Humanistic Approach

• Focus is on studying unique subjective human experiences- "person centred approach"

(opposed to using objective research methods, this is known as a phonological approach)

• People have freewill and are in control of their behaviour 

(opposed to the idea of behaviour being determined)

• humans are self-determining and have freewill 

• not affected by external or internal influences

• "active agents" of their future

• everyone is recognised as unique individuals

• to understand somebody you must have knowledge about the person's life experiences

Fully Functioning Person

• open to experience- both positive and negative emotions are accepted
• living existential- in touch with different experiences in life, avoid making prejudgements and preconceptions 
• trust feelings- feelings, instincts and gut reactions are paid attention to 
• creativity- creative thinking and risk taking are undertaken 
• fulfilled life- feelings of happiness and satisfaction are experienced with new challenges and experiences being sought

Conditions of Worth

• unconditional positive regard- a type of love where people accept each other and love each other for who they are. In childhood, this positive regard comes from parents 
• self worth- where a person feels confident and positive about him or herself, faces challenges in life and accepts failure and unhappiness

Self-concept and congruence

• a person's concepts of their self must be similar to their ideal self
• this congruence or similarity between the self and ideal self is what allows personal growth to occur
• incongruence however may occur if there is a discrepancy between the self and ideal self which may prevent personal growth 

Hierarchy of Needs

• physiological- breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion 
• safety- security of: body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, property
• love/belonging- friendship, family, sexual intimacy 
• esteem- self esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others
• self actualisers- morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts

Characteristics of self actualisers 

• problem centred as opposed to being self centred
• strong moral and ethical standards
• highly creative 
• look at life objectively
• need for privacy 
• unusual sense of humour 

Holistic Approach- subjective experiences can only be understood by considering the 'whole' person

Developed a modern-day psychotherapy- person centred therapy where clients are put in charge of their own recovery 

Unscientific and lacks empirical evidence- many ideas are vague, abstract and difficult to test

Culturally biased- ideas such as personal growth, self esteem and achievement are personal concepts in individualistic cultures only (i.e. America), not collectivist cultures (i.e. India)