Humanistic Approach

• one feature of the humanistic approach is Free will, that Humans are self-determining individuals, active agents who determine their own development.
• another feature is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, A five-levelled sequence in which deficiency needs (physiological – safety/security – love/belongingness – self-esteem) must be satisfied before growth needs (self-actualisation) can be achieved.
• Self-actualisation is the top level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs: innate desire to achieve one's true and full potential.
• Congruence is When the self-concept (the person I see myself as) and ideal self (the person I would like to be) are seen to broadly accord or match.
• Conditions of worth is Placing limits or boundaries on parents' love of their children; e.g. 'I will only love you if…'.
• A strength of the humanistic approach is it is NOT reductionist. It is holism- to understand the subjective experience of a person you must understand the whole person. Therefore it may be more valid.
• One weakness of the approach is the concepts are not testable which means there is no empirical evidence
• One strength is the development of client centred therapy- created by Rogers. The features of CCT are- the client has answers, the therapist is just there to facilitate. Furthermore there is no power dynamic between the client and therapist. The therapist is genuine and focuses on active listening rather than assuming
• one limitation of the approach however is there is a sense of cultural bias. Humanism focuses solely on individualistic experiences, however in some cultures with collective tendencies it is more about what a person does for the community