The Humanistic Approach

The humanistic approach emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as a reaction against both behaviourism and psychoanalysis. It is often called the "third force" in psychology. Humanistic psychologists such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers rejected the deterministic, scientific approaches and instead emphasised free will, personal growth, and the uniquely human capacity for self-actualisation.

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Key Assumptions

1. Humans have free will — they are not determined by biology (as the biological approach claims) or by the environment (as behaviourism claims) or by the unconscious (as the psychodynamic approach claims).
2. Every person is unique — psychology should study the subjective, personal experience of the individual (an idiographic approach).
3. Humans are inherently good and motivated towards personal growth and fulfilment.
4. Psychology should focus on the whole person (a holistic approach) rather than reducing behaviour to component parts.
5. People are motivated to achieve their full potential — self-actualisation.

Key Definition: Humanistic approach — the approach that emphasises free will, personal growth, and self-actualisation. It focuses on the individual's subjective experience and views people as inherently good and motivated to fulfil their potential.

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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (1943)

Abraham Maslow (1908--1970) proposed that human behaviour is motivated by a hierarchy of needs — a series of needs arranged in a pyramid, from basic physiological needs at the bottom to self-actualisation at the top.

graph BT
    A["Physiological Needs: food, water, sleep, warmth"] --> B["Safety Needs: security, stability, health"]
    B --> C["Love and Belonging: friendship, family, intimacy"]
    C --> D["Esteem Needs: self-esteem, recognition, respect"]
    D --> E["Self-Actualisation: fulfilling one’s potential"]

Level	Need	Description
1 (bottom)	Physiological	Basic biological needs: food, water, sleep, warmth, shelter
2	Safety	Security, stability, freedom from fear, protection from danger
3	Love and belonging	Friendship, intimacy, family, social connection
4	Esteem	Self-respect, recognition, status, achievement
5 (top)	Self-actualisation	Fulfilling one's unique potential; becoming the best version of oneself

Key Points

• Lower-level needs must be met first before higher-level needs become motivating.
• Self-actualisation is the highest level — not everyone reaches it.
• Maslow studied people he considered self-actualised (e.g. Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein) and identified common characteristics.

Characteristics of Self-Actualised People (Maslow)

• Acceptance of themselves and others
• Spontaneity and creativity
• Deep, meaningful relationships with a few people rather than superficial relationships with many
• A sense of purpose and mission
• Frequent peak experiences — moments of intense joy, wonder, or fulfilment
• Autonomy and independence of thought

Key Definition: Self-actualisation — the desire to fulfil one's potential and become the best that one is capable of becoming. According to Maslow, it is the highest level of psychological development.

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Carl Rogers: Self-Concept and Congruence (1951)

Carl Rogers (1902--1987) developed a person-centred approach that focuses on the self-concept and the conditions necessary for personal growth.

Self-Concept

The self-concept is the way a person perceives themselves — their beliefs about who they are. Rogers identified three components:

Component	Description
Self-image	How you see yourself — your description of who you are (including social roles, personality traits, physical characteristics)
Self-esteem	How much you value yourself — your sense of self-worth
Ideal self	The person you would like to be — your aspirations and goals for yourself

Congruence and Incongruence

Rogers proposed that psychological well-being depends on the degree of congruence (match) between the self-concept and the ideal self.

State	Description	Effect on Well-being
Congruence	The self-concept and ideal self are closely aligned	Good psychological health; the person feels fulfilled and authentic
Incongruence	There is a significant gap between the self-concept and ideal self	Psychological distress; feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, low self-esteem

graph LR
    A[Self-Concept] -- Close match --> B[Congruence: Good mental health]
    A -- Large gap --> C[Incongruence: Psychological distress]
    D[Ideal Self] -- Close match --> B
    D -- Large gap --> C

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Conditions of Worth

Rogers argued that many people develop conditions of worth — beliefs that they are only lovable or acceptable if they meet certain standards set by others (particularly parents).

• When parents provide conditional love (e.g. "I will love you if you behave well / get good grades"), the child learns that their worth depends on meeting external expectations.
• This creates incongruence because the child shapes their self-concept around others' expectations rather than their own genuine feelings and desires.
• The result is psychological distress and a lack of self-actualisation.