Approaches - The Humanistic Approach

Humanistic Psychology

Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers’ approach that humans are active agents who are able to determine their own destiny. It emphasis the importance of subjective experience and takes the idiographic approach to psychology. 

Free will

At the centre of humanistic psychology. Is the belief that humans are self determining and have the power to make conscious choices by overpowering internal and external forces that exert some influence n our behaviour. Therefore, human behaviour is unpredictable (so one psychological theory cannot apply to everyone)

Internal + external forces

The belief that internal (biological + cognitive) and external (environmental) forces that have some influence over behaviour can be rejected due to free will as humans are active agents.

Nomothetic approach

This is rejected by Humanistic Psychologists as it aims to establish general laws of human behaviour that apply to everyone, but humanistic psychologists believe humans are active agents so we are all unique.

Idiographic Approach

Humanistic Psychologists accept this approach as they believe psychology should concern itself with the study of individual cases in order to understand human behaviour (not create general rules)

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Suggests the main 5 needs of humans from most basic to most advanced. Physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs and self-actualisation. You can only progress to fulfil the next level of need when the one(s) bellow have been fulfilled. These needs are universal but vague as they may consist of slightly different things for individuals.

Physiological needs (1 - lowest)

Food, water, warmth, shelter, rest

Safety needs (2)

Security and safety

Belongingness + love needs (3)

Intimate relationships, friendships

Esteem needs (4)

Prestige, feeling of accomplishment (both internal and external validation)

Self-Actualisation (5 - highest)

Fulfilment of one’s potential and being the best they can be (work, creatively, hobbies). Maslow believed all humans had an innate drive to self-actualise.

The Self

Refers to how an individual perceives themselves, concept created by Rogers

The Ideal Self

Refers to how an individual wants to be, concept created by Rogers

Congruence and Incongruence

Rogers’ belief that for self-actualisation to be achieved an individuals thoughts about themself and thoughts about their ideal self must be broadly similar. If these thoughts are similar then a state of congruence is reached and self-actualisation is possible

Conditions of Worth

Rogers’ theory that boundaries/ limits on parental love (a lack of unconditional positive regard) can create psychological problems for children in adulthood (such as feelings of worthlessness, low self-esteem) because they struggle to self-actualise and reach the thoughts of their ideal self (pushed onto them by their parents) in real life. 

Client-centered therapy

Developed by Rogers, this is a form of counselling that treats the client not as a patient but as an expert in their own condition. The counsellor’s role is to encourage clients towards discovery of their own solutions with genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard (that may not have been given by parents). They aim to improve their client’s self-concept and reduce incongruence between the self-concept and the ideal self.

Humanist psychology - Pro - Real world applications

Client-based therapy is a successful form of treatment that helps people to improve their self esteem and come up with their own solutions to problems with guidance from a counsellor, based on Rogers’ research. Therefore it can solve psychological problems.

Humanist Psychology - Con - Vague ideas

Consists of abstract ideas that are difficult to test scientifically. For example, it is near impossible to scientifically assess or measure congruence or self-actualisation in scientific conditions. Therefore this approach lacks empirical evidence.

Humanist Psychology - Con - Overly idealised and unrealistic

Not all humans are inherently growth oriented as this theory suggests and this approach does not recognise people’s pessimism, self-destructive behaviour and genuine lack of want for self improvement. Therefore, humanistic psychology’s positive image of the human condition is oversimplified.