humanistic approach

main beliefs of humanistic approach

person-centred approach, human beings are self-determining and have free will, they are active agents who have the ability to determine their own development, believe psychology should concern itself with the study of subjective experience (idiographic) rather than general laws (nomothetic)

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

bottom is physiological needs, next is security, next is love and belonging then self-esteem, can only progress through hierarchy once current need is met, top is self actualisation

self-actualisation

innate desire to achieve full potential, uppermost level of hierarchy of needs, personal growth is an essential part of being human, concerned with developing and changing as a person to be fulfilled, satisfied and goal-oriented, can be stopped by psychological barriers

Roger’s self, congruence and conditions of worth

personal growth - concept of self must have congruence with their ideal self, if gap between 2 ‘selves’ is too big, person will enter state of incongruence and self-actualisation is no longer possible, feelings of worthlessness stem from childhood by lack of unconditional positive regard (conditions of worth)

counselling psychology

calls person ‘client’ not ‘patient’, sees individual as the expert on their condition, non-directive therapy, non-judgmental therapeutic atmosphere, therapist should provide genuineness, empathy, unconditional positive regard, aim is to increase feelings of self-worth by reducing incongruence, forward looking approach focusing on present

strengths of the humanistic approach

pos approach, acknowledges free will, counselling developed, holistic (looks at whole ecology of individual), more pos than psydy approach

limitations of the humanistic approach

cultural bias, places a lot of responsibility on individuals, only appropriate for mild conditions and personal growth, lacks scientific rigour