Humanistic Approach

Question 1

4 assumptions

Answer 1

• Everyone is unique
• Free will
• People should be viewed holistically
• Scientific method is not appropriate to measure behaviour, as human behaviour is subjective (individualistic)

Question 2

What’s free will

Answer 2

The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces

Question 3

What’s self-actualisation

Answer 3

The desire to grow and fulfil ones full potential

Question 4

What’s congruence

Answer 4

When the self-concept and ideal self match/are the same

Question 5

What’s conditions of worth

Answer 5

Requirements an individual feels they need to meet to be loved

Question 6

What’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 6

A five-levelled hierarchal sequence in which basic needs (hunger) must be satisfied before higher psychological needs (self-actualisation) can be achieved

Question 7

The order of Maslow hierarchy of needs

Answer 7

1) Physiological needs (bottom)
2) Safety needs
3) Love and belonging
4) Esteem
5) Self-actualisation (Top)

Question 8

What’s self-concept

Answer 8

The self you feel you are

Question 9

What’s ideal self

Answer 9

The self you wish to be

Question 10

What’s the real self

Answer 10

The person you actually are

Question 11

What are the 3 selves Carl Rogers suggested needed to integrate to achieve self-actualisation

Answer 11

1) The self-concept
2) The ideal self
3) The real self

Question 12

What’s unconditional positive regard

Answer 12

Where there are no requirements to be loved by an individual

Question 13

Unconditional positive regard is an important part of achieving what

Answer 13

Congruence

Then congruence is important to reach self-actualisation

Question 14

What issues does client-centred therapy address, and what’s their explanation for them

Answer 14

• Aims to address issues with worthlessness and low self-esteem
• These issues can be explained by lack of unconditional positive regard by parents. Parents place conditions of worth on the child, leading to incongruence of the selves

Question 15

What does client-centres therapy provide

Answer 15

• Aims to provide client with genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard
• Its non-directive as clients are seen as experts in their own condition
• Therapist acts as a mirror, reflecting back the clients subjective thoughts

Question 16

Referring to features of humanistic psychology, explain how Joyce’s situation may affect her personal growth (4)

Answer 16

According to Rogers, Joyce is incongruent with her selves. Incongruence is where your ideal self and self concept don’t match. Self concept is the self you feel you are and ideal self is the self you wish to be. Joyce cannot achieve congruence as she is harbouring under ‘conditions of worth‘. This is where requirements that the person feels needs to be met to be loved

Question 17

Evaluation of humanistic approach

Answer 17

• Advocate holism. Strength, easier to study subjective experiences as a whole as it won’t miss anything out
• Holism can be difficult to measure scientifically, lacking causal explanations of behaviour.
• Cannot apply humanistic approach to real life. For example client-centred therapy is limited to mild mental health conditions, therefore can’t treat schizophrenics for example
• Humanists praised for ‘bringing the person back into psychology’, promoting the positive image of human condition. However, Freud had more of a negative approach, as he saw humans as a product of childhood experiences