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APPROACHES IN PSYCHOLOGY - THE HUMANSTIC APPROACH - Coggle Diagram
APPROACHES IN PSYCHOLOGY - THE HUMANSTIC APPROACH
AO1
The concept of free will is central
The humanistic approach rejects attempts to establish scientific principles of human behaviour
We are all unique and psychology should concern itself with the study of subjective experience rather than general laws - a person-centered approach
Maslow's hierarchy of needs has self-actualisation at the top
Self actualisation refers to the innate tendency that each of us has to want to achieve our full potential + become the best we can possibly be
In Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs the four lower levels must be met before the individual can work towards self-actualisation - a growth needed
Focus on the self
The self refers to ideas + values that characterise 'I' + 'me' and includes perception of 'what I am' + 'what i can do'
The aim of therapy is to establish congruence between the self-concept and the ideal self
Carl Rogers argued that personal growth requires an individual's concept of self to be congruent with their ideal self (the person they want to be)
If the gap is too big, the person will experience a state or incongruence and self-actualisation isn't possible
Parents who impose conditions of worth may prevent personal growth
Issues such as worthlessness and low self-esteem have their roots in childhood + are due to a lack of unconditional positive regard from our parents
A parent who sets boundaries on their love for their child (conditions of worth) by claiming 'i will only love you if...' is storing up psychological problems for that child in the future
The humanistic approach has had a lasting influence on counselling psychology
In Roger's client centred therapy an effective therapist should provide the client with three things:
Genuineness
Empathy
Unconditional positive regard
The aim is to increase feelings of self-worth + reduce incongruence between the self-concept and the ideal self
Roger's work transformed psychotherapy. 'Non-directive' counselling techniques are practised not only in clinical settings but throughout education, health, social work and industry
AO3
HUMANISTIC APPROACH IS ANTI-REDUCATIONIST
Humanistic psychologists reject any attempt to break up behaviour + experience into smaller components
They advocate holism - the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person (their relationships, past, present, future)
This approach may have more validity than its alternatives by considering meaningful human behaviour within its real-life context
HUMANISTIC APPROACH HAS LIMITED APPLICATION IN REAL LIFE
It is true that Rogerian therapy has revolutionised counselling techniques and Maslow's hierarchy of needs has been used to explain motivation, particularly in the workplace
However, compared to other approaches, humanistic psychology has had limited impact within psychology as a whole - perhaps because it lacks a sound evidence base
As a result, the approach has been described not as a comprehensive theory but as a rather loose set of abstract concepts
HUMANISTIC APPROACH IS POSITIVE
Freud saw human beings as slaves to their past + claimed all of us existed somewhere between 'common unhappiness and absolute dispair'
Humanistic psychology offers a refreshing + optimistic alternative
Humanistic psychologists have been praised for promoting a positive image of the human condition - seeing people as in control of their lives and having the freedom to change
HUMANISTIC APPROACH INCLUDES UNTESTABLE CONCEPTS
Rogers did attempt to introduce more thorough and careful thoughts into his work by developing the Q-sort. This is an objective measure of progress in therapy
As would be expected of an approach that is 'anti scientific', humanistic psychology is short on empirical evidence
Humanistic psychology includes a number of vague ideas that are abstract and difficult to test. e.g. 'self actualisation' and 'congruence'
ACRONYM
C
onditions of worth
U
ltimate feeling of satisfaction
U
nconditional love
C
lient centred therapy
F
ree will
I
deal self
S
elf actualisation
H
ierarchy of needs