humanistic approach

• Freewill

  The idea that humans are not controlled or predetermined by internal biological forces or external factors, they have a choice as to their actions and behaviour
• Key assumptions of the humanistic psychology approach

  • Each individual is unique
  • Humans have freewill
  • Science should not be used to explain behaviour
  • Humans should be viewed holistically and not reduced to parts
• Humans are self-determining

  They are active agents who make their own choices
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

  A hierarchy of needs devised by Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) that outlines the path taken to achieve self-actualisation
• Abraham Maslow

  • One of the founders of humanistic psychology
  • Interested in what motivated people and how to achieve self-actualisation
• Self-actualisation

  • The achievement of a person's full potential
  • The highest level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs and cannot be reached before the other four levels of needs have been met
• Most people will strive to achieve self-actualisation and become the best version of themselves
• Levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

  • Physiological needs (water, food, shelter)
  • Safety needs (security, structure, protection)
  • Social needs (friendship, love, intimacy)
  • Esteem needs (positive self-thoughts, achievement, reputation)
  • Self-actualisation (self-fulfilment)
• Although self-actualisation is the ultimate goal, not everyone will achieve it for a variety of reasons e.g. unexpected life events, personality factors, socioeconomic factors, illness etc.
• Client-centered therapy

  A form of psychotherapy developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940s
• Humanistic psychology

  • Importance of the individual is a key assumption
• Unconditional positive regard

  A key aspect of client-centered therapy where the therapist accepts the client without judgment
• Client-centered therapy

  1. Focus on the positive aspects of the person

  2. Increase the client's self-worth

  3. Reduce incongruence between self-image and ideal self
• Phenomenology

  The mapping out of goals and milestones on the client's 'journey'
• Congruence

  When the concept of self and the ideal self are broadly in line with each other
• Incongruence

  When the gap between real and ideal self is too wide, leading to negative feelings of self-worth
• Client-centered therapy

  Reduce the gap between the self-concept and the ideal self
• Conditions of worth

  When parents only show love if the child meets certain conditions, leading to psychological issues
• Rogers sought to provide the unconditional positive regard that the client had not received in childhood