The Humanistic Approach Psychology: Chapter 14, Section 4

The Humanistic Approach While behaviorists argue that psychologists should not attempt to study self-awareness, humanists believe that self-awareness is the most important, most vital part of us They believe people are genuinely free to choose what to do with their lives Since people are free to choose, they are also fully responsible for the choices they make Don’t blame the environment, bad parenting, or any other external factors

Abraham Maslow Abraham Maslow believed that the ultimate need for humans is to reach their full potential, or in Maslow’s words, achieve self-actualization First basic needs need to be taken care of, then higher needs are addressed (if you are starving, then your self esteem won’t matter as much) Each person is unique, so they need to follow their own path to self-actualization Finding self-actualization involves taking risks; otherwise life would be too boring and no progression would be made

Carl Rogers Carl Rogers ( , American) believed people shape their own personalities through their own freedom of choice His theory is called self theory, and his method of therapy was called client-centered therapy Rogers said we each have a self-concept, or how we view ourselves as individuals Our self tries to recognize our personal values, and is the center of who we are, and guides our personality and behavior

Carl Rogers Rogers believed that a key to happiness is congruence, or consistency between one’s self- concept and one’s experience If you consider yourself to be outgoing and friendly, and actually have good relationships with people, then you will feel happy when you feel your self- concept is accurate But if you are having trouble getting along with people but still have that self concept that you are supposed to be outgoing, then you will feel anxious and confused when your experiences don’t match your self-concept

A goal for Carl Rogers was to help a person’s self image become more congruent with that person’s ideal self

Carl Rogers We all have a need for self esteem, or a belief in oneself and self respect Self esteem begins by reflecting the esteem our parents have for us Our parents help when they have unconditional positive regard for us, loving us no matter what we do Conditional positive regard can be more troublesome, as it may lead children to believe that they are only loved when they do certain things

Carl Rogers If we try to live up to others’ wishes and expectations of us without being true to who we are, then we will end up disappointed in ourselves When parents are tolerant and loving of the ways we are different, then we will be tolerant and loving The path to self-actualization is getting in touch with our genuine feelings and then acting on them

Carl Rogers Client-Centered Therapy: The therapist acts as a mirror to the client, as the client talks through their issues. (Note that they use the term client, not patient. This puts the client as the center ) Active listening is used, as the listener repeats or rephrases what the client has said and thus reflects it back to the client

Carl Rogers The therapist is nonjudgmental, accepting, supportive, thus helping the client’s self-esteem The therapist will often use phrases such as, “What I’m hearing you say is…” Accurate empathy is the goal Carl Rogers is the most influential psychologist for modern therapists (even more than Freud)

Evaluation of the Humanistic Approach Humanistic psychologists believe that humans are not merely animals They believe that an essential aspect of life for humans is the sense of one’s self progressing through space and time Consciousness is key to our lives Whereas psychoanalyitic theories say we are a product of our childhoods, and learning theories say we are a product of our circumstance, humanists stress that humans are really free to choose Humanistic theories do not explain how we get personality traits

Assessment Page 337: #1-3