The Humanistic Approach

• What is free will?

  The ability to choose actions and behavior
• How do humans exercise free will?

  By making their own choices
• What are the levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

  1. Physiological needs
  2. Safety & Security
  3. Love & Belonging
  4. Self-Esteem
  5. Self-Actualisation
• What do physiological needs include?

  Water, food, and shelter
• What does safety & security encompass?

  Security, structure, and protection
• What are love & belonging needs?

  Friendship, love, and intimacy
• What does self-esteem include?

  Positive self-thoughts, achievement, and reputation
• What is self-actualisation?

  Achievement of full potential and well-being
• What is the innate desire of most people regarding self-actualisation?

  To reach their full potential
• Why might not everyone achieve self-actualisation?

  Due to a gap between self and ideal self
• What happens if there is too wide a gap between self and ideal self?

  Incongruence and negative self-worth feelings
• Who developed client-centred therapy?

  Rogers
• What is the purpose of client-centred therapy?

  To reduce the gap between self-concept and ideal self
• What issues do individuals face in adulthood according to client-centred therapy?

  Issues from childhood and lack of unconditional positive regard
• What do parents create by putting conditions of worth on their love?

  Psychological issues for their child in adulthood
• What does client-centred therapy provide that clients may not have received in childhood?

  Unconditional positive regard
• What are the strengths of the humanistic approach?

  • Promotes a positive image of humanity
  • Emphasizes personal growth and self-actualisation
  • Offers an optimistic alternative to other approaches
• What are the weaknesses of the humanistic approach?

  • Lacks empirical evidence
  • Not scientific due to few measurable concepts
  • Cultural bias towards individualistic cultures
• How does the humanistic approach differ from Freud's view of humans?

  Humanistic psychologists see people as good and free
• What is the holistic approach in humanistic psychology?

  Considering meaningful behavior in real-world context
• Why might reductionist approaches be considered more scientific?

  They rely on experiments and measurable variables
• What cultural context might limit the applicability of humanistic psychology?

  Individualistic cultures versus collectivist tendencies
• What are the implications of cultural bias in humanistic psychology?

  • May not apply universally
  • Reflects the cultural context of its development
  • Could overlook collectivist values and needs
• What is a limitation for the Humanistic approach?

  • Cultural Bias
  • Many of the ideas that are central to humanistic psychology would be more readily associated with individualistic cultures
  • Collectivist tendencies emphasise more the needs of the group and interdependence
  • Therefore, it is possible that this approach does not apply universally and is a product of the cultural context within which it was developed
• What is a limitation for the Humanistic approach?

  • Not Scientific
  • Reductionist approaches may be more scientific, as science is based off of experiments, however experiments reduce behaviour to independent and dependent variables
  • Humanistic psychology has few concepts that can be broken down to single variables and measured
  • This means that humanistic psychology in general is short on empirical evidence to support its claims
• What is a strength for the Humanistic approach?

  • Holistic
  • Behaviourists explain learning in terms of stimulus-response connections, while biological psychologists reduce behaviour to basic physiological processes, while Freud describes personality as a conflict between Id, Ego and Superego
  • In contrast, humanistic psychologists advocate for holism
  • This approach may have more validity than others by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-world context
• What is a strength for the Humanistic approach?

  • Positive Approach
  • The humanistic approach has been praised for bringing the person back into psychology and promoting a positive image of the human condition
  • Freud saw humans as prisoners of their past, yet in contrast, humanistic psychologists see all people as good, free to work towards self-actualisation and in control of their lives
  • This suggests that humanistic psychology offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative to other approaches