humanistic psychology

• Humanistic psychology emphasises the free will and each individual's potential
• Humanistic psychology claims that human beings are essentially self-determining and have free will
• People are still affected by external and internal influences, but are also active agents who can determine their own development
• Humanistic psychologists such as Rogers and Maslow reject more scientific models that attempt to establish general principles of human behaviour
• Psychology should concern itself with the study of subjective experience rather than general laws
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs


  A hierarchy of needs that motivate our behaviour, with self-actualisation at the top
• Deficiency needs in Maslow's hierarchy

  • Physiological needs
  • Safety and security
  • Love and belongingness
  • Self-esteem
• Self-actualisation


  The uppermost level of Maslow's hierarchy, representing the innate desire to achieve one's full potential
• All four lower levels of the hierarchy (deficiency needs) must be met before the individual can work towards self-actualisation (a growth need)
• Humanistic psychologists regard personal growth as an essential part of what it is to be human
• The self, congruence and conditions of worth


  For personal growth to be achieved, an individual's concept of self (the way they see themselves) must be broadly equivalent to, or have congruence with, their ideal self (the person they want to be)
• If too big a gap exists between the two 'selves', the person will experience a state of incongruence and self-actualisation will not be possible due to the negative feelings of self-worth that arise from incongruence
• Client-centred therapy


  A therapy developed by Rogers to help people cope with the problems of everyday living by providing them with the unconditional positive regard that they had failed to receive as children
• A parent who sets boundaries or limits on their love for their child conditions of worth by claiming they will only love the child if certain conditions are met, which can create psychological problems for the child in the future
• One limitation of humanistic psychology is that it may be more readily associated with Western cultural values that emphasise the need for individual freedom and self-expression
• Humanistic psychology has had a significant impact in psychology, but its influence has been limited compared to other approaches such as behaviourism and cognitive psychology