Module 56 REVIEW

• 56-1 How did humanistic psychologists view personality, and what was their goal in studying personality?

• The humanistic psychologists’ view of personality focused on the potential for healthy personal growth and people’s striving for self-determination and self-realization.
• Abraham Maslow proposed that human motivations form a hierarchy of needs; if basic needs are fulfilled, people will strive toward self-actualization and self-transcendence.
• Carl Rogers’ person-centered perspective suggested that the ingredients of a growth-promoting environment are acceptance (including unconditional positive regard), genuineness, and empathy.
• Self-concept was a central feature of personality for both Maslow and Rogers.

• 56-2 How did humanistic psychologists assess a person’s sense of self?

• Some rejected any standardized assessments and relied on interviews and conversations.
• Rogers sometimes used questionnaires in which people described their ideal and actual selves, which he later used to judge progress during therapy.

• 56-3 How have humanistic theories influenced psychology? What criticisms have they faced?

• Humanistic psychology helped renew interest in the concept of self, and also laid the groundwork for today’s scientific subfield of positive psychology.
• Critics have said that humanistic psychology’s concepts were vague and subjective, its values self-centered, and its assumptions naively optimistic.

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. Maslow and Rogers would explain that adolescents who are struggling to form their identity are seeking to discover their
   1. self-transcendence.
   2. self-actualization.
   3. self-esteem.
   4. self-worth.
   5. self-concept.
2. What do we call the process of fulfilling our potential?
   1. Free association
   2. Self-efficacy
   3. Unconditional positive regard
   4. Self-concept
   5. Self-actualization
3. Humanistic psychologists may assess personality by
   1. asking a person to compare their ideal self to their actual self.
   2. asking people to fill out lengthy questionnaires about their beliefs.
   3. getting people to describe what they see in ambiguous inkblots.
   4. having a person describe their dreams.
   5. putting people in a stressful situation to see how they behave under pressure.
4. Which of the following is an example of unconditional positive regard?
   1. Mr. and Mrs. Prohaska, who have been married for 37 years, credit the success of their marriage to the fact that each has been able to accept the faults of the other without criticism.
   2. Seven-year-old Michaela is only given her allowance when she does her chores.
   3. Ms. Lopez, a second grade teacher, only gives smiley-face stickers to students who sit quietly at their desks during math.
   4. John got a promotion and a raise at work after filling in for a sick manager one day and doing a better job than the manager.
   5. Chen’s parents usually praise him when he does well and ignore him when he engages in minor misbehavior.

Practice FRQs

1. As a new student, Canya is hoping to fit in. If the students at her new school were embracing the ideas of Carl Rogers, how would each of these principles affect how they treat Canya?
   • Acceptance
   • Genuineness
   • Empathy

Answer

1 point: When employing Rogers’ acceptance, people show unconditional positive regard—others are accepted despite their faults and failures. Canya will probably make mistakes at her new school, but the established students would understand that it is because she is new and not judge her because of them. Page 592

1 point: When following Rogers’ genuineness, people are open with their feelings. The students at the school would be themselves around Canya and provide her with advice about how to fit in. Page 592

1 point: When employing Rogers’ empathy, people share and mirror the feelings of others. In this case, students might remember a time that they were in a new place and understand how Canya is feeling. Page 592

2. Describe three criticisms that have been made of humanistic psychology.

(3 points)