Humanistic approach Flashcards

1
Q

Why does the humanistic approach have no research

A

Everyone is unique so there can be no general rules

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2
Q

What approach/es did humanism aim to replace and as such what is it also known as

A

aimed to replace - behaviourism and psychodynamic
It is dubbed the ‘third force’ because of this

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3
Q

Explain why humanistic theories follow the idiographic approach

A

Humanistic theories are concerned with human experiences, uniqueness, meaning, freedom and choice

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4
Q

What are the key features of the humanistic approach

A
  • Free will
  • Self-actualisation/ hierarchy of needs
  • congruence
  • conditions of worth
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5
Q

How many key features are in the humanistic approach

A

4/5

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6
Q

Give the assumptions of the humanistic approach

A
  • Humanists believe everyone is unique, so psychologists should focus on the subjective experiences, feelings and thoughts of a person.
  • Humanism is idiographic - we must study humans’ uniqueness rather than look for laws
  • Humanism is the closest to a free will approach in psychology.
  • Personal growth is a key concept
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7
Q

define free will

A

free will is the notion that humans can make choices and their behaviour/ thoughts are not determined by internal (biological) or external forces.

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8
Q

What key feature is Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs connected to

A

self-actualisation

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9
Q

define self-actualisation

A

self-actualisation is the desire to grow psychologically and fufil one’s potential

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10
Q

What is Mazlow’s heirarchy

A

Mazlow’s hierarchy is a hierarchy of needs.
It is a 5-levelled hierarchial sequence in which basic physiological needs must be satisfied before higher psychological needs can be achieved

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11
Q

State the levels of Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs

with examples

A
  • Base = largest = physiological needs = air, water, food, sleep
  • 2nd level = safety needs = health, employment, personal security
  • 3rd level = love and belonging = friendship, family, sense of connection
  • 4th level = esteem needs = respect, freedom, self-esteem
  • 5th level = Top = self actualisation = desire to fufil potential
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12
Q

How does Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs work

A
  • As each need is satisfied, the person may go up the hierarchy and attempt to satisfy the next need.
  • The first 4 levels are called deficiency needs and the 5th is called a growth need
  • Self-actualisation therefore can only take place if the lower needs are satisfied.
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13
Q

what ways does Rogers say self-actualisation can be achieved

A
  • practicing acceptance
  • practicing religion
  • some kind of art or poetry
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14
Q

What are the preconditions to self-actualise

A
  1. No restraints imposed by others on what you can do
  2. Little or no distractions from deficiency needs
  3. An ability to know yourself well
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15
Q

List characteristics of a self-actualised person

A
  • self-accepting
  • enjoy solitude and privicy
  • realistic
  • autonomous
  • open and spontaneous
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16
Q

define peak experience

A

The experience of self-actualisation is described as having a peak experience, which is an experience of great significance.
It is feelings of ecstacy, which are strongly felt and transcend the reality of time.

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17
Q

How many people self-actualise on average

A

Most never achieve self-actualisation

18
Q

Why is regard important for Rogers

A

Humans have a basic need to feel nurtured and valued by significant people in their lives

19
Q

Define unconditional positive regard

A

unconditional positive regard is where the basic need to feel nurtured and valued by significant people in our lives is fufilled. It is given freely without conditions

20
Q

What will happen if a person recieves unconditional positive regard

A

They will develop a healthy sense of self-worth, recognising their abilities and difficulties

21
Q

What is negative regard

A

critism and blame

22
Q

What is the result for the children who recieve negative regard

A

they develop low self esteem

23
Q

How do you avoid negative regard when telling off a child

A

parents should blame the behaviour not the child

24
Q

How is a healthy sense of wellbeing established

A

A healthy sense of wellbeing is established if an individual maintains a reasonable consistency between ideal self and actual behaviour

25
Q

define congruence

A

Congruence is the aim of Rogerian therapy, when the self-concept and the ideal self are seen to broadly match

26
Q

What can incongruence lead to

A

low self-worth and maladjustment

27
Q

What happens when the gap between the ideal self and the actual self widens

A

The greater the gap between the. ideal self and the actual self, the greater the incongruence

28
Q

define self

A

The ‘self’ is the ideas and values that characterise ‘I’ and ‘me’ and includes perception and valuing of ‘what i am’ and ‘what i can do’

29
Q

How does Rogers suggest the gap between the ideal self and the actual self can be narrowed

A

through client-centered therapy (CCT)

30
Q

define conditions of worth

A

When a parent places limits or boundaries on their love of their children. e.g ‘i will only love you if you study medicine’

31
Q

what does an effective therapist in CCT do

A

provide the client with the unconditional positive regard they had failed to recieve as children.

32
Q

How has the humanistic approach contributed to society

A

its primary application has been to theraputic treatments
- CCT
- Gestalt therapy

33
Q

what happens in client-centred therapy

A

the client is encouraged to develop positive self-regard and overcome the mismatch between their perceived self, actual self and ideal self.

34
Q

what is the aim of gestalt therapy

A

the aim is to help the client become a ‘whole’ (gestalt) person by getting them to accept every aspect of themselves

35
Q

What techniques are used in gestalt therapy

A
  • confrontation
  • dream analysis
  • role-playing
36
Q

list the characteristics of a humanistic therapist

A
  • show unconditional positive regard
  • be congruent with the client
  • show empathy and genuineness
37
Q

What are the strengths of the humanistic approach

A
  • It emphasises choice (free will and responsibility) which is largely ignored by other approaches
  • It considers subjective conscious experiences
  • It values personal ideals and self-fufilment
  • It has enabled psychologists to explore human existance with more sensitivity than the more scientific methods
38
Q

What are the weaknesses of the humanistic approach

A
  • this approach has less impact on mainstream psychology than the other approaches
  • the use of qualitative techniques has been questioned
  • As the subject matter is individual experience it is not possible to formulate general laws of behaviour and as such it is not a comprehensive theory but rather a loose set of abstract ideas
  • Little empirical research can be carried out on these untestable concepts due to the vagueness of terms like self-actualisation and ‘fully-functioning person’.
  • Not all cultures share the assumption that individual achievement brings fufilment.
39
Q

give the linking statments for the assumption: Personal growth is a key feature of the humanistic approach

A
  • Assumption: Personal growth is a key feature
  • Key feature: Maslow’s hierarchy
  • No research
  • Strength: It emphasises free will/ simplifies the process of reaching self-actualisation
  • Weakness: Due to vagueness of such term as ‘self-actualisation’ and ‘fully-functioning person’, little empirical research has been carried out – untestable concepts. /Not all cultures share the assumption that individual achievement brings fulfilment. / can’t be generalised
40
Q

give the linking statments for the assumption: Humanism is the closest to a free will approach in psychology

A
  • Assumption: Humanism is the closest to a free will approach in psychology. A free will approach believes that people are not determined to be the way they are due to a specific cause, but they freely choose the way they live their life: they choose the kind of person they are.
  • Key feature: Free will vs determinism
  • No research
  • Strength: emphasises choice unlike other approaches
  • Weakness: by focusing on free will humanism has less impact on mainstream psychology than other approaches
41
Q

give the linking statments for the assumption: Humanism is ideographic

A
  • Assumption: Humanism is ideographic - we must study humans’ uniqueness rather than look for laws that apply to all people (called a nomothetic approach).
  • Key feature: congruence
  • No research
  • Strength: values personal ideals and self-fulfilment
  • Weakness: not all cultures share the assumption that individual achievement brings fulfilment.