The humanistic approach

What are the 3 main assumptions of the humanistic approach?

1. Focus on free will, personal growth, and self actualisation.

2. Views humans as inherently good and motivated to achieve their full potential

3. Emphasises subjective experience over general laws.

What is free will?

People have conscious control over their behaviour.

Contrasts with deterministic views - biological or behavioural

What is self actualisation?

The desire to grow psychologically and fulfil one’s potential.

What was Maslow’s theory?

Hierarchy of needs

1. Self actualisation - achieving full potential

2. Esteem - Confidence, feeling of accomplishment.

3. Love and belongingness - Relationships and friends

4. Safety - Security (employment, resources, health)

5. Physiological - Food, water, warmth, rest

What did Carl Rogers (1951) suggest and what did it lead to?

He suggested that we all have

• The self - How we see ourself

• Ideal self - Who we want to be

• Congruence - When ideal self and self match - leading to higher self esteem. & Incongruence (mismatch)

• Conditions of worth - When people are only respected when they meet certain conditions.

Leading to:

Therapy - client centred therapy, aims to reduce incongruence and promote personal growth. Therapist provides unconditional positive regard, empathy and genuineness. Non directive (find own solution.)

Evaluate the Humanistic approach

Strength

Holistic

Point: Holistic perspective

Evidence: Rather than reducing behaviour down to simple components, approach considers the whole person and their subjective experience.

Explain: Recognises the complexity of human behaviour and the importance of context - relationships, emotions, personal growth.

Link: More comprehensive and meaningful account of human behaviour by considering all aspects of human experience.

Evaluate the Humanistic approach

Strength

Application

Point: Practical application in psychology

Evidence: Carl Rogers - Client centred therapy. Aims to reduce incongruence, by offering clients unconditional positive regard, empathy and genuineness.

Explain: Non - directive - effective in helping people with mild psychological difficulties e.g. low self esteem, anxiety. Empowers individuals to find own solutions - aligns with approaches focus on free will and personal growth.

Link: Significant positive impact on mental health treatment - continues to influence therapeutic practices now.

Evaluate the Humanistic approach

Limitation

Unscientific

Point: Lacks scientific rigour

Evidence: Concepts → self actualisation, congruence - difficult to measure objectively using scientific methods.

Explain: Criticised for being untestable and lacking empirical support. Relies heavily on qualitative data and subjective reports.

Link: Undermines credibility as a scientific explanation of human behaviour and limits its contribution to psychological research.

Evaluate the humanistic approach

Limitation

Overemphasis on individual freedom

Point: May place too much emphasis on individual freedom and personal responsibility

Evidence: Focuses on the idea that people have full control over their actions - overlooks the influence of social, biological, unconscious factors.

Explain: Someone experiencing mental illness may not be able to simply choose to grow and self actualise, especially if there are deep rooted causes - trauma, genetic predisposition. Therefore, overly idealistic and unrealistic.

Link: May not full account for complexities and constraints people face in real life. Limiting its usefulness in explaining all aspects of human behaviour.