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The Humanistic Approach
Specification details Humanistic Psychology: free will, self-actualisation and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, focus on the self, congruence, the role of conditions of worth. The influence on counselling Psychology.
Pages 120- 121 of course text book (20/ of Year 2 book)
Origins and History
- The humanistic movement developed in America in
the early 1950s
- It was termed the ‘third force’ since it aimed to
replace the two main approaches - Behaviourism
and Psychoanalysis
- Humanism was intended to offer a less deterministic
and artificial approach.
- Humanistic theories are concerned with human
experiences, uniqueness, meaning, freedom and
choice.
Abraham Maslow
- Maslow believes humans are motivated by needs beyond those of basic biological survival.
- Fundamental to human nature is the desire to grow and develop to achieve our full potential - referred to as ‘ self- actualisation ’.
- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ranges from basic needs to higher level psychological and actualisation needs.
- All four levels of the hierarchy must be met before an individual can work towards self actualisation
- Maslow’s theory emphasises uniquely human motivational factors - higher level needs are a later evolutionary development of the human species
Motivation - Maslow
Personal growth is concerned with developing and changing as a person to become fulfilled, satisfied and goal- orientated
Not everyone will mange this, however, and there are important psychological barriers that may prevent a person from reaching their potential
Assumptions
- Humans have a basic need to feel nurtured and
valued by significant people in their lives, such as
parents (love, praise and acceptance).
- If this is given freely, without conditions
( unconditional positive regard ), then people will
develop a healthy sense of self-worth, recognising
their abilities and difficulties.
- Children who receive negative regard, such as
criticism and blame, develop low self-esteem.
- To avoid this, the parent’s should blame the
behaviour not the child.
A sense of well-being
- A healthy sense of wellbeing is established if an individual maintains a reasonable consistency between ideal self and actual behaviour. This is known as congruence.
- The greater the gap between the ideal self and the actual self, the greater the incongruence.
- Incongruence can lead to low self-worth and maladjustment.
- Defence mechanisms (distortion, denial, blocking) can stop the self from growing and changing, and widen the gulf between our ideal self and true self.
Contribution to society
- The humanistic approach’s primary application has been to therapeutic treatment.
- Client-centered therapy (CCT), whereby the client is encouraged to develop positive self- regard and overcome the mismatch between their perceived self, true self and ideal self.
- Gestalt therapy - the aim is to help the client become a ‘whole’ (gestalt) person by getting them to accept every aspect of themselves. Techniques of gestalt therapy include confrontation, dream analysis, and role playing.
Methods of investigation
- The Q-Sort assessment was developed by Stephenson (1953) and it was quickly adopted into Client Centered Therapy by Carl Rogers.
- The measurement of a person’s congruence/ incongruence is measured by a Q-SORT. A q-sort is a series of cards, each containing a personal statement.
- For example, “needs recognition from others” or “is self- defeating” or “is personally charming”. The person sorts this statement into a forced distribution under two sets of conditions: A) to describe their “real self”, B) to describe their “ideal self”.
Applications of the approach
Topic area Application Depression Depression/low self-esteem results from lack of unconditional positive regard and an inability to accept one’s self
Schizophrenia Humanistic therapies cannot directly tackle serious disorders but can be used as a supportive therapy, for relatives for example
Aggression Aggressive behaviour results from people who are not fully functioning at a psychological level. As a result this blocks personal growth and prevents of self-actualisation. To remove aggression facilitates personal growth.
Stress Counselling for stressful life events such as divorce and bereavement allows clients insight and control.
Limitations of humanistic approach
- This approach has less impact on mainstream psychology
than the other approaches
- The use of qualitative techniques has been questioned
- As the subject matter is individual experience it is not
possible to formulate general laws of behaviour and as
such is not a comprehensive theory but rather a loose set
of abstract ideas.
- Due to the vagueness of such terms as ‘self-actualisation’
and fully-functioning person’, little empirical research has
been carried out – untestable concepts
- Not all cultures share the assumption that individual
achievement brings fulfilment
Homework
Ensure you have written up your class notes to
include the following:
- The assumptions of the humanistic approach including:
free will
self-actualisation and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
focus on the self and congruence
the role of conditions of worth
the influence on counselling Psychology.
- The strengths and weaknesses of the approach
