humanistic

• Humanistic psychologists see humans as affected by external and internal influences but self determining (free will). psychology should concern itself with subjective experience rather than general laws as we are all unique. The humanistic approach is a person centred approach.
• In maslow's hierarchy of needs, the four lower levels must be met before an individual can work on self-actualisation. Self-actualisation refers to the innate tendency that each of us has to want to achieve our full potential and become the best we can possibly be.
• The self refers to the ideas and values that characterise i and me and includes perception of what am i and what can i do
• Rogers argued the aim of therapy is to establish congruence. Rogers argued that personal growth requires an individual's concept of self to be congruent with their ideal self. If the gap is too big, the person will experience a state of incongruence and self-actualisation isn't possible
• issues such as worthlessness and low self esteem have their roots in childhood and are due to a lack of unconditional positive regard from our parents. A parent who sets boundaries on their love for their child (conditions of worth) is storing up psychological problems for that child in the future
• In Rogers client-centred therapy, an effective therapist should provide the client with three things : genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard. The aim is to increase feelings of self worth and reduce incongruence between the self concept and the ideal self. Rogers work transformed psychotherapy.
• Evaluation

  One limitation is that the approach may be guilty of culture bias. many humanistic ideas would be associated with individualistic cultures like the united states. Collectivist cultures such as India, which emphasises the need of the group, may not identify with the ideals and values of humanistic psychology. Therefore, it is possible that the approach doesn't apply universally and is the product of the cultural context within which it was developed.
• Evaluation

  One limitation is the limited application. Critics argue that, compared to other approaches, humanistic psychology has had limited impact within psychology, or practical application in the real world. However, Rogerian therapy revolutionised counselling techniques and Maslow's hierarchy of needs has been used to explain motivation, particularly in the workplace. This suggests that the approach does have value, despite the fact it is resolutely 'anti-scientific'.
• Evaluation

  One strength is it is a positive one. Humanistic psychologists have been praised for prompting a positive image of the human condition as it sees people as in control of their lives and having freedom to change. Freud saw humans as prisoners of their past and claimed all of us existed between 'common unhappiness and complete despair'. Therefore, humanistic psychology offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative.