Humanistic approach

• What is the humanistic approach?


  It is an approach to understanding behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience.
• Who is Abraham Maslow?


  In 1940-1950 developed the hierachy, this has now been adapted to a 7 stage approach.
• What are the 7 stages of Maslow's hierachy of need?


  1 Physiological needs (air, water, food, sex)

  2 Safety needs (protection, security, law)

  3 Belonging and love needs (family, affection and relationships)

  4 Self-esteem needs (achievment, status, responsibility)

  5 Cognitive needs (able to think for ourselves, solve problems)

  6 Aesthetic needs (appreciation of beauty)

  7 Self-actualisation (personal growth)
• What are conditions of worth?


  When a parent limits their love for their children.
• What is congruence?

  It is the aim of Rogerian therapy when the self-concept and ideal self are seen to broadly accord.
• What is self-actualisation?


  It is the desire to grow psychologically and fulfill one's potential.
• Who is Carl Rogers?


  He argued that for personal growth to be achieved an individuals self-concept must be equivalent with their ideal self. If the gap is too big the person will experience a state of incongruence and self actualisation will not be possible due to the nagative feelings of self worth.
• What did Rogers develop?


  He developed client centered therapy whereby the therapist supports the client with unconditional positive regard which they may have lacked being given in childhood.
• What are the core conditions a therapist must use to support the client?

  1 Empathy - seeing the world through their eyes.

  2 Unconditional posititive regard - non-judgemental.

  3 Congruence - being compatible by giving a realistic ideal self.
• What are the strengths of the humanistic approach?


  It rejects attempts to break behaviour into smaller components (reductionism), Advocates holism which is where subjective experience can only be understood by considering a whole person, Has more validity than other approaches as it considers meaningful human behaviour within its real world context, Optimistic- brings the person back into psychology.
• What are the limitations of the humanistic approach?


  Not scientific, Short on empirical evidence to support claims, Culturally biased- many ideas are associated with the Western World, Not a comprehensive theory but a loose set of abstract ideas.