Humanistic approach

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Let's take a closer look at infromation from various sources, which you can draw on for your final copy.

RESPONSE:

1. Analyze the major concepts of the humanistic approach.

Different sources explain concepts in different ways, but three major concepts of the humanistic approach listed in one source includes:

1) Rogers's self theory: The self is the executive or organizing center of the personality-the "I" that
determines how we relate to the world and pursue our goals. The self is the center of our conscious experience of being in the world. Principle: People who are not encouraged in their upbringing to develop their individuality and uniqueness-but instead are valued only when they meet other people's expectations-tend to develop distorted self-concepts.

2) Maslow's concept of self-actualization: Self-actualization is a key element of personality and human motivation. Principle: If given the chance, people will strive toward achieving self-actualization, a goal that is better thought of as a continuing journey rather than as a final destination.

3) Culture and self-identity: Self-identity may be influenced by collectivistic or individualistic cultural
values. Principle: Collectivistic cultures foster the development of communal or interdependent concepts of the self, whereas individualistic cultures encourage definitions of the self that embody individuality and uniqueness. (http://college.cengage.com/psychology/nevid/psychology/1e/shared/conceptcharts/ch12/conceptchart_12.4.pdf)

From another source, the key concept from the humanist approach includes:

? Congruence: A person's ideal self may not be consistent with what actually happens in life and experiences of the person. Hence, a difference may exist between a person's ideal self and actual experience. This is called incongruence. Where a person's ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists. Rarely, if ever does a total state of congruence exist; all people experience a certain amount of incongruence. (http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/carl-rogers.html)

? The Self (e.g. self-worth, self-image, self actualization)
? Holism (e.g. study to whole person)
? Hierarchy of needs Maslow
? Free Will: Humans have free will; not all behaviour is determined.
? Human motivation: All individuals are unique and have an innate (inborn) drive to achieve their maximum potential
? Qualitative human research: A proper understanding of human behaviour can only be achieved by studying humans - not animals.
? Ideographic: Psychology should study the individual case (idiographic) rather than the average performance of groups (nomothetic).( http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/humanistic.html)

2. Compare and contrast the theories of Rogers, Maslow, and Frankl.

Maslow (1943) developed a hierarchical theory of human motivation. Maslow (1970) stated that human motivation is "based on people seeking fulfillment and change through personal growth. Maslow (1970) saw progressing through a hierarchy of needs as the way to reach self-actualization, but not everyone reached it, but theoretically, they were able. Maslow divided the needs into basic (or deficiency) needs (e.g. physiological, safety, love, and esteem) growth needs (cognitive, aesthetics and self-actualization). It is a stage model, so a person must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Only after these lower needs have been reasonably satisfied, one can reach the highest level called self-actualisation. (http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/maslow.html)

According to Maslow's theory, the hierarchy ...