Humanistic approach (booklet 7)

Question 1

Main assumptions of humanistic approach

Answer 1

Argues people have full conscious control over their life
Acknowledge social and biological restrictions but believe the individual has enough flexibility to make independent choices
Consider individuals self determining/active agents
Suggests the autonomy of humans results in their success

Question 2

Maslow’s hierachy of needs

Answer 2

Humans have an innate tendency to achieve their full potential
Self actualisation is the highest level- refers to those who have achieved their full potential - will bd different for each individual
Lower level ‘deficiency needs’ must be met before they can fulfil their potential
The more basic the need, the greater the desire to achieve it
1. Self actualisation - creativity, spontaneity, problem solving
2. Esteem - confidence, achievement
3. Love/belonging - friendship, family, sexual intimacy
4. Safety- security of body, employment and property
5. Physiological- breathing, food, water, sleep

Question 3

Carl Rogers

Answer 3

A humanistic psychologists who agreed with Maslow’s main assumptions, but added for an individual needs an environment providing them with genuineness, acceptance and empathy to grow
Without these, an individual will have an impaired self esteem

Question 4

Rogers- congruence

Answer 4

Also argued for personal growth an individual’s concept of self must have congruence with their ideal self
If the gap between the two selfs is too big the person will experience incongruence and self actualisation won’t be possible

Question 5

Rogers- conditions of worth

Answer 5

Others can hinder an individual’s potential to achieve self actualisation by placing conditions of worth on them
Some people provide you with unconditional positive regard - they accept our true self
Most provide conditional positive regard- they accept us if we meet the expectations they impose on us
Conditional positive regard therefore places a condition of worth on the individual- they only feel accepted once they have met the conditions they believe others accept of them

Question 6

Rogers - client centred therapy

Answer 6

Suggested many of the issues we experience as adults are rooted in childhood and can be explained by a lack of positive regard from our parents
To reduce the gap between self concept (the attitudes we have about ourselves) and ideal self (the person you want to be) Rogers developed client centred therapy by providing the individual with unconditional positive regard

Question 7

Research methods used by the humanistic approach

Answer 7

Questionnaires with open questions, unstructured interviews
✅lots of detailed qualitative data about the individual and their attitudes
❌more susceptible to social desirability bias so lacks validity, data is difficult to analyse and is subjective