Humanism

• Humanistic Approach: Key Assumptions


  -Every individual is unique. Generalisations between people should not be made

  -Everyone has free will - ability to choose what they do

  -People should be viewed holistically

  -Scientific methods should not be used to study behaviour as humans are subjective
• Self-Actualisation


  a sense of self-fulfilment reached by feeling enriched and developed by what one has learned and achieved
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs


  physiological needs, safety, love/belonging, self esteem, self-actualisation
• Focus on The Self

  3 Selves to achieve self-actualisation need to be congruent (the same or very similar)

  
  

  1. The Self-Concept

  2. The Ideal Self

  3. The Real Self
• Self Concept


  The way a person sees themselves
• Ideal Self


  The self a person wishes to be
• Real Self


  The way a person actually is
• Unconditional Positive Regard


  When a person is loved for who they are by someone else. This needs to be met in order to achieve congruence.
• Conditions of Worth


  the conditions a person feels they must meet in order to feel loved by another. If these conditions are felt they will not have unconditional positive regard and therefore cannot be congruent.
• Counselling Psychology


  a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being. Therapist encourages unconditional positive regard and allows for client to be honest and real barriers to becoming congruent.
• HA: Less Deterministic (Strength)


  Humanistic psychology allows for personal development and considers free will in behaviour. This means that individuals have the power to change their future.
• HA: Practical Applications (Strength)


  Humanistic psychology has led to the development of therapy. This shows that the approach has uses in the real-world and leads to an improvement in a person's life
• HA: Ideas Cannot Be Scientifically Tested (Weakness)


  Humanists believe it is inappropriate to study humans in a scientific way and make generalisations as we are all unique. This means that there us a lack of objective evidence to support the theory as the concepts used are abstract.
• HA: The Approach is Subjective (Weakness)


  The subjective experience of the individual is difficult to test. This also means that there is a lack of objective evidence to support the theory.
• HA: Culturally Bound Theory (Weakness)


  The theory has been criticised for only explaining behaviour in individualist cultures. This means it has limited explanatory power in collectivist cultures.
• Humanists believe that people have inherent worth and value, regardless of external factors such as social class or gender.
• The humanist perspective views humans as active agents who create their own reality through their thoughts and actions.
• Humanistic psychology is an approach that focuses on the positive aspects of human nature, emphasizing personal growth, self-actualization, and free will.
• The humanist approach is concerned with the individual's subjective experience rather than objective reality.
• Humanistic psychologists emphasize the importance of personal growth and self-actualization.