The humanistic explanation of the self

Question 1

The humanistic approach (self)

Answer 1

1. an approach that studies the whole person. It looks at an individual’s own experiences and interpretations about what is going on around them
2. It sees people as having free will and being able to change
3. It sees people as inherently good with an inbuilt need to make things better, making this an optimistic approach
4. In the humanistic approach, self-actualisation is seen as the goal for each individual

Question 2

Rogers’ humanistic theory

Answer 2

1. the development of self and self-esteem
2. Carl Rogers (1951) took a humanistic view in his explanation of self-esteem and the self
3. He thought that humans are good by nature and that all individuals naturally aim for personal growth in order to reach fulfilment or self-actualisation.
4. To become the best we can be, we must have a positive sense of self-concept and be in a state of congruence, which enables self-actualisation
5. Rogers also thought that childhood is an important time in our development and that self-esteem reflects our idea of self-worth, which comes from other people’s judgements

Question 3

Unconditional and conditional positive regard

Answer 3

1. Rogers aimed to help individual raise their self-worth and self-esteem, to achieve a state of congruence and move towards self-actualisation

Question 4

self-worth

Answer 4

evaluation of own worth, giving judgement of self-esteem

Question 5

unconditional positive regard

Answer 5

1. accepting and supporting someone no matter what they do
2. it is necessary from others in order for self-worth and self-esteem to be raised, and achieve congruence and self-actualisation
3. People can make mistakes and still be valued
4. It is valuing someone for who they are with no ‘conditions’ attatched

Question 6

conditional positive regard

Answer 6

1. there are conditions for someone to be accepted or loved
2. it is being valued but only according to certain conditions
3. lowers someone’s overall self-esteem
4. e.g. some parents might love a child only if they behave well

Question 7

Congruence and incongruence according to rogers

Answer 7

1. Rogers felt that someone cannot work towards self-actualisation if they are in a state of incongruence because their self-image and ideal self do not match
2. A counsellor would work with someone to help change their self-image to something more realistic, and to improve their self-image if their self-esteem is low
3. One way to achieve congruence is to tackle their conditions of worth

Question 8

Conditions of worth

Answer 8

1. conditions people feel they must meet to be worthy of being loved
2. Someone may have learned that to be worthy, they must fulfil certain conditions placed on them by others
3. e.g. when they are young and praised for showing intelligence, they now have to see themselves as intelligent to feel worthwhile
4. If they do not meet it, they can feel like they are never good enough, leading to a state of incongruence and never achieving self-actualisation
5. To achieve congruence, they need to have their ‘worth’ shown to them so that they believe in it
6. The conditions should be taken apart so that their view of their ideal self is more achievable

Question 9

Strengths of Rogers’ personality theory

Answer 9

1. It is positive and focuses on the individual, so it can be used to help someone move towards better mental health. Better mental health can save on a society’s health costs and build a stronger work force
2. There is a practical application or Rogers’ ideas. Counsellors using different approaches, such as using CBT, still focus on giving unconditional positive regard and using empathy. It has a wide application in therapy

Question 10

Weaknesses of Rogers’ personality theory

Answer 10

1. They are hard to measure, which makes the studies less scientific and evidence harder to gather. Unconditional positive regard can appeal to us but we can only speculate about its effect, thought Rogers did gather a lot of case notes to support his ideas
2. It only suits certain situations, such as low-self esteem, ad does not suit all medical conditions. e.g. Eyssen et al. (2013) found client-centred therapy did not help those with multiple sclerosis compared with occupational therapy

Question 11

Abraham Maslow’s theory

Answer 11

1. Abraham Maslow’s (1943) explanation of personality includes biological aspects of people and sees them as whole individuals, making this a humanistic theory
2. Maslows point is that underlying needs generally have to be met before the next need can be achieved.
3. He called the first four needs ‘deficiency’ needs - if they are not met, the person will be anxious and tense. Needs can be focused on at any time so the individual might look for a relationship and also aim to achieve other needs
4. There are some needs that dominate such as physical needs

Question 12

Hierarchy of needs (in order)

Answer 12

Basic needs must be met before higher needs can be achieved (lowest to highest)

1. Breathing, food, sleep, sex, and shelter - basic physical needs are first
2. Security needs including work, physical, family, property, and moral security needs come next
3. Love and belonging needs including relationships, friendships and family are next
4. Confidence, achievement, respect for others, and esteem needs are next
5. Self-actualisation is the goal at the top

Question 13

Strengths of Maslow’s humanistic theory

Answer 13

1. It is positive psychology - that people are basically good and can reach their full potential. It helps society to build a positive culture and helps with health and business needs. It can help managers to understand workers’ needs for friendship and security
2. Helps people to achieve their potential as it underlines that people’s basic needs must be fulfilled before they can achieve their potential

Question 14

Weaknesses of Maslow’s humanistic theory

Answer 14

1. Maslow’s ideas tend to focus on Western culture. e.g. the needs to the USA in peacetime in the 1900s were not the same as those found in the Middle East over the same period. So Maslow’s explanation of personality limits the explanatory power of the humanistic approach
2. Similar to Roger’s ideas, Maslow’s theory states that concepts are not measurable in a general sense. They vary between individuals and needs are subjective, so the theory cannot be tested scientifically to show universality
3. Its claim that humans are basically good needs evidence. e.g. van IJzendoorn et al. (2010) found 7 year old children did not show moral behaviour because of inborn temperament, but it was situation that led to their donating to charity or not