7. humanistic approach Flashcards
FREE WILL
All the approaches so far are determinist to some degree in their suggestion that behaviour is entirely, or at least partly, shaped by forces over which we have no control.
Even the cognitive approach, which claims we are free to choose our own thoughts, would still argue that such choice is constrained by the limits of our cognitive system.
Humanistic psychology claims
that human beings are essentially self-determining and have free will
people are still affected by external and internal influences but are also active agents who can determine their own development.
For this reason, humanistic psychologists reject more scientific models that attempt to establish general principles of human behaviour: as active agents we are all unique, and psychology should concern itself with the study of subjective experience rather than general laws.
This is often referred to as an idiographic approach in psychology.
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Abraham Maslow was one of the founders of the humanistic movement in psychology.
He described a hierarchy of needs that motivate our behaviour. In order to achieve our primary goal of self-actualisation, a number of other deficiency needs must first be met.
At the bottom are physiological needs such as food and water
Moving up the hierarchy, the next deficiency need is safety and security followed by love and belongingness and then self-esteem. A person is only able to progress through the hierarchy once the current need in the sequence has been met. At the top is self-actualisation.
SELF-ACTUALISATION
Most people have an innate desire to achieve their full potential - to become the best they can possibly be.
Self-actualisation represents the uppermost level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
All four lower levels of the hierarchy (deficiency needs) must be met before the individual can work towards self-actualisation (a growth need) and fulfil their potential.
Humanistic psychologists regard personal growth as
an essential part of what it is to be human. Personal growth is concerned with developing and changing as a person to become fulfilled, satisfied and goal orientated.
Not everyone will manage this, however, and there are important psychological barriers that may prevent a person from reaching their potential.
THE SELF, CONGRUENCE AND CONDITIONS OF WORTH
Carl Rogers argued that for personal growth to be achieved an individual’s concept of self (the way they see themselves) must be broadly equivalent to, or have congruence with, their ideal self (the person they want to be).
If too big a gap exists between the two ‘selves’, the person will experience a state of incongruence and self-actualisation will not be possible due to the negative feelings of self-worth that arise from incongruence.
In order to reduce the gap between the self-concept and the ideal self, Rogers developed
client-centred therapy - also called ‘counselling’ to help people cope with the problems of everyday living. Rogers claimed that many of the issues we experience as adults, such as worthlessness and low self-esteem, have their roots in childhood and can often be explained by a lack of unconditional positive regard (or lack of unconditional love) from our parentsa parent who sets boundaries or limits on their love for their child (conditions of worth) by claiming ‘ will only love you if.’ is storing up psychological problems for that child in the future
AO3: strength of HUMANISTIC APPROACH
not reductionist
One strength of the humanistic approach is that it rejects attempts to break up behaviour and experience into smaller components (reductionism).
Behaviourists explain human and animal learning in terms of simple stimulus-response connections. Supporters of the cognitive approach see human beings as little more than information-processing ‘machines’. Biological psychologists reduce behaviour to its basic physiological processes. Freud described the whole of personality as a conflict between three things: Id, Ego, and Superego. 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-world context.
AO3: limitation of HUMANISTIC APPROACH
counterpoint - not scientific
Having said that, reductionist approaches may be more scientific.
This is because the ideal of science is the experiment, and experiments reduce behaviour to independent and dependent variables. One issue with humanistic psychology is that, unlike behaviourism, there are relatively few concepts that can be broken down to single variables and measured.
This means that humanistic psychology in general is short on empirical evidence to support its claims
AO3: strength of HUMANISTIC APPROACH
positive approach
Another strength of the humanistic approach is that it is optimistic.
Humanistic psychologists have been praised for bringing the person back into psychology and promoting a positive image of the human condition. Freud saw human beings as prisoners of their past and claimed all of us existed somewhere between common unhappiness and absolute despair. In contrast, humanistic psychologists see all people as basically good, free to work towards the achievement of their potential and in control of their lives.
This suggests that humanistic psychology offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative to other approaches.
AO3: limitation of HUMANISTIC APPROACH
cultural bias
One limitation of the humanistic approach is that it may be culturally biased.
Many of the ideas that are central to humanistic psychology, such as individual freedom, autonomy, and personal growth, would be much more readily associated with countries that have more individualist tendencies (e.g. the US). Countries with collectivist tendencies emphasise more the needs of the group and interdependence. In such countries, the ideals of humanistic psychology may not be as important as in others (e.g. self-actualisation).
Therefore, it is possible that this approach does not apply universally and is a product of the cultural context within which it was developed.
CLIENT-CENTRED THERAPY
Rogers referred to those in therapy as ‘clients’ rather than ‘patients’ as he saw the individual as the expert on their own condition therapy is not directed by the therapist (non-directive), and the client is just encouraged towards the discovery of their own solutions within a therapeutic atmosphere that is warm, supportive, and non-judgemental.
For Rogers, an effective therapist should provide the client with three things:
genuineness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard. The aim is to increase the person’s feelings of self-worth, reduce the level of incongruence between the self-concept and the ideal self, and help the person become a more fully functioning person.
Client-centred therapy has been praised as a forward-looking and effective approach that focuses on present problems rather than dwelling on the past.
However, much like psychoanalysis, it is best applied to the treatment of ‘mild’ psychological conditions, such as anxiety and low self-worth.
