The Humanistic Approach Evaluation Flashcards
Not Reductionist = Strength
Humanists reject any attempt to break up behaviour & experience into smaller components. Behaviourists explain human & animal learning in terms of simple stimulus-response connections; Freud described the whole of personality as a conflict between three things: id, ego & superego; biological psychologists reduce behaviour to its basic physiological processes & supporters of the cognitive approach see human beings as little more than information processing ‘machines’. In contrast, humanistic psychologists advocate holism, the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person. This approach may have more validity than its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-life context.
Limited Application = Weakness
Unlike some of the other approaaches, humanistic psychology has relatively little real-world application. It is true that Rogerian therapy has revolutionised counselling techniques, & Maslow’s hierachy of needs has been used to explain motivation, particularly in the workplace. However, it remains the case that the approach has had limited impact within the discipline of psychology as a whole. This may in part be due to humanistic psychology lacking a sound evidence-base & also due to the fact that the approach has been described, not as a comprehensive theory, but as a loose set of rather abstract concepts.
Positive Approach = Strength
Humanistic psychologists have been praised for ‘bringing the person beack into psychology’ & promoting a positive image of the human condition. Freud saw human beings as slaves to their past & claimed all of us existed somewhere between ‘common unhappiness & absolute despair’. Humanistic psychology offers a refreshing & optimistic alternative; it sees all people as basicallt good, free to work towards the achievement of their potential & in control of their lives.
Untestable concepts = Weakness
Humanistic psychology does include a number of vague ideas that are abstract & difficult yo test. Concepts such as ‘self-actualisation’ & ‘congruence’ may be useful therapeutic tools but would prove problematic to assess under experimental conditions. Rogers did attempt to introduce more rigour into his work by developing the Q-sort- an objective measure of progress in therapy. Nevertheless, as would be expected of an approach that describes itself as anti-scientific, humanistic psychology is short on empirical evidence to support its claims.
Cultural Bias = Weakness
Many of the ideas that are central to humanistic psychology, such as individual freedom, autonomy & personal growth, would be much more readily associated with individualist cultures in the Western world such as the United States. Collectivist cultures such as India, which emphasise the needs of the group, community and interdependence, may not identify so easily with the ideals & values of humanistic psychology. Therefore, it is possible that this approach would not travel well and is a product of the cultural context in which it was developed.
