Humanistic Approach

When did Humanistic Pyschology start?

Late 1950s and early 1960s

There was growing dissatisfaction among psychologists with which 2 major approaches?

• Psychodynamic psychology was seen as placing too much emphasis on the conflicted person, driven by unconscious instincts

• Behavioural psychology was also seen as having a negative view of human nature with its view of people as puppets controlled by the strings of the environment

What date was the Association of Humanistic Psychology launched?

• 1961

Who were the founding psychologisys and what were the interested in creating?

• Maslow and Rogers

• Interested in creating an organisation with a more meaningful vision of human nature, focussed on self, health, personal growth and creativity

4 key points about the Humanistic Approach

• They reject a scientific model that attempts to establish general principles of human behaviour

• It is idiographic - it believes that psychology should concern itself with the study of subjective experience, as humans are active agents who are all unique

• This is referred to as a person-centred approach

• Although it sides with free will and argues humans can determine their own development, it does acknowledge that we have constraints on our free will (e.g. social rules, laws and morals) that can restrict us

Holism

Humans are not reducible to parts or functions

Free will

Humans have free will and are responsible for their actions

Self-actualisation

Humans have a natural need to reach their full potential

Individuality

Each person is different and should be treated as such

Experiential

Humanistic psychology emphasises experiential means over behaviour modification or analysis of the unconscious

Maslows’s theory

Hierarchy of Needs

1 is the top, 5 is the bottom

1. self-actualisation

2. esteem

3. love/belonging

4. safety

5. physiological

Examples of self-actualisation

• Morality

• creativity

• spontaneity

• problem solving

• lack of prejudice

• acceptance of facts

Examples of esteem

• self-esteem

• confidence

• achievement

• respect of others

• respect by others

Examples of love/belonging

• friendship

• family

• sexual intimacy

Examples of safety

Security of:

• body

• employment

• resources

• morality

• the family

• health

• property

Examples of physiological

• breathing

• food

• water

• sex

• sleep

• homeostasis

• excretion

What were the bottom 4 levels referred to as?

‘Deficiency needs’

If these were not met, what did Maslow believe?

We would experience this as having something important missing in our lives

What is the top hierarchy (self-actualisation) referred to as?

The ‘being’ need

What did Maslow believe about human desires?

• Maslow believed that everyone has a desire for personal fulfilment, psychological growth and satisfaction in life which he called ‘self-actualisation’

How is self-actualisation defined?

It is defined personally and can be pursued in many different ways

Rogers - concept of self - what is it?

• It is an important element of his theory

• It is a model of who we are and what we are capable of

We construct the self during childhood from 2 main sources:

• Our personal experiences of the world

• The evaluations of other significant people

Unconditional positive regard

• If we experience a lack of unconditional positive regard from our parents, we are likely to have a low self-esteem

• A parent or significant person who sets limits on their love for their child (conditions of worht) is storing up psychological problems for the child in the future

Congruence

• Rogers argued that for personal growth to be achieved, an individual’s concept of self, must be broadly equivalent to, or have congruence with, their ideal self (the person they want to be)

• If the gap between the 2 is too great the person will experience a state of incongruence and self-actualisation will not be possible due to the negative feels that arise from incongruence

Congruence definition

• Agreement, harmony, compatibility or consistency

Why did Rogers develop a ‘client-centred’ therapy called person-centred counselling?

• In order to reduce the gap between people’s self-concept and ideal-self

Movement to ‘clients’ from ‘patients’ - Rogers

• Roger’s referred to those in therapy as ‘clients’ rather than ‘patients’ as he saw the individual as the expert on their own condition who are encouraged to discover their own solutions, rather than the therapist directing the sessions

Roger’s belief around unconditional positive regard

• He argued that many everyday issues stem from lack of unconditional positive regard

What did Rogers believe someone’s self-esteem is based on?

• Based on how much a person’s actual self (what they think about themselves) matches their ideal self (what they want to be)

What did Rogers argue affects our conditions of worth?

• He argued that when we aren’t the person we want to be, then our self-esteem is affected

• He claimed that what affects our image of our actual self are conditions of worth

Conditions of worth are conditions that we have to…

meet to feel we are of worth

Roger’s belief about these conditions and mental health?

• He claimed that these conditions will cause people to lower their self-esteem - which in turn affects their mental health

Rogers argued that 3 ‘core’ conditions are essential for a therapeutic relationship between a therapist and client

• Empathetic understanding (empathy) - the therapist should enter the client’s world and see it ‘as if it were their own’

• Unconditional positive regard - acceptance of the client without conditions of worth

• A congruent/genuine therapist (genuineness) - a therapist who is in touch with their own feelings + shows up authentically

Example - Mental Health

• People with schizophrenia may have low self-esteem because society’s condition of ‘being normal’ is not being met which makes them feel rejected - causing even more usffering

• Rogers claimed that imposing these conditions are wrong and all people should be shown unconditional positive regard (the knowledge that we are loved no matter what we do)

Fully Functioning Adult - open to experience

• Both positive and negative emotions accepted

• Negative feelings are not denied but worked through (rather than resorting to ego defense mechanisms)

Existential living

• In touch with different experiences as they occur in life

• Avoiding prejudging and preconceptions

• Being able to live and fully appreciate the present

• Not always looking back to the past or forward to the future (i.e., living for the moment)

Trust feelings

• Feelings, instincts, and gut-reactions are paid attention to + trusted

• People’s own decisions are the right ones, and we should trust ourselves to make the right choices

Creativity

• Creative thinking and risk-taking are features of a person’s life

• A person does not play safe all the time

• This involves the ability to adjust, change and seek new experiences

Fulfilled life

• A person is happy and satisified with life, and always looking for new challenges and experiences