humanistic approach

• assumption no.1

  emphasis on free will: humans are self-determining individuals, active agents who determine their own development. not all behaviour is determined.
• assumption no.2

  maslow's hierarchy of needs: a 5 level sequence in which certain needs (physiological/security/belongingness/self esteem) must be satisfied before self-actualisation can be achieved
• assumption no.3

  the self concept and ideal self should match for a person to fulfil growth. there should be congruence
• assumption no.4

  psychology should study an individual's case by adopting a holistic approach (looking at all aspects that contribute to an individual's behaviour)
• free will describes people as self-determining

  humanistic psychologists reject scientific approaches to establish general principles of human behaviour

  we are all unique, psychology should concern itself with subjective experience rather than general laws - a person-centred approach
• maslow's hierarchy of needs

  1)physiological needs: air, water, food, warmth, sex, sleep, excretion

  basic need for physical survival

  human body cannot function optimally if physiological needs are not satisfied
• maslow's hierarchy of needs

  2)safety needs: protection, security, order, law, limits, stability

  safety needs can be fulfilled by the family and society

  e.g emotional security, law and order, freedom from fear, health and wellbeing (e.g safety against accidents)
• maslow's hierarchy of needs

  3)love and belonging needs: friendships, family, the need to belong, sense of connection

  examples of belongingness needs include friendship, intimacy, trust, acceptance, recieving and giving affection and love
• maslow's hierarchy of needs

  4)esteem needs: self-worth, accomplishment, respect

  esteem needs present the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others

  people often engage in a profession or hobby to gain recognition
• maslow's hierarchy of needs

  5)self-actualisation needs: acceptance, personal growth, self-fulfilment

  the uppermost level of maslow's hierarchy of needs

  all 4 lower levels of the 'deficiency needs' must be met before the individual can work towards self-actualisation or a 'growth need'
• maslow believed that the physiological needs are the most important 'deficiency needs' as they are designed to reduce inadequacies

  these needs are like vitamins. we can never be healthy without them
• all deficiency needs must be met before the individual can work towards self-actualisation or a 'growth need'
• the hierarchy of needs applies to early development when a baby is first focused on physiological needs and applies throughout life

  if your needs are met you will feel a desire to develop, grow and contribute to society

  if your needs are not met you risk developing mental health issues as your innate drive to grow is not being fulfilled
• self-actualisation can be described as the ultimate feeling of wellbeing, satisfaction and completeness
• maslow believed that self-actualisation is an innate drive we all have, but not all of us achieve

  the feeling is described in many ways, using the words ecstasy, peak or spirituality
• maslow identified several characteristic traits associated with self-actualisation, such as:

  • being autonomous
  • having a strong sense of ethics and morality
  • having a desire for personal development
• maslow identified several characteristic traits associated with self-actualisation, such as:

  • a deep sense of purpose
  • creativity
  • an ability to appreciate simple pleasures of life
• the self refers to the ideas and values that characterise 'I' and 'me' and includes perception of 'what I am' and 'what I can do'

  self image - how you see yourself right now

  ideal self - who you want to be or who you feel you should be
• rogers argued that personal growth and self actualisation can only happen when an individual's concept of self is congruent with their ideal self
• rogers claimed that the issues we experience as adults, such as worthlessness and low self-esteem have their roots in childhood and can be explained by a lack of unconditional positive regard from our parents
• unconditional positive regard: when one recieves acceptance without any conditions or judgements
• conditions of worth: when a parent places limits or boundaries on their love of their children

  i.e a parent saying to a child, 'i will only love you if...you do well at school'
• rogers concluded that in order for people to reach personal growth they need to recieve the unconditional positive regard that they had failed to have as children

  this led to the development of counselling a person-centred therapy that is led by the client rather than the therapist

  rogers referred to those in therapy as 'clients' rather than 'patients' as he saw the individual as the expert on their own condition
• according to rogers an effective therapist should provide the client with 3 things

  • genuineness - leads to trust
  • empathy - connect with the client on a deeper level
  • unconditonal positive regard
• aim of counseling

  • increase the person's feelings of self worth
  • reduce the level of incongruence between the self-image and the ideal self
  • help the client reach optimal growth
• P - limitation: approach uses qualitative data to understand behaviour

  E - bc interest in understanding a person's unique and subjective experiences which differ across individuals

  E - this data can be positive as they give an insight to the deepest aspect of human psyche, can't be captured in a lab or inferred, obtained through diary entries, unstructured interviews, offers rich conclusion of behaviour

  C - danger with solely relying on said data due to subjectivity. self actualisation cant be broken down or measured objectively

  L - valid contribution questioned - untestable nature
• P - strength: maslow's hierarchy of needs has helped informed workplaces understand the needs of their employees

  E - managers and business owners can use this knowledge to motivate employees to produce their best work and boost profits for the business

  E - e.g sufficient breaks for rest and meals essential to cover employees basic needs. manager has to ensure working environment is secure and employees supported. recognising contributions and praising efforts is essential for employee to feel valued and motivated to produce their best work

  L - maslows work contributes work ethics
• P - strength: rejects attempts to break down behaviour, prefers holistic approach

  E - e.g behaviourists: human learning = stimulus-response, cognitive psychologists: humans are a little more than information-processing 'machines'

  E - biological psychologists reduce behaviour to neurotransmitter, while freud broke down personality into id, ego, superego

  L - argued humanistic approach is more valid as it considers human behaviour as a whole within its real world context
• P - limitation: culturally biased

  E - self actualisation, autonomy, personal growth reflect individualist culture - money, liberal laws allow people to choose how to behave and pursue personal growth rather than dealing with basic issues (food, safety)

  E - in collectivist cultures a desire of personal growth may be seen as selfish as the needs of a group is greater. supported by nevis who applied hierarchy of needs in collectivist cultures (Japan) found belongingness needs were more important than physiological

  L - reduces validity, culturally exclusive