the humanistic approach

Question 1

assumes that we all have free will and are mistresses and masters of our own development so we can ignore

Answer 1

the influence of internal and external factors on our behaviour

Question 2

sees self actualisation as achieved by being the top level of maslows hierarahcy of needs as

Answer 2

a crucial part of being human

Question 3

due to having free will we also have the ability to progress through

Answer 3

the hierarchy of needs and better ourselves

Question 4

the self is a term to describe all the ideas and values we have about ourselves including

Answer 4

perceptions of our abilities

Question 5

the ideal self describes our

Answer 5

perception of the best version off ourselves

Question 6

when there is too large a gap between the self and the ideal self we experience incongruence , the consequent negative feelings and low self esteem prevent us from

Answer 6

progressing through mallows hierarchy of needs and so we cannot achieve self actualisation

Question 7

when there is little or no gap between the self and the ideal self then we have achieved congruence allowing us to

Answer 7

progress up the hierarchy with the aim of achieving self actualisation

Question 8

self actualisation refers to the innate desire we all have to

Answer 8

become the best version of ourselves through personal and psychological growth ie achieving ones full potential

Question 9

rogerian therapy aims to reduce the gap between the self and the ideal self this

Answer 9

increasing the likelihood of achieving congruence and subsequently self actualisation

Question 10

according to rogers and Maslow conditions such as low self esteem and low self worth originate in childhood where

Answer 10

adults restrict the love they show towards their children by imposing conditions of worth ie I will only love you if you get an A*
this represents a lack of unconditional positive regard

Question 11

rogerian therapy views a good therapist as being open genuine empathic and most importantly

Answer 11

providing the unconditional positive regard which the patient most likely lacked during childhood

Question 12

these therapies view patients as experts of their conditions and so they are

Answer 12

encouraged to arrive at their own solutions to this problems with the help of a therapist

Question 13

maslows hierarchy of needs

Answer 13

self actualisation - full potential
esteem needs - accomplishment
love needs - friends
safety needs - safety
psychological needs - food

Question 14

a strength is that is has practical application to therapy , rogers client entered therapy has had a major impact on counselling psychology and how such therapies are used both in the USA and UK , this therapy is particularly beneficial as

Answer 14

it acknowledges that indviduals of have free will and do have the ability to improve themselves through focussing on developing solutions to the patients current problems
in stark comparison to Freuds psychotherapies which tend to dwell upon childhood experiences and so may be frustrating for the patient who has identified the cause of the problem
- rogers client centered therapy is not suitable for treating serious mental disorders ie depression

Question 15

a strength is that it takes a holistic approach , the humanistic approach is unique in that it adopts holism therefore focusing on the indviduals subjective experiences as a whole as a method of investigating behaviour. this in contrast with

Answer 15

the cognitive approach (computer mdoel) and the biological approach (no free will)
therefore humanism is a refreshing alternative compared to other reductionist explanations of behaviour

Question 16

a weakness is that it has untestable and subjective concepts , akin to Freuds psychodynamic approach humanism suffers from a lack of empirical evidence and no possibility of systematically observing and measuring the processes which it describes , self actualisation cannot be measured objectively due

Answer 16

to indvidual differences and a lack of a universal measuring scale
similarly congruence may slo be up to personal judgement especially as opinions of wether one has of their ideal self will differ
this does little to improve the scientific credibility of both humanism and psychology

Question 17

another weakness is that it is a culture bound explanation of behaviour , maslows ideas of self actualisation and congruence can be mostly viewed as attitudes typical of western individualist cultures where the needs of the indvidual is greater than the needs of the group , therefore

Answer 17

due to this cultrual bias , humanism may be more rapidly accepted by western cultures who will identify more with these values , as opposed to eastern collectivist cultures where such a desire for personal growth may be seen as selfish considering that the needs of the group are greater than that of the indvidual