evaluation

• A strength of the humanistic approach is that it is not reductionist
• Humanists believe in holism - the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person
• the humanistic approach has greater validity as it is considered more meaningful due to its real-life context
• The humanistic approach promotes a positive image of the human condition compared to Freud who saw humans as slaves to their past, it sees all people as basically good, free to work towards achieving their potential and in control of their lives
• Collectivist cultures (e.g India where belonging to the group is important) may not identify easily with ideals and values of the humanistic approach as it is based on individualist cultures of the western world. Therefore it is culturally biased
• Rogers counselling techniques have revolutionised therapy but the whole approach has had limited impact within psychology
• the humanistic approach could be criticised for its untestable concepts