humanist approach

• the humanist approach accepts that people are still effected by external and internal influences but expresses that people are active agents who are self determining and have free will
• maslows hierarchy of needs. 5 levels- physiological, safety and security, love and belongingness, self esteem and self-actualisation is what motivates people’s behaviours
• basic assumptions:

  -individuals should be seen as a whole

  -we are driven to find our full potential

  -humans have free will over their feelings and choifed
• congruence:

  when the ideal self and actual self are reasonably consistent and aligns. the greater the gap between the ideal self and actual self the greater the incongruence which can lead to low self worth and maladjustment
• supporting evidence, real world application ao3:

  -cc therapy or counselling

  -sees patients as clients who are encouraged to find their own solutions

  -best to treat mild psychological conditions such as anxiety
• ao3, idiographic approach:

  -rejects idea that same laws apply to everyone the same regarding behaviours

  -assumes everyone has their own unique needs and experiences that will make them reach what they think is their potential
• holistic view of one’s behaviour, ao3:

  -theory puts emphasis on understanding the subjective experiences to explain someone’s behaviour by studying the individual

  as a whole rather than individual components tahts make up their behaviour
• limiting evidence, ao3;

  -limited scientific representation

  -subjective and abstract. data is difficult to measure and draw conclusions from: limited empirical evidence
• limiting evidence, cultural bias:

  -individualist countries and place priority on individual needs e.g US

  -communist countries prioritise communities needs e.g india

  -not applicable to all countries
• maslow was one of the founders of the humanistic movement and describes a hierarchy of needs which motivate our behaviour. in order to achive our primary goal self-actualisation a number of other deficiency needs must be met first
• self-actualisation represents the uppermost level of maslows hierarchy of needs. they regard personal growth as an essential part of what it is to be human
• in order to reduce the gap between self-concept and the ideal self rodgers developed client-centered therapy to help people cope with the demands of everyday life.
• rodgers argued that for personal growth to be achieved an individuals concept of self must be Broadley equivalent to or have congruence with their ideal self