Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic perspective Emphasizes the study of the whole person (holism) Humanistic psychologists look at human behaviour not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the person doing the behaving

Holistic thinking Holistic thinkers explain something like human behaviour by looking at all of the possible elements involved Reductionist thinkers would explain human behaviour by reducing it to its individual parts Discuss the advantages of holistic thinking and reductionist thinking when studying behaviour

Humanistic perspective The humanistic perspective suggests that we are each responsible for our own happiness and wellbeing as humans We have the innate (inborn) capacity for the unique desire to achieve our highest potential as people

Consider this Humanistic Psychologists argue that we are all responsible for our own happiness Is happiness a state of mind? (and therefore something that is internally generated) Or Is happiness caused by events and circumstances that are outside of us?

Humanistic psychologists Two of the most influential thinkers in humanistic psychology emerged in the 1950’s and 1960’s: Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow Both describe different ways of how self- actualization can be achieved

Humanistic psychologists Carl Rogers – believed in the power of free will and self-determination, and that unconditional acceptance and love, will allow a person to develop self‐acceptance

Maslow Abraham Maslow - is famous for the hierarchy of needs theory of human motivation - basic needs such as hunger, thirst and safety must be achieved before higher needs such as self esteem Maslow argued that humans are seeking self actualisation

Humanistic thoery ‘Self-actualization: growth, fulfilment and satisfaction all humans wish to achieve’ Do you agree that all humans aspire to self actualisation? How do you think self-actualisation is achieved?

Humanistic psychology Humanistic psychologists focus on the person and his or her personal experiences and subjective perception of the world Therefore humanists regard objective scientific methods as inappropriate for studying behaviour

Consider this Subjective thinking: personal opinions, interpretations, points of view, emotions and judgment… Objective thinking: fact-based, measurable and observable… Consider how we might approach studying human behaviour using subjective thinking (humanistic approach)? How does this differ to studying human behaviour using objective thinking?

Humanistic psychologists Humanism views human beings as fundamentally different from other animals mainly because humans are capable of thought, reason and language

Humanistic psychologists Therefore, humanistic psychologists believe research on animals tells us very little about human thought, behaviour and experience

Common criticisms of humanism 1.Conclusions drawn from subjective experiences can be very difficult to verify (or give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer) making some psychologists deem the humanistic approach unreliable and not a ‘true’ science

Common criticisms of humanism 2.The theory used by humanists is biased towards western cultures 3.This approach tends to ignore biological factors such as hormones – which can greatly affect human behaviour

Common criticisms of humanism 4.Humans and other animals’ behaviour can be compared in some studies, due to underlying biology and physiology (workings of the body) being very similar

Humanistic psychology Humanistic psychology has not been used nearly as much as the other approaches - possibly due to its ‘non-scientific’ approach to studying humans However, this approach can gain good insight into an individuals behaviour Discuss the advantages and disadvantages you can see with the humanistic approach to studying human behaviour

Quiz 1.Humanistic psychologists look at human behaviour through the eyes of the observer, and through the eyes of the person ________ the __________? 2.Explain one difference between an holistic thinker and a reductionist thinker

Quiz 3.True or false? The humanistic perspective suggests that others are responsible for our own happiness and wellbeing as humans 4.The humanistic psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, in different ways both described how to achieve what?

Quiz 5. What theory was Abraham Maslow most famous for? 6.Humanistic psychologists focus on the person and his or her personal experiences and therefore use objective or subjective methodology?

Quiz 7.True or false? Humanistic psychologists believe research on animals tells a great deal about human thought, behaviour and experience 8.Explain one common criticism of humanism