Humanistic & Positive Psychology
Carl Rogers & Fully Functioning Person
- Fully functioning person = someone who strives for growth, authenticity and self acceptance
- Emphasised that clients have the free will for positive change
Abraham Maslow & Self-Actualisation
- Self actualisation = process of reaching one’s full potential
- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs –> once we have basic needs we can pursue higher goas
- Physiological –> Safety –> Belonging –> Esteem –> Self Actualisation
Critiques of Humanistic Psychology
- Lack of scientific rigour
- Encourages self-centeredness
- Focus on individual can overlook community factors
Rise of Positive Psychology
- Builds on humanistic ideas with more empirical research
- Focuses on strengths, well-being and thriving for individuals + communities
- Emphasis on subjective wellbeing (how we think and feel about our lives)
Key Concepts
| Concept | Description |
| Hedonic Approach | Maximise pleasure, minimise pain; emphasis on happiness and life satisfaction |
| Eudaimonic Approach | Focused on meaning, purpose, personal growth through authentic living |
| Subjective Well-being | How people think & feel about their lives and balance of positive/ negative emotions |
| Human flourishing | Thriving in life through happiness & meaningful engagement. Combination of purpose & growth |
Key predictors of subjective wellbeing:
- Sense of purpose in life
- Positive relationships
- Stable employment
- Engaging in altruistic behaviours
Self Determination Theory & Wellbeing
- States that individuals are fulfilled by autonomy, competency and connection with others
- Sees motivation as central for personal growth & happiness
- 3 core needs (autonomy, competence, belonging)
Key elements
| Intrinsic Motivation | Doing things for the satisfaction of the task itself. Driven by interest, curiosity and personal values. Linked to greater creativity, persistence & well-being. |
| Extrinsic Motivation | Doing something for external rewards/ avoiding punishment. Might not lead to lasting satisfaction. Can undermine intrinsic motivation. |
| Basic Psychological Needs | Autonomy (need for choice) = Making your own choices aligned with your values & interests. Competence (need for mastery) = being able to complete tasks. Belongingness (need for connection) = feeling cared for and contributing |
| Critiques & Applications | Critics argue SDT doesn’t account for cultural differences. Oversimplifies human behaviour. Applied in education, healthcare, sports workplaces. Used to enhance motivation & performance. |
Universality of the 3 core needs
- Cross cultural research shows they are universal
- Large scale survey across over 130 nations shows that meeting these needs predicts positive feelings & life satisfaction
Personality & Subjective Well-Being
Health Belief Model
- Aims to predict health-related behaviours
- People are more likely to do healthy behaviours if they think they are at a big enough risk for health conditions and the benefits outweigh barriers
- Personality influences how we perceive risk & motivaton
- High Openness –> more likely to adopt new behaviours
- Low conscientiousness & high neuroticism –> poorer health
Interactional Stress Moderation Model
- Believes personality traits determine how well people can cope in events
- Personality influences relationship between stress & illness
- Higher neuroticism –> poorer coping
Considerations for personality research:
- Socioeconomic status
- Culture
- Caution when making causal claims
- Time frame issues
Personality Types & Health
| Type | Desciption | Impact on health |
| A | Highly competitive, aggressive, work driven, time- conscious | Higher blood pressure. Higher levels of stress. |
| B | Relaxed, patient, calm, content | Lower levels of stress |
| C | Overly cooperative, passive, suppress negative emotions, helplessness | Ongoing heightened arousal state reduces immune system functioning |
| D | Socially inhibited, pessimistic, distressed | Psychophysiological stress, unhealthy lifestyle, poorer adherence to treatment |
Links to health outcomes
| Heart Disease | Type A= chronic stress + aggression lead to high blood pressures Type D = Distress & social inhibition associated with poor recovery after cardiac events Linked with high neuroticism, low conscientiousness |
| Cancer | Less evidence for links with personality. Some people think type C is more susceptible. |
| Dementia | High neuroticism = increased risk – People tend to be less active – More likely to smoke – Lower education profiles High conscientiousness = protective |
| Longevity | High conscientiousness = most consistent predictor of long life – They tend to engage in healthier behaviours & avoid risky activities – Greater impulse control – Better at delaying gratification |
The FFM & Health
| Neuroticism | Higher stress, negative emotions Increased risk for mental & physical problems |
| Extraversion | Linked to positive emotions, social engagement & greater subjective well-being |
| Openness | Linked to increased creativity, curiosity. Potentially protective against dementia. |
| Agreeableness | Associated with positive relationships, cooperation & supportive social networks |
| Conscientiousness | Strongly predicts healthy behaviour and longer life |
Other Factors
- Greater sense of control over life –> higher wellbeing
- Trust in others –> greater happiness
- Emotional stability consistently linked with higher wellbeing
Repressive Coping & Health
- Avoiding/ suppressing negative thoughts
- Less likely to report distress
- Individuals underestimate stress and risks of non-compliance
- Linked with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases
- Higher risk of hypertension
- They report high wellbeing but have hidden physiological stress
