Humanistic Approach

What is it the only approach to focus on?

free will, conscious experience and personal responsibility

What does it believe determines human behaviour?

free will - people can choose how their behave and it isn’t caused by external or biological factors, or the past

What is it researched through?

discussion of experience - rather than the experimental method

What do humanistic psychologists believe about all people?

that they are inherently good and that they’re driven to achieve their full potential

When was it developed?

1950s

What was it developed as?

a ‘third force’ against behaviourism and psychodynamic approaches

Who was it developed by?

Maslow and Rogers

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: bottom/1st level?

physiological

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: examples for the physiological level (4)?

food, water, breathing and sleep

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: second level?

safety

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: examples for the safety level (4)?

health, safety of family, security of job/income and security of shelter

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: 3rd level?

love/belonging

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: examples for the love/belonging level (3)?

good family relationships, romantic relationships and friends

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: 4th level?

Esteem

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: examples for the esteem level (3)?

self esteem, confidence and achievement

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: 5th level?

self-actualisation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: examples of the self-actualisation level (3)?

problem solving, creativity and morality

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: what type of needs are the 1st and 2nd levels?

basic needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: what type of needs are the 3rd and 4th levels?

psychological needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: what type of need is the 5th level??

growth needs

What did Maslow believe individuals that reach self-actualisation experience it as?

in the form of peak experiences

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: Where are the most basic needs located?

at the bottom

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: where are the most advanced needs located?

at the top

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: what must happen before moving to the next level?

each level must be satisfied

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: what needs are harder to ignore?

the more basic needs

Congruence?

esteem

What has to be true for personal growth to be achieved?

an individuals concept of themselves must be similar to the person they want to be

Ideal selves?

the person we want to be

What is incongruence?

a significant gap between a person's real self (actual experience/self-image) and their ideal self (who they want to be)

What happens when a person experiences incongruence (the gap between real self and ideal selves is too big)?

self-actualisation becomes impossible - due to feelings of low self-esteem

What does the our ideal self being close to our perceived self cause?

greater feelings of self-esteem

High congruence Venn diagram?

…

What is there positive feelings of with High congruence?

positive feelings of self-esteem

High congruence: what exists?

a state of congruence

High congruence: what is very rare?

a state of complete congruence

Low congruence/no congruence Venn diagram?

…

Low congruence/no congruence: what is there negative feelings of?

self-esteem

Low congruence/no congruence: examples of emotions that could occur?

worthlessness and insecure

Rogers’ conditions of worth: what did he believe hindered the process of self-actualisation?

other people

Rogers’ conditions of worth: the two ways respect by others can be given in?

conditional or unconditional regard

Rogers’ conditions of worth: what is unconditional regard?

accepted for who you are

Rogers’ conditions of worth: what is conditional regard?

accepted if you act as others want you to - stops us from being our authentic selves

Influence on counselling: What did Rogers claim psychological problems are a direct result of?

conditions of worth - specifically conditional regard

Influence on counselling: what can the counsellor give to the patient themselves?

unconditional regard

Influence on counselling: what can a counsellor suggest to a patient in terms of conditional regard?

putting limits on conditional regard situations - such as spending less time with some people

Evaluation strength: P - what has applications outside of psychology?

Maslow’s hierarchy

Evaluation strength: Ev - What did Hagerty (1999) look at at?

the relationship between Maslow’s hierarchy and economic growth

Evaluation strength: Ev - What did Hagerty find about countries that were at earlier stages of development?

they were at lower stages of the hierarchy

Evaluation strength: Ev - when did self-actualisation became important?

only in the advanced stages of economic development in the country

Evaluation strength: Ex - what did it show workers - who were concentrating on needs lower down in the hierarchy - were not focusing on?

areas such as successes in their careers - which would drive forward the economy

Evaluation strength: L - therefore, what can Maslow’s hierarchy explain?

economic development

Evaluation strength: P - what is there research to support?

the conditions of worth

Evaluation strength: Ev - What did Harter et al (1996) find out about teenagers?

those who feel they have to fulfil certain conditions to gain their parents approval - did not like themselves

Evaluation strength: Ex - What does this show individuals who feel like they can’t be their authentic selves won’t be able to reach?

self-actualisation

Evaluation strength: Ex - what is people feeling like you can’t be your authentic self a response to?

experiencing conditional regard

Evaluation strength: Ex - why won’t they be able to reach self-actualisation?

they will have low self-esteem - which is one of the needs in the esteem section of the hierarchy

Evaluation strength: L - what concept of Rogers’ does this support?

Rogers’ concept that experiencing conditional regard lowers self-esteem

Evaluation weakness: P - What do Humanistic research methods not establish?

causality

Evaluation weakness: Ex - what is used to support the humanistic approach?

non-experimental methods

Evaluation weakness: Ex - what does the use of non-experimental methods make it very difficult to do?

verify the results of counselling

Evaluation weakness: Ev - What does the research that shows personal growth, not show?

that it was the therapy that caused the growth

Evaluation weakness: Ev - example of why therapy may not be the only cause for the recorded personal growth?

people in the group that originally wanted to attend therapy are more willing and ready to better themselves than the people that originally didn’t want to go

Evaluation weakness: L - what does this prove could lead to growth in patients?

other factors other than counselling

Evaluation weakness: P - what could the humanistic approach be described as?

unrealistic

Evaluation weakness: Ex - What may people not be as much as the approach suggests that people are?

“growth oriented”

Evaluation weakness: Ev - what suggestion is an oversimplification?

that all problems arise from blocked self-actualisation

Evaluation weakness: Ex - example of something that isn’t considered that proves we aren’t directed by the ‘potential for growth’ at all times?

procrastination

Evaluation weakness: L - therefore, what are there that the humanistic approach can’t explain?

behaviours