AP Psychology - Unit 4.5b Humanistic Theories

Humanistic Psychology

• believes that personality is formed by the motivation to reach full potential once basic and psychological needs are met

• emphasizes the inherent goodness of society and people’s desire to grow

• proposed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers

Hierarchy of Needs

proposed by Maslow

visualized as a pyramid

• physiological needs (food and water) form the base

• the focus shifts to the need for safety

• then, individuals feel the need to receive love and to enjoy self-esteem (psychological needs)

• self-actualization

• self-transcendence

Self-Actualization

• the motivation to grow, improve, and fulfill one’s potential

Self-Transcendence

• the motivation to find one’s identity and purpose beyond the self

Person-Centered Perspective

Roger’s belief that people are basically good and endowed with self-actualizing tendencies

people are primed for growth and fulfillment

believed that a growth-prompting social climate provides;

• acceptance

• genuineness

• empathy

Positive Regard

• the support, love, and acceptance an individual gets from others

Unconditional Positive Regard

an individual is accepted and valued by someone without needing to satisfy requirements

allows people to be spontaneous without fearing the loss of other’s esteem

Conditional Positive Regard

• refers to approval that is only given when an individual meets certain conditions

Self-Concept

incorporates all of the thoughts and feelings that answer the question, “who am I?”

a far gap between someone’s self-concept and ideal self causes them to feel dissatisfied and unhappy

Congruence

• refers to the alignment between a person’s ideal self and actual self

• individuals with high congruence generally have less psychological distress

Life Story Approach

• used by humanistic theorists to collect a rich narrative that details each person’s unique life history

• provides a better understanding of each person’s unique experiences

Criticism of Humanistic Theories

1. concepts are vague and subjective

2. emphasizes on individualism (can lead to self-indulgence)

3. fails to acknowledge the reality of humans’ capacity for evil

Q-Sort Technique

• used to asses a person’s self-concept

• subjects sort descriptive statements into categories based on how well they describe them

• gathers qualitative data