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Humanistic Psychology
A branch of psychology emphasizing the universal capacity for personal growth
Humanistic psychology focuses on...
The positive aspects of hummanity
Human mind as aware
The human mind is self-aware. We are not just passive entities.
Psychologists need to address this fact
Self-awareness brings into play many human qualities. Ex. knowing your thoughts, but not saying them depending on the thought/context
Humanistic
Study of humans, not animals
Ex. Morality/Ethics
Holistic
Human system is greater than sum of its parts
Physical, social, cognitive
Historic
Whole person from birth to death
Phenomenological
Focus on interior, experiential, and existential aspects of personality
Our conscious experience
Real Life
Person in nature, society, and culture—not just the experimental lab
Positivity
Joy, fruitful activities, virtuous actions and attributes
What are the opportunities we have? When we don't embrace it, then it has consequences
Will
Choices, decisions, voluntary actions
Something unique about humanistic psychology is that it allows for
Free will. Ultimately, you are in charge of your own decisions, but you can give up that freedom to conform to other standards.
Psychology in general is pretty tipsy turvy with their view.
Value
A philosophy of life that describes what is valuable
"This is how you should be living, and here's why you shouldn't live in other ways"
Phenomenology
The essential component of existential psychology
One's conscious experience of the world
- Construal
ex. roller coaster experiences. Some understand it as a thrill, others horrifying
Choosing your construal as a way to achieve free will
Uses of introspection
• Introspection: The task of observing one's own mental processes
Construal
Your particular (understanding of an) experience of the world
Optimism and pessimism are examples of
Construals
Introspection
The task of observing one's own mental processes
We don't like introspection sometimes because we don't like
our own self-worth being challenged, but it can also be good!
Existentialism
A philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will
"What does it mean to exist? Is there a purpose?"
Origin of existentialism
Came out of a disappointment from the industrial revolution, and progress of science, but lost touch with humanity and the human experience.
Although we've created things to lower the burden on us, what have we done with that? Just made more productive at work. We see more alienation, and trivial jobs. Might even need two or three jobs.
Prof argues that psych has that thinking too. We make groups and if you don't fit, you're weird. Before the word "neurodivergent", there was just "disorder"
Three parts of existence (Binswanger, 1958)
• Umwelt: The biological experiences. There's a biological aspect to figuring out our intentions. (Terror management theory)
• Mitwelt: The social experiences
• Eigenwelt: The inner/psychological experiences
All of these are distinct, but they also do INFORM each other.
Umwelt
The biological experiences. There's a biological aspect to figuring out our intentions. (Terror management theory)
Mitwelt
The social experiences
We exist in the context of things.
Ex. stressing about an exam likely has social experiences tied (ex. social clock)
Eigenwelt
The inner/psychological experiences
Key questions of existentialism
What is the nature of existence? How does it feel? What does it mean?
Meaningless existentialism
Its all meaningless could be considered a good thing
Thrown-ness
The time, place, and circumstances which you happened to be born into
• Has a strong influence on our experiences and existence, and how we behave
ex. Generations aren't just age groups, but shared experiences! Like people pre-internet, or people who grew up in the great depression.
Being "thrown" into the modern world is one with its own set of _______
problems
Must solve the questions "Why am I here?" and "What should I be doing?" ourselves
Angst
Unpleasant feelings caused by contemplating the existential concerns
Different thinkers have different angst stuff
• Anguish, forlornness, and despair
Anguish
(n.) great mental suffering, distress, or pain; (v.) to be deeply tormented by pain or sorrow
Forlornness
desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance
Despair
the complete loss or absence of hope
Existential Guilt
Guilt from failing to completely fulfill your possibilities.
Bad Faith
"You're not living an authentic, free existence. It's tied to something that is not you."
Facing the existential truths of mortality and meaninglessness requires _______
Optimistic toughness
_____ entails denying existential concerns through (choosing) adhering to external pressures rather than internal values
Bad faith
3 Problems of living in "bad faith"
• Immoral and amounts to selling your soul. You can live your own life! You squandering that ability isn't going to do anything except make you plastic. Take responsibility for your life!
• Surrounding oneself in material "comforts" does not lead to happiness. Consumerism. It does not make you happy!
• It is impossible to not choose as not choosing is a choice.
optimistic toughness
Existential courage to face your own mortality and
the apparent meaninglessness of life, and to seek purpose for your existence
nonetheless
Authentic Existence
Courageously come to terms with the facts of our short mortal lives in which we are the masters of our own destiny within those limits
Alternative to bad faith
Frankl: It is not "What do I want from life?" but "What does life want from me?" that gives us meaning (Wrote Man's Search for Meaning)
The only way to achieve "______", earn ______, and become more than an _______
freedom, dignity, object
Yalom's 4 existential concerns
Things we all have to deal with:
death (come to terms with our mortality), freedom (Fromm, we are also responsible. Ex. milgram experiment was because they transferred the responsibility), isolation, meaninglessness
Existential psychotherapy helps people deal with (according to Yalom's 4 existential concerns)
helps the individual come to grips with each concern
Some people don't actually want to accept things.
Carl Rogers
Very associated with self-actualization
This quote was said by ____
"The organism [person] has one basic tendency and striving—to actualize, maintain, and enhance the experiencing organism [itself]"
Carl Rogers
The thing that unites hummanity is our dreams and ambitions that we want to actualize.
Self-Actualization contrasts with existentialists because....
there's an assumption in Self-actualization that there is an intrinsic goal.
Self-actualization
Grow in a way that fulfills your potential and possiblilities
The Fully Functioning Person... (3)
Faces the world without fear, selfdoubt, or neurotic defenses • Lives a happier version of the authentic existence
Stems from unconditional positive regard from important people in your life. A "no strings attached" kind of relationship.
- Uses neofreudian thoughts about experiences with close relationships as a kid (particularly with parents)
Conditions of worth limit our freedom to act and think
Conditions of worth
"I am valuable only to the extent of certain characteristics"
Maslow and Rogers shared basic assumption
A person's ultimate need or motive is to self-actualize
Maslow's addition to his common assumption with Rogers
A person's ultimate need or motive is to self-actualize HOWEVER, only becomes active after more basic needs are met
Maslow's hieirarchy of needs (lowest to highest) (5)
Physiological, safety and physical security, love and belongingness, esteem, self-actualization
Deficiency vs. Growth based motives
Differences between maslow and rogers
Need to have the first fulfilled (counter though, how about Frankl having meaning even through the holocaust?)
rogers: desire for self-fulfillment is constantly happening.
Goal of humanistic Psychotherapy
Help the client become a fully functioning person
• Therapist develops a genuine and caring relationship with the client and provides unconditional positive regard.
This is where theological atonement can come into play.
Therapist's job in humanistic psychology:
• Help client perceive their own thoughts/feelings without the therapist seeking to change them in anyway
- Does not tell them how to view the world.
• Make the client feel appreciated no matter what they think, say, or do
- you can say you disagree, but not that "you're a terrible person"
- Ex. suicidal person saying they're going to die tonight. Some therapists might say "no, think differently", humanistic therapist would say "I don't agree, but ultimately it's your choice. BUt I hope you don't, so let's talk about that." Then talk so that the client has an understanding of why they feel that way.
Be genuine, thoughtful, and caring.
Repeating back to the person what they are saying.
"Yeah I don't think that was a great thing to do, but that doesn't mean you're not a good person" is an exampel of
humanistic psychotherapy
Humanistic therapy brings true selves more in _______ with ideal selves through adjusting understandings of both
alignment
Kelly and Personal Constructs
emphasized how one's cognitive system assembles one's various construals of the world into individually held theories (personal constructs) which determine the construal of new experiences
Personal Constructs
How do you, as an individual, build things to see the world?
Constructs are on a ____ dimension where people/objects are arranged
bipolar (e.g., "good-bad", "funny-unfunny", "successful-unsuccessful")
Role Construct Repertory (Rep) Test
Name 3 people. Pick 2 and say why they're similar to each other, and different than the third.
Whatever you pick means that thing is probably more specific.
Can do this with objects like cars.
Chronically accessible constructs
particular constructs are more readily brought to mind in certain individuals
Sociality Corollary
Understanding someone else means understanding their personal construct system
Constructive Alternativism
The idea that you are not bound to any particular construct and you can choose from the numerous of construals available to you
• There are many ways to view a single problem/event
are likely to experience different outcomes due to their construals
Maximizers vs. Satisficers
Maximizers
Trying to get the most value out of a specific outcome.
ex. offers on a rare pokemon card, but they want the absolute MOST out of the trade.
Satisficers
Look around until they find something that most closely matches what they want and buy it, without worrying about whether better or cheaper products are available
Tend to have higher life satisfaction, and less stress and anxiety
Kelly: The important aspect of psychotherapy was not the content of intervention but rather getting the client to think about reality in a _______
different way
Positive Psychology
Positive psychology as a reaction against the focus on pathology and malfunction
Has seen a resurgence in the 21st century
A rebirth of the humanistic perspective
• Puts the meaning of life front and center
Investigates traits, processes, and social institutions that promote a happy and meaningful life
- What are the things that bring us happiness (lots of studies on religion, would love to read more about that)
Positive psychology puts the _______ front and center
meaning of life
Virtues
* Don't worry about these slides, not on the test *
Mindfulness
Being explicitly aware of and in control of every moment of your experience
- Acknowledge unhappiness, but then let it go.
Origins in Buddhist philosophy
• More of a goal, as we cannot be mindful at ALL times
Several benefits, both for mental health and personal growth
Has been introduced into various types of psychotherapy
Mindfulness with compelling buying stuff online
Pause, think why they put in the cart, acknowledge they want it, but then choose not to. Don't let it dominate.
Flow
A state of consciousness where you lose track of time and self by becoming completely absorbed in what you are doing
• "Being in the zone"
Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced chick-SENT-me-high) argued
the best way people can spend time is in autotelic activities
Autotelic activities
Peak experiences, nothing better than being in these moments.
2 things happening:
1. Level of skill
2. Level of challenge
Flow occurs when challenge and skills are _____
well matched
T/F Some video games allow for flow potential
T
Perhaps only works for those ______ in locus of control
high, because you lose yourself in the task, but still be fully present
T/F High levels of self-consciousness prevents people from getting flow
True, There's a constant evaluation from a third-party perspective.
Also people with high levels of neuroticism.
Happiness 3 components
Overall satisfaction with life
Satisfaction with how things are going in particular life domains
Generally high levels of positive emotions and low levels of negative emotions
Definitions shift across ages
Hedonic Vs Eudaimonic
Hedonic
pleasure seeking
Eudaimonic
seeking a meaningful life
3 primary sources of happiness
Individual set point (Genetic influence and based on extraversion and neuroticism)
Objective Life Circumstances
Intentional Activities
Spend $ for experiences > things
List things you are thankful for.
Self-Determination Theory
The concept that regulation of behavior varies along a continuum from externally controlled (e.g., to obtain rewards or avoid punishments) to autonomous or intrinsically motivated (e.g., to have fun or explore interests). The theory emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation for producing healthy adjustment and asserts that negative outcomes ensue when people feel that they are driven mainly by external forces and extrinsic rewards. (APA, 2020)
Behaviors may be self-determined or controlled
Controlled behaviors are less interesting to people
Deci & Ryan: People want to feel a sense of self-determination in everything they do
Three Needs of SDT
autonomy, competence, relatedness
Introjected Regulation
SDT
When a person treats a behavior as a "should" or an "ought"
• Controlled from within
• Rooted in the desire to be accepted
Identified Regulation
SDT
When a person has come to hold the behavior as personally meaningful and valuable
Strengths of Humanistic/Positive/Existential Psych
Offers a look at the positive/optimistic side of humanity/psychology
Strong focus on individual experiences
Outlines strategies towards growth and personal development
Limitations of Humanistic/Positive/Existential Psych
Ignores a lot of human experience/psychology
• Precision
• Some concepts are difficult to study
• Should we be so accepting of everyone and promote everyone's self-actualization processes?
• Free will: Fact or fiction?