psychology : humanistic approach

humanistic approach key features

• focusses on the uniqueness of human beings and therefore human behaviour cannot be studied in a scientific way

• considers each person as an individual and believes firmly in self determination and free will

what is maslows hierarchy of needs

• needs that people are innately motivated to achieve

• have to meet the needs of each level before you can move onto the next level

hierarchy of needs structure

physiological needs → safety needs → love and belonging → esteem → self-actualisation (top)

maslows link to depression

• anything that prevents us from meeting the needs at each level and progressing towards self-actualisation will cause mental and social problems

rogers’ actualising tendency explained

• humans are motivated by the need to self actualise and achieve the best level they can

• however people may only flourish if their environment is good enough to allow that

rogers’ concept of self explained

• made up of our self image and how this relates to our ideal self

• the further ones ideal self is from ones actual self the lower ones self esteem

• influences on a persons idea of their actual self include conditions of worth

• believe we should all receive unconditional positive regard (whatever you do, you’re valued)

organismic valuing definition

• idea the every organism has an innate idea of what’s good or bad for it

• people will generally move away from situations or things that threaten them or are causing them harm

unconditional positive regard definition

• we need to be loved, valued and respected by others

• we need the unconditional positive regard of others in order to have positive self regard

positive self regard definition

• sense of self worth or self esteem

• if we lack this then the way to achieving out potential becomes blocked

conditions of worth definition

• positive regard of others shod not have string attached, but often it does

• over time this may result in conditional self regard, where we believe we are only worth something if we meet the conditions that others have opposed onto us

incongruity definition

• gap between what you are and could become (the ‘real self’) and what you think you should be (the ‘ideal self’)

• the bigger the gap becomes, the more unhappy we feel

defences definition

• the things we do to cope with the feelings of anxiety associated with incongruity

• example of this is denial

rogers’ link to depression

• other people can influence a person self esteem and if self esteem is reduced, it can lead to mental health problems

• harsh, inattentive parenting / parenting with conditional love is likely to lead to low self esteem in adulthood, and such individual are vulnerable to mental disorder

humanistic approach treatment

client-centred therapy

3 elements of client centred therapy

• be authentic

• offer unconditional positive regard

• show empathy

client centred therapy explained

• therapist and client are perceived as equal

• therapist encourages clients to focus on and explore feelings in the belief that they will find their own answers

• key attributed of the therapist : warm, empathetic, accepting

• therapist may suggest ideas for the client to consider in terms of their self esteem and their ideal self, the goal of therapy being to reduce the difference between these

strengths of humanistic approach

• holistic approach as the subjective experience of an individual

• supports free will as views people as good and able to work towards optimistic targets

• ethical as allows for rehabilitation and doesn’t name the individual

• widely used in society

weaknesses of humanistic approach

• fails to establish causal relationships

• some concepts are untestable for example self and congruence are subjective concepts

• is individualistic rather than collectivistic (mallows hierarchy of needs is linked to economic development so culturally biased)