humanistic approach

• Concept of free will is centred 


  The humanistic approach rejects attempts to establish scientific principles of human behaviour. Psychology should concern itself with the study of subjective experience rather than general laws (person centred approach)
• Focus on the self


  Ideas + values that characterise "I" and "me" and includes perception of 'what I am' + 'what I can do'
• Free will

  Refers to the ability of individuals to make choices that aren't determined by factors like external forces but their own preferences, beliefs + values
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs has self-actualisation at the top:


  Self-actualisation refers to the innate tendency that each of us has to want to achieve our full potential + become the best we can possible be. In Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs the four lower levels must be met before the individual can work towards self-actualisation - a growth need
• The aim of therapy is to establish congruence between the self - concept + the ideal self:

  Carl Rogers argued that personal growth requires an individual's concept of self to be congruent with their ideal self. If the gap is too big, the person will experience a state of incongruence + self-actualisation isn't possible
• Parents who impose conditions of worth may prevent personal growth

  Issues such as worthlessness + low self-esteem have their roots in childhood + are due to a lack of unconditional positive regard from our parents. A parent who sets boundaries on their child (conditions of worth) by claiming 'I will only love you if...' is storing up psychological problems for that child in future
• The humanistic approach has had a lasting influence on counselling psychology:


  In Roger's client-centred therapy an effective therapist should provide the client with 3 things: Genuineness, empathy + unconditional positive regard.

  The aim is to increase feelings of self-worth + reduce incongruence between the self-concept + the ideal self. Roger's work transformed psychotherapy. 'Non-directive' counselling techniques are practised not only in clinical settings but throughout education, health, social work + industry
• strength: humanistic psych is anti-reductionist


  Humanistic psychologists reject any attempt to break-up behaviour + experience into smaller components. They advocate holism - the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person. This approach may have more validity than its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-life contect
• strength: approach is a positive one


  Humanistic psychologists have been praised for promoting a positive image of the human condition - seeing people as in control of their lives + having the freedom to change. Freud saw human beings as slaves to their past + claimed all of us existed somewhere between 'common unhappiness and absolute despair.' Humanistic psychology offers a refreshing + optimistic alternative
• Limitation: limited application in the real world

  Rogerian therapy has revolutionised counselling techniques + Maslow's hierarchy of needs has been used to explain motivation, particularly in the workplace. However, compared to other approaches, humanistic psychology has had limited impact within psychology as a whole - perhaps because it lacks a sound evidence base. As a result, the approach has been described not as comprehensive theory but as a rather loose set of abstract concepts
• limitation: western cultural bias

  Many of the ideas that are central to humanistic psych, such as individual freedom, autonomy + personal growth, would be more readily associated with individualist cultures in the western world such as the US. Collectivist cultures such as India, which emphasise the needs of the group + interdependence, may not identify so easily with the ideals + values of humanistic psychology. Therefore, it's possible that the approach wouldn't travel well + is a product of the cultural context within which it was developed