6

strengths of humanistic approach

Answer 6

• rejects reductionist ideas - subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person - therefore may have more validity as it considers human behaviour within its real world context
• it is a positive approach - praised for bringing the person back into psychology and promoting positive image as they work toward achieving their potential and improving self-worth - refreshing and optimistic compared to other approaches

Question 7

weaknesses of humanistic approach

Answer 7

• culturally bound - relflective of individualist cultures - countries with collectivist ideals may not value some parts of the heirarchy as much as us (e.g self actualisation) - is not universal approach
• cannot be measured - isnt reductionist and therefore cannot be tested which means the approach is short on empirical evidence to support its ideas