humanistic psychology

humanistic psychology: maslow

regards personal growth as essential to humans.

free will

the notion that humans can make their own choices and that their behaviour/thoughts are not controlled by internal biological or external forces.

hierarchy of needs

motivates people and their behaviour.

physiological needs

basic necessities like food, water and oxygen.

safety (hierarchy of needs)

security, stability and freedom from pain.

love and belonging (hierarchy of needs)

the need to give and receive love and affection.

self-esteem (hierarchy of needs)

the desire for achievement, strength and confidence.

self-actualisation (hierarchy of needs)

the desire to achieve your full potential.

condition for self-actualisation

you need to achieve all four lower sections before reaching self-actualisation.

self-perception

the view you have of yourself.

ideal self

what you wish you were like.

self-worth

how much value you place on yourself.

congruence

when someone’s perceived self and ideal self are the same or very similar – they have reached self-actualisation.

incongruence

when the perceived self and ideal self do not match – can lead to negative feelings of self-worth and limited personal growth.

conditions of worth

when a parent places limits or conditions on their love for their child – conditional love.

client-centred therapy

developed by rogers to reduce the gap between self-concept and the ideal self.

cause of issues in self-worth (rogers)

stems from a lack of unconditional love as a child.

role of therapist in client-centred therapy

show the client the unconditional positive regard they didn’t receive as a child.

strength of humanistic psychology - holistic / not reductionist

doesn’t try to break down behaviour into components, considers everything.

strength of humanistic psychology - optimistic

sees people as good, working towards a goal and in control.

limitation of humanistic psychology - not scientific

has less empirical evidence than other approaches.

limitation of humanistic psychology - cultural bias

many ideas are individualistic (personal growth) and don’t extend well to collectivist cultures.

limitation of humanistic psychology - emphasis on free will

underestimates external factors like genetics, mental illness and social influence that can limit personal growth.