approaches (humanistic)

Question 1

basic assumptions of humanstic approach

Answer 1

humans cannot be reduced to components

all humans are unique

humans are conscious

humans have free will

humans are purposeful and creative

Question 2

what is free will

Answer 2

The humanist approach is based on the core
assumption that we have free will, that we have the
ability to choose what we do and we are in control of
our behaviour.

Humans are self-determining – we are not affected
by external or internal influences.

“active agents”
Ultimately, this means we are in charge of how we
develop and progress through life.

Question 3

people should be viewed holistically

Answer 3

Humanists argue that there is no point looking at just one aspect of an
individual. If only on part of them is considered then much of what
could be affecting them might be missed.

Humanists do not believe in focusing on childhood during therapy –
they believe the whole life should be considered.

Question 4

Self-actualisation

Answer 4

Everyone has an innate drive to achieve their
full potential. The achievement of that full
potential is called self-actualisation.
‘a growth need’ – personal growth is
essential part of being human

• fulfilled, satisfied and goal- orientated

Question 5

Maslow’s theory of motivation

Answer 5

• We are motivated to use free will to reach our fullest potential.
• Some needs are shared and some are individual.
• Human needs are categorised and prioritised.

Question 6

what is maslows hierchy of needs

Answer 6

5. Realised your full potential- you’ve become the best
   you’re capable of being
6. you’re focused on achievement and gaining respect
   from others
7. Consider affection, acceptance and belonging to be
   important
8. Strive to feel safe physically, psychologically and
   economically
9. Source the food, water, shelter and sleep you need
   to survive (and sex)

Question 7

humanistic approach believes that the human behaviour is determined by ….

Answer 7

free will

Question 8

characteristic of self actualised people

Answer 8

strong sense of self awareness

fully accepting who they are

the ability to deal with uncertainty and the unknown

strong sense of creativity

Question 9

maslow believed that self actualisation could be measured using what he called

Answer 9

‘peak experiences

Question 10

Self actualisation: attitude

Answer 10

An outward, more positive attitude means that self-actualisation
is more attainable. If someone experiences a negative event, and
adopts a negative attitude about it, this will affect their selfconcept and prevent personal growth.

Question 11

aronoff method

Answer 11

Aronoff compared people in two jobs in the British West Indiesfishermen and cane cutters.
Cane cutters got paid according to how much cane was cut by the
whole group, even when they were off sick. So they had high job
security, although wages were low.

In contrast, fishermen worked alone, doing more challenging work.
So they were less secure in their jobs, although they earned more
overall. Both groups of people were assessed to see which level
they were at on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Question 12

aronoff results

Answer 12

More cane cutters were at the lower levels of hierarchy, still trying
to achieve safety and security than fisherman, many of whom had
satisfied the lower levels of the hierarchy.

Question 13

aronoff conclusion

Answer 13

Only those men who had satisfied lower levels of the pyramid
would choose to become fishermen, allowing them to develop high
self-esteem. This suggests that people cannot reach the higher
levels of Maslow’s hierarchy until they have satisfied the lower
levels.

Question 14

Self-actualisation: Flow theory

Answer 14

Developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1990, he discusses ‘flow’
being a state when someone is completely caught up in a task, sport,
or activity so that they are completely focused on their performance
and not on thinking about other everyday matters.
This state seems to increase personal growth because the person is
driven to improve their performance

Question 15

what does roger say

Answer 15

he has the same views as maslow but he didnt believe that to get to self actualisation is to be strict but rather how peopel think of that certain person which will affect if they will be motivated to do a certain thing they want to do in the future

rogers believed that everyone has a need to be regarded by others in a good light:

for importance of children and teens they want to seek approval as they may feel more motivated if they are happy about their decisions

Question 16

what is self concept

Answer 16

This is 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.

Question 17

what is the ideal self

Answer 17

This is the self you wish to be. It is
who you are aiming towards
becoming. Or, it is possible you are
already there!
A typical way of knowing whether
someone is still working towards their
ideal self is when you hear someone
say “I wish I was more…” or “I wish I
was able to…”
This differs from the self-concept in
that it is not who you think you are, it
is who you wish you were.

Question 18

what is the real self

Answer 18

The third self is the real self, the
person you actually are, not who you
think you are or who you wish you
were.

Question 19

what is unconditional positive regard

Answer 19

• this is where the person gets affection and support no matter what their behaviour is like
• we need unconditional positive regard to have a positive self concept

Question 20

what is conditions of worth

Answer 20

where approval and affection is given as a result of behaving in a certain way

rogers believed that it could stop them from reaching self actualisation. this is because the person may focus on keeping that person happy rather than reaching their actual goal

Question 21

if they have unconditional positive regard and then recieve love and acceptance for their behaviour they will experience….

Answer 21

congruence

Question 22

if they are set conditions of worth then their ideal self become something different to the self concept and the person will experience ….

Answer 22

incongruence

Question 23

Client-centred therapy

Answer 23

• Person centred therapy is a form of psychotherapy
• ‘clients’ not ‘patients’ – expert of their own condition
• Non-directive
• Warm, supportive and non-judgemental
• Therapist provides three things: genuineness, empathy and
  unconditional positive regard.
• Increase self-worth, reduce incongruence and become a fully
  functioning person.

Question 24

Gibbard and Hanley (2008)

Answer 24

Studied the impact of person-centred therapy on a group of patients
suffering from anxiety and depression.

• 700 people over 5 years
• Questionnaire was used to measure the extent of their condition before and after therapy
• 70% showed a significant improvement in their mental health

Question 25

Limited real world application

Answer 25

• Person centred therapy did revolutionise counselling techniques and
  hierarchy of needs does explain motivation in the work place
• However…..
• Little impact in psychology
• Lacks scientific evidence
• Abstract concepts