HUMANISTIC FLASHCARDS

what are the key assumptions of the humanistic approach?

• IDIOGRAPHIC - everyone is unique and so psychology should focus in subjective experiences/feelings/thoughts of a person.

• each individual has free will

• HOLISTIC - humans should be viewed as a whole and not reduced to component parts - may have more valid than alternatives as it considers human behaviour within real life context rather than artificial environment e.g. lab

• scientific method not valid way to study human behaviour as humans are subjective

FREE WILL

• humans are self-determining, have free will

• implication of FW - humans responsible for own behaviour, social or anti-social

• acknowledges that we have constraint on our free will and that we have limited number of options to choose from due to social rules, laws and morals that restrict whether we actually behave as we wish.

• Humans are active agents who have the ability to determine their own development and so we are ultimately in charge of how we develop through life.

• Humanists reject scientific models as they believe we should consider the subjective experience of the individual

SELF-ACTUALISATION

• Attempted to achieve full potential and become best we possibly can - Highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

• every person has the innate tendency to try to self-actualise.

• personal growth = essential part of what it means to be human - concerned with deve,ping and changing to become fulfilled, satisfied and goal-orientated .

• Humanists are aware not everyone will manage to self actualise as they are important physical and psychological barriers that can prevent it.

• Describe as “peak religious/spiritual experience” - intensely strong feeling of “completeness”

CHARACTERISTICS OF FULLY FUNCTIONING PERSON

• open to experience - both negative/positive emotions accepted. Negative feelings not denied but worked through.

• lives existentially - able to live and fully appreciate the present. Avoid prejudging and preconceptions.

• trusts feelings - instinct/reactions paid detention to and trusted. Regards own decisions as correct and trust themselves to make right choice.

• is creative - creative thinking, risk taking. ability to adjust and change and seek new experiences.

• has fulfilled life - happy and satisfied with life – open to new challenges and experiences

MHON

➡ Maslow suggested in order achieve self actualisation a number of other deficiency needs must be met first.

1. PHYSIOLOGICAL (food, water, warmth, rest) basic

2. SAFETY (security, safety) basic

3. BELONGINGESS AND LOVE (intimate relationships, friends) psychological

4. ESTEEM (prestige, feeling of accomplishment) psychological

5. SELF ACTUALISATION (achieving one’s full potential, including creative activities) self-fulfilment

ROGER - THE THREE SELVES

1. SELF CONCEPT

   • who you perceive yourself to be (good/bad, beautiful/ugly)

   • Based on life experiences/whether individual experienced conditions of work/unconditional positive regard from parents

   • Major impact on how we think feel and behave

   • If low self-esteem – self concept is negative - distorted view of themselves

2. IDEAL SELF

   • Who you wish to be. Consist of individual goals and ambitions in life

   • is dynamic (always changing)

3. REAL SELF

   • Who you actually are.

   • Consists of actual skills and abilities as well as limitations

   • If you did not experience unconditional positive regard as child - engaging in person and therapy helps you understand who your real self is

ROGER’S THEORY OF CONGRUENCE

CONGRUENCE = Ideal self, real self and self-concept are the same/similar

• Difficult to achieve so many people do not realise full potential and don’t become self actualised

• to achieve - gap between ideal/real and self-concept must be closed an accurate view of who they are must be developed.

INCONGRUENCE = self-concept is different from the ideal self

ROGER - CONDITIONS OF WORTH

• individuals need unconditional positive regard - Essential to development of well adjusted adult.

• UPR should come from mother but can also come from others e.g. family, friends

• Parents who set boundary/limits on their love for child (conditional positive regard) - encourages individuals to have negative self-concept - feels that is requirements that need to be met for love (conditions of worth)

• These conditions of work can be real or perceived by the individual but either way prevent from achieving self actualisation

INFLUENCE ON COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY

• person centred therapy helps achieve congruence. focuses on individuals whole life course, sees them as expert on own thoughts/feelings.

• non-directive - I encourage our own solutions within therapeutic setting that is supportive and nonjudgemental.

• Therapist treats client with unconditional positive regard and empathy to restore lack they experienced when young:

  • helps regain positive software and reduces incongruence - person can become fully functioning and have potential to self-actualise.

• Approach increasingly common feature of other therapies such as CBT.