5.7 Humanistic Approach

Assumptions of approach

-each individual is unique

-Humans have free will

-Science should not used to explain behaviour

-Humans should be viewed holistically and not reduced to their parts

Free will assumes that all humans are self- determining who can exercise control over their behaviour.

The Humanistic approach sees the individual at the heart of their destiny, actively making decisions and shaping their life rather than allowing external forces to shape it for them.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

Maslow devised a hierarchy of needs which outlines the path that needs to be taken to achieve self- actualisation.

-Presented as a pyramid

Level 1: Physiological needs

Covers all life- supporting, essential elements; clean water, food, shelter, sleep.

Level 2: Safety needs

Includes security, pretection, freedom from persecution.

Level 3: Social needs

Acknowledges the importance of having a supportive network friends and love- feeling is belonging

Level 4: Esteem needs

These includes positive self- image, achievement, mastery of skill.

Level 5: Self actualisation

The achievement of a persons full potential, becoming the best version of themselves

Evaluation of free will, self-actualisation & Maslow's hierarchy of needs: Strengths

-It doesn’t attempt to break the behaviour down into smaller components (reductionism). Freud described the whole personality as a conflict between the Id, Ego and Superego, however the humanistic approach advocates holism, the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person.

-Another strength is that the approach takes a positive view of humans. Freud saw humans as being prisoners of their past whereas the humanistic approach takes the view that people are free to work towards the achievement of their full potential and are in control of their lives. A refreshing and optimistic viewpoint.

Evaluation of free will, self-actualisation & Maslow's hierarchy of needs: Limitations

-It can be argued that reductionist approaches are more scientific. Experiments reduce behaviour to independent and dependent variables. With the humanistic approach there are relatively few concepts that can be broken down to single variables and measured.

-It may be culturally biased. Many of the ideas that are linked to humanistic psychology are associated with countries that have more individualist tendencies ( US). Therefore possible that the approach doesn’t apply universally.

-Critics have argued that the approach has had relatively little impact in psychology- little practical application to the real world.- Set of loose abstract ideas.

The Self and Ideal Self

Carl Rogers argued that for personal growth to be achieved, an individuals concept of the self (the way they see themselves) must be broadly equivalent or have congruence with their ideal self (the person they want to be).

Incongruence

If a too big gap exists between two ‘selves’ the person will experience a state incongruence and self actualisation will not be possible due to negative feelings of self-worth that arise from incongruence.

Client- centred therapy

Rogers developed therapy to help people cope with the problems of everyday living. Many issues we experience as adults have roots in their childhood and can often be explained by a lack of unconditional positive regard from our parents.

Conditions of worth

When a parent places limits or boundaries on their love for their children. For example a parent saying to a child ‘ I will only love you if… you study medicine’