PSYC 4520 1st Edition Lecture 18Outline of Last Lecture I. Anxiety and Social ExclusionA. How is anxiety beneficial?II. Evolutionary Personality Theory and Mate SelectionA. Online datingB. What men look for in womenC. What women look for in menD. Conclusions and limitationsIII. Strengths and Criticisms of the Biological ApproachA. StrengthsB. CriticismsIV. Introduction to the Humanistic ApproachA. The humanistic approachV. Roots of Humanistic PsychologyA. Existential philosophyOutline of Current Lecture I. Roots of Humanistic PsychologyA. Existential psychologyThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.II. Key Elements of the Humanistic ApproachA. The humanistic approachB. Personal responsibilityC. The here and nowD. The phenomenology of the individualE. Personal growthIII. Carl RogersA. Who was Carl Rogers?B. The fully functioning personC. Anxiety and defenseD. Conditions of worth and unconditional positive regardIV. Abraham MaslowA. Who was Abraham Maslow?B. Motivation and the hierarchy of needsC. Misconceptions about Maslow’s hierarchy of needsD. The study of psychologically healthy peopleCurrent LectureI. Roots of Humanistic PsychologyA. Existential psychologyi. Some psychologists believe so strongly in existential philosophy that they call themselves existential psychologists. ii. Existential psychotherapy focuses on existential anxiety: feelings of dread/ panic that follow the realization that there is no meaning to life.iii. Yalom was an existential psychologist who believed that a person’s inner conflict is due to his or her confrontation with the givens of existence: inevitability of death, freedom of choice/responsibility, isolation, and meaninglessness.II. Key Elements of the Humanistic ApproachA. The humanistic approachi. Humanism was popular in the 1960s-70s, so many people identified themselves as “humanistic” without it really having a definition. This led to humanism being associated with fad therapies.ii. There are 4 elements to the general humanistic viewpoint: an emphasis on personal responsibility, the “here and now,” the experience (phenomenology) of the individual, and personal growth.B. Personal responsibilityi. We are ultimately responsible for what happens to us. We commonly use the phrase “I have to” (e.g. “I have to go to class”), but in reality, we don’thave to do anything; all our behaviors represent personal choices. ii. Humanistic psychologists see people as active shapers of their own lives; we choose to be passive. Clients are often encouraged to accept that theyhave the power to do/be whatever they want (empowerment).iii. This philosophy goes against the idea of determinism, the idea that all events are determined by causes external to the human will.C. The here and nowi. Humanistic psychologists say that when we think about the past/future, we are wasting time. We cannot become fully functioning until we learn to live our lives as they happen. Time spent on thinking of the past/futureis time lost. We need not be victims of our past.ii. This philosophy goes against any view that has focused on the past—primarily Freud’s. D. The phenomenology of the individuali. Humanism says that no one knows you better than you know yourself. Therapists cannot listen to clients, decide what the problem is, and force clients to accept the therapist’s interpretation of what should be changed and how. Humanistic therapists try to understand clients’ experiences andprovide a therapeutic environment that lets clients help themselves. ii. This philosophy goes against the idea of reductionism, the belief that human behavior can be explained by breaking it down into smaller parts.E. Personal growthi. Humanism says there is more to life than simply having all our immediate needs met. Happiness also requires that we grow in a positive direction. We are all motivated to progress toward some ultimately satisfying state of being, which Carl Rogers referred to as becoming a “fully functioning person” and Abraham Maslow referred to as “self-actualization.”ii. This philosophy goes against Freud’s ideas of instincts and learning.III. Carl RogersA. Who was Carl Rogers?i. He pioneered humanistic psychotherapy and was the 1st therapist to popularize a “person-centered” approach. He applied humanism to social issues like education/world peace, had an optimistic view of humanity, and believed in each individual’s potential for fulfillment and happiness.B. The fully functioning personi. Rogers said that we each naturally strive to reach an optimal sense of satisfaction with our lives (become fully functioning). Fully functioning people are open to experiences, live in the moment, trust their feelings, are unconcerned with societal standards, and feel emotions intensely.C. Anxiety and defensei. Rogers knew that we often fall short of becoming happy, fully functioning adults. Why does this occur if we all have an innate desire to be fully functioning? The world is full of disappointments/difficulties, all of which are potential sources of anxiety; becoming fully functioning does noteliminate our problems, but it does mean that we deal with them directly rather than rely on psychological defenses to avoid them.ii. Rogers said that anxiety is the result of coming into contact with information that is inconsistent with the way we think of ourselves. For example, you may think you are a nice person, but one day, you overhear someone insulting you. If you were fully functioning, you would accept it. But, most of us would not have that good a reaction, and hearing this kind of information that threatens our self-concept could cause anxiety. iii. Rogers said that we initially process threatening information at a level below consciousness (subception): we rely on defenses to keep it from entering consciousness. The most common defense is distortion (in the last example, you may convince yourself that the person who insulted youwas in a bad mood). Another defense is denial (you may convince yourselfthe person was not talking about you). These defenses may also be used in situations where we receive flattering assessments. People who feel undesirable may use distortion and denial when hearing that someone is attracted to them (“He/she was just being polite”). iv. Distortion and denial may reduce anxiety short-term, but each