The Humanistic Approach (Approaches) Flashcards
Assumptions of the Humanistic approach
-Every individual is unique: the approach does not try to generalise to groups and subdivide the population into characteristics such as age or gender. This is Idiographic.
-Free Will: Humans are self determining, not affected by external or internal influences. We are ‘active agents’ (although there are some constraints, being social rules, laws and morals). an implication of this is that a person is responsible for their behaviour.
-We should all be viewed holistically: we should consider all factors, not just childhood, but an entire life.
-The scientific method is not appropriate to measure behaviour
Self Actualisation (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs)
the innate drive to achieve their full potential. A growth need is an essential part of being human.
Self Actualisation would involve:
-A strong sense of self awareness
-A fully accepting view of themselves and others for who they are
-The ability to deal with uncertainty and the unknown
-A strong sense of creativity
Carl Roger’s theory of centred therapy (1959)
Focuses on the self, or selves, of the individual.
The self concept (Carl Rogers)
The self that can be described as the self you feel you are. It is similar to self-esteem and is affected by it. So, if someone has low self-esteem, their self-concept will be poor and they will have a distorted view of how capable they are.
The ideal Self (Carl Rogers)
The self you wish to be. What you aim towards or it is possible you are already there. Someone working towards their ideal self may say, “I wish I was more…” or “I wish I was able to”. Differs from the self concept as it is not necessarily what you currently are, it is who you wish you were.
The real self (Carl Rogers)
Who you actually are, not what you think you are or wish you were.
What happens when the selves don’t match each other?
-anxiety
-depression
-defence mechanisms
-lack of self worth
-incongruence
Congruence
When the selves are matching. An important part of achieving congruence is “unconditional positive regard”. This means that at some point in their lives someone has to be loved for who they are by someone else, to be accepted unconditionally.
The role of conditions of worth
Conditions of worth are requirements that the individual feels they need to meet to be loved. This is also called conditional positive regard. Conditions of worth can be real or perceived by the individual.
Client Centred therapy
-person centred therapy is a form if psychotherapy
-‘clients’ not ‘patients’- expert of their own condition
-Non-directive
-warm, supportive and non-judgmental
Increasing self-worth, reduce incongruence and become a fully functioning person.
Therapist provides three things: genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard.
Method (Aronoff 1967 Job demands and the hierarchy of needs)
Compared people in two jobs in the British West Indies- fishermen and cane cutters.
Can cutters were paid for how much cane the whole group cut, even when an individual is off sick. High job security, but wages were low.
Fishermen worked alone, doing more challenging work. Earned more, but less secure in their jobs.
Both groups were assessed to see which level they were at on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Results (Aronoff 1967 Job demands and the hierarchy of needs)
More cane cutters were at the lower levels of hierarchy, more still trying to achieve safety than fishermen, who had mostly satisfied the lower levels.
Conclusion (Aronoff 1967 Job demands and the hierarchy of needs)
Only those who’d satisfied the lower levels would choose to become fishermen, allowing them to develop high self esteem. Suggests people cannot reach the higher levels until satisfying the lower levels.
Evaluation (Aronoff 1967 Job demands and the hierarchy of needs)
Supports Maslow’s theory.
High ecological validity, people were in their natural environment.
Studied people from one culture, cannot be generalised.
