Humanistic Psychology

• The concept of free will is central. Humanistic psychologists see humans as affected by external and internal influences but self-determining (have free will). Psychology should concern itself with subjective experience rather than general laws as we are all unique - a person centered approach.
• Hierarchy of needs has self actualisation at the top. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs the four lower levels (deficient needs such as food, water and safety) must be met before the individual can work toward self actualisation - a growth need. Self actualisation refers to the innate tendency each of us has to want to achieve our full potential and become the best we can be.
• Focus on the self. The self refers to ideas and values that characterise 'I' and 'me' and includes perception of 'what I am' and 'what i can do'.
• The aim of therapy is to establish congruence. Rogers argued personal growth requires an individuals concept of self to be congruent with their ideal self. If too big a gap, the person will experience a state of incongruence and self-actualisation isn't possible.
• Parents who impose conditions of self worth may prevent self growth. Issues such as worthlessness and low self esteem have their roots in childhood and are due to a lack of unconditional positive regard from parents. A parent who sets boundaries on their love for their child (conditions of worth) is storing up psychological problems for their child in the future.
• Humanistic approach has had lasting influence on counselling psychology: Rogers' client-centered therapy an effective therapist should provide client with 3 things:

  -Genuineness -Empathy -Unconditional positive regard

  Aim is to increase feelings of self-worth and reduce incongruence between the self concept and ideal self. Rogers work transformed psychotherapy. 'Non directive' counselling techniques are practiced, not only in clinical settings, but throughout education, health, social work and industry.
• ++Humanistic psychology is anti-reductionist. Humanistic psychologists reject any attempt to break up behaviour and experience into smaller components. They advocate holism - the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person (their relationships, past, present and future). This app may have more validity than its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-world context.
• ++The 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 and having freedom to change. Freud saw humans as prisoners of their past and claimed all of existed somewhere between 'uncommon happiness and absolute despair'. Therefore humanistic psych offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative.
• --Approach may be guilty of a cultural bias. Many humanistic ideas (e.g self-actualisation) would be associated with individualist cultures, like the US. Collectivist cultures, like India, which emphasise the needs of the group, may not identify so easily with the ideals and values of humanistic psych. therefore it is possible that the approach does not apply universally and is a product of the cultural context within which it was developed.
• --Limited application. Critics argue that, compared to other approaches humanistic psychology has had limited impact within psychology of practical application in the real world.