The Humanistic Approach Flashcards
What do humanist psychologists believe, and what does this make this approach, regarding human’s behaviour?
They see humans as affected by external and internal influences that are self-determining, i.e we have free will.
This makes the approach subjective as each person is unique.
What are the 5 needs within the hierarchy of needs from the top—down?
Self actualisation
Esteem needs
Love/belonging needs
Safety needs
Physiological needs
Define self actualisation
This refers to the innate tendency that each of us has to want to achieve our full potential + become the best we can possibly be.
What are the 4 things that the self refers to in the humanistic approach?
The ideas/values that characterise ‘i’ and ‘me’ and includes perceptions of ‘what i am’ and ‘what i can do.’
What did Roger’s argue regarding personal growth and what would occur if the gap was two big, that regards the congruence part?
He argued that personal growth requires an individuals concept of self to be congruent with their ideal self (the person they want to be)
If the gap is too big, the person will experience a state of incongruence and self-actualisation isn’t possible.
Give examples of 2 issues that have their roots in childhood and what are they due to?
—worthlessness
—low self-esteem
These are due to a lack of unconditional positive regard from parents.
How are psychological problems created for a child’s future?
By a parent/ parents that set boundaries on their love for them, (conditions of worth), by claiming ‘I will only love you if..’
What are the three things that an effective therapist should provide the client in Roger’s client-centred therapy (counselling) ?
— genuineness
— empathy
— Unconditional positive regard
What is the aim of Roger’s client-centred therapy (counselling) ?
Aim is to increase feelings of self-worth and to reduce the incongruence between the self-concept and the ideal self.
How did Roger’s client-centred therapy (counselling) transform psychology?
What four areas is it used in?
It proposed ‘Non-directive’ counselling techniques that are practised now, which aren’t only practised in clinical settings but throughout education, health, social work and industry.
What are the two strengths to Humanism?
This approach is anti-reductionist
This approach is a positive one
Explain the strength of anti-reductionism to Humanism, and what idea they advocate?
Humanistic psychologists reject any attempts to break up behaviour + experience into smaller components. They advocate Holism.
This therefore may increase validity, by considering meaning for human behaviour, within its real-world context.
What is Holism?
This idea refers to subjective experience can only be understood considering the whole person, i.e their relationship, past, present and future, etc.
Explain the second strength to Humanism, regarding it being a positive approach.
Humanistic psychologists have been praised for promoting a positive image of the human condition, seeing people as in control of their lives.
In regards to the second strength to Humanism, (it being positive) what is the difference between Humanism and Freudian study?
Freud saw humans as slaves to their past and claimed all of us existed somewhere between ‘common unhappiness and absolute despair’
Therefore, Humanism offers a refreshing/ optimistic alternative.
What is the counterpoint to Humanism, regarding its concepts?
Humanism, unlike behaviourism, has relatively few concepts that can be reduced to single variables/ measures.
Means that Humanism in general is short on empirical evidence to support its claims.
What is the limitation to Humanism?
It may be at risk of being guilty of cultural bias.
Explain the limitation of cultural bias to Humanism, and its differences between individualist/ collectivist.
What does this therefore mean?
Many humanistic ideas (e.g self actualisation) would be more associated with individual cultures, i.e in the USA
Collectivist cultures, i.e India, emphasise the needs of the group and may not identify so easily with the ideas/ values of Humanism.
Therefore, this approach may not be universally applicable due to being a product of the cultural context it was developed in.
Explain the evaluation extra of ‘limited application’ for the Humanistic approach.
(What do critics argue, provide Rogers/Maslows findings )
What does this suggest?
- Critics argue that compared to other approaches, Humanism has had limited impacts within psychology, or practical application to real world.
-However, Roger’s therapy revolutionised counselling techniques and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been used to explain motivation, i.e in the workplace.
-Suggests this approach does have value, despite the fact that (unlike other approaches) it is resolutely anti-scientific.
