Humanistic Approach

• Free will - we are ultimately in control; can't be objectively measured; societal constraints
• Self-actualisation - achieving your full potential; ultimate feeling of satisfaction but don't all achieve it
• Maslow's Hierarchy of needs:

  Self-actualisation

  Esteem

  Love / belonging

  Safety

  Physiological needs
• Ideal self - the self you wish to be; who you are aiming to become
• Actual self - The person you actually are; highly subjective and everyone reports differently
• Perceived self - The self you believe you are; can distort how capable someone feels they are
• Congruence - the more consistent the ideal self and actual behaviour are, the more congruence; incongruence may lead to low self-worth and maladjustment
• Conditions of worth - requirements an individual believes they must have to be loved (can be real or perceived)
• Client-centred therapy - help develop positive self regard and face current problems not past; a solution focused therapy
• Elliot (2002) - completed a meta analysis of 86 studies; found that humanistic therapies produce significant improvement in self-worth compared to when no therapy taken
• Gibbard and Hanley (2008) - 70% of participants showed significant improvement after taking part