7.humanistic approach

• the humanistic approach is the understanding of behaviour that emphasizes the importance of subjective experience and each persons capacity for self determination
• the humanistic approach emphasises free will
• the humanistic approach is often referred to as a person centered approach
• free will is the notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces
• the humanistic approach says that human beings are self determining and have free will
• self actualisation is the desire to grow psychologically and fulfil one's full potential - becoming what you are capable of
• the humanistic approach rejects scientific approaches that attempt to establish laws and principles
• the humanistic approach states that each human is unique and therefore psychology should study subjective experiences, not laws and principles
• self actualisation is the highest level of Maslow's hierachy of needs
• all 4 needs below the self actualisation (the deficiency needs) must be met before working towards self actualisation in order to fulfil potential
• according to the humanistic approach, personal growth is an essential part of being a human
• personal growth is about developing and changing as we become fulfilled, satisfied and goal-orientated
• not everyone will achieve self actualisation, psychological barriers may prevent people from achieveing their full potential
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs

  • a person is only able to progress through the hierarchy once the current need in the sequence has been met.

  
• the self congruence, conditions of worth:

  • rogers said that in order for an individual to gain personal growth, the concept of their 'own self' must have congruence with their 'ideal self' (person they want to be)
  • if there is a big gap between the two the person will experience 'incongruence' and self actualisation will not be possible due to negative feelings of self worth that arise from congruence
  • in order to reduce this gap, rogers developed client centered therapy
• evaluation - not reductionist +

  • unlike other approaches, humanistic psychology does not break down behaviour into smaller components
  • may have more validity than other approaches - considers meaningful human behaviour within its real-life context
• evaluation - positive approach +

  • optimistic - sees all people as good, free to achieve their potential, in control of their lives
  • unlike freud - saw people as slaves to their past
• evaluation - cultural bias -

  • individual freedom, autonomy and personal growth can be applied to individualist cultures (UK or US)
  • collectivist cultures such as india emphasises the needs of groups
• evaluation - untestable concept -

  • concepts such as self actualisation and congruence cannot really be assessed under experimental conditions
• evaluation - limited application -

  • rogerian therapy has been used for counselling techniques
  • maslows hierarchy of needs has been used to explain motivation
  • not used as much as other approaches in real life - could be because it uses a loose set of concepts rather than a set evidence base
• people are still affected by internal and external influence, but we are active agents who are able to determine our own potential