The Humanistic Approach

• What did Maslow come up with?

  • the hierarchy of needs
• What is the hierarchy of needs?

  • focuses on growth and development
  • Maslow argues people cannot self actualise before all basic needs are met
• What is in the hierarchy of needs?

  1. Self Actualisation
  2. Esteem Needs
  3. Belongingness and love needs
  4. Safety Needs
  5. Physiological Needs
• What is self actualisation?

  • reaching ones full potential
• What did Carl Rodgers come up with?

  • Ideal self, real self and self concept
• What is the self concept?

  • the self you THINK you are
  • if you have a low self esteem, you will have a low self concept
• What is the ideal self?

  • the self you WISH to be
  • aim towards it
• What is the real self?

  • the self you ACTUALLY are
  • 3 selves need to be intergrated in order to self actualise
• What is congruence?

  • when the ideal self and self concept are the same
  • people need to be congurent in order to self actualise
  • congruency can be achieved through unconditional positive regard - loving someone for who they are (should be shown by friends and family)
• What are conditions of worth?

  • requirements we feel we need to meet in order to be loved
  • also called conditional positive regard
  • a person cannot be congruent or self actualise if they experience conditional positive regard
• What have Rodgers ideas led to?

  • client centred therapy
• What is client centred therapy?

  • a counselling technique
  • non directive technique - individual as expert
  • the therapists' role is to give the unconditional positive regard that patients do not get from friends or family
  • should provide with - genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard
  • also focus on congruency - try to get the ideal self and self concept to be the same
  • reduce incongruence
  • client is expected to have solutions to their own problems
• Evaluation for the humanisitic approach?

  • one strength is that this approach is not reductionist. It ignores biology and personality and instead focuses on the person as a whole (holistic).
  • another strength is that it is quite positive. Has positive outcomes for people instead of consequences like the psychodynamic approach
  • a limitation is that there is a culture bias. Ignores the differences between individualistic cultures/collectivist. Others needs may be more important then the individuals so many not be able to self actualise
• What are the assumptions of the humanistic approach?

  1. Emphasises the free will of the individual
  2. Prefer a holistic approach that considers the whole person
  3. Self actualisation
• Evaluation of humanistic approach -

  • Reductionistic approaches tend to be more scientific
  • Humanistic psychology rarely break down concepts and measures them
  • Due to subjective concepts the approach becomes unfalsifiable (untestable)
• Evaluation of counselling psychology -

  • strength - transformed psychotherapy and introduced a new range of counselling techniques. Can be practiced in clinical settings, education, social work and healthcare
  • strength - positive and forward approach - focuses on the future rather than the past
  • limitation - best applied to treatment of mild psychological conditions like anxiety or low self esteem and not SZ