humanistic approach

• humanistic psychology is a psychological approach that emphasizes the importance of the individual's self-determination, subjective experiences and personal growth
• humanism is the least deterministic of all the approaches as it believes we all have free will
• self actualisation is the desire to grow psychologically and fulfil ones full potential
• humanists reject the idea that psychology should be studies scientifically
• humanism takes into account many factors that influence behaviour (holism)
• concepts in humanism such as self actualisation have been criticised for being too vague as they cannot be operationalised
• humanism is idiographic and focuses on individual experiences and perceptions of self actualisation, often using case studies
• self actualisation is the top level to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, all of the deficiency levels must be met before a person can work towards self actualisation
• the order of Maslow's hierarchy of needs is: physiological needs, safety and security, love and belongingness, self esteem and finally self actualisation. each level must be fulfilled before you move on to the next
• carl rogers believes in order to achieve self actualisation we need to be congruent which is when how we perceive ourself matches our ideal self, if how you perceive yourself doesn't match your ideal self you're incongruent
• client centred therapy is a type of therapy that focuses on the client and their ideal self, helping them achieve congruence
• a limitation of the humanistic approach is is that is non-scientific due to its reliance on qualitative methods such as case studies, also making it idiographic and therefore unreliable
• a strength of the humanistic approach is that it is holistic as it attempts to capture the complexity of human experiences and behaviours
• humanistic psychology helped and led to the development of client centred therapy, giving it economical value
• humanism is potentially culturally bias as its principles reflect a westernised, individualistic culture. self actualisation is a concept that is unusual in collectivist cultures as they see working as a group as more rewarding, even if that means sacrificing your own personal needs