HUMANITARIAN APPROACH
The humanistic model
Sometimes referred to as ‘the third force in psychology’, the humanistic movement was a reaction against the determinism of the psychodynamic and behaviourist paradigms. It attempted to focus more on the individual as a whole person. According to Carl Rogers and other leading figures in this movement, people are rational beings, able to make their own choices, and are motivated toward a state of fulfilment. Psychological problems occur when people experience incongruence between their real self and their ideal self. This generates a feeling of low self-worth. The humanistic model does not believe in labelling people by diagnosing them as having specific mental disorders. Every individual’s problems are seen as unique and the therapy lies in providing nurturing therapeutic conditions which enable the person to find his/her own way forward in dealing with problems.
From the sixteenth century on, special institutions called asylums—sanctuaries or places of refuge meant solely for the care of the mentally ill—grew in number. The early asylums were begun as a way of removing from society troublesome individuals who could not care for themselves. Although scientific inquiry into abnormal behaviour was on the increase, most early asylums, often referred toas “madhouses,” were not pleasant places or “hospitals “but primarily residences or storage places for the insane. The unfortunate residents lived and died amid conditions of incredible filth and cruelty. (Abnormal Psychology)
Example
An individual with feelings of despair and a lack of motivation to live would be understood in terms of a low sense of self-worth, perhaps to do with the lack of a nurturing environment. This has led to them losing touch with their true self. They are valuing themselves in overly negative ways, and feel that they are unacceptable and unlovable as a person. In order to get in touch with their true self, it is necessary to experience conditions that offer empathy, acceptance and genuine understanding.
Strengths of the humanistic model:
There is a large body of research, particularly case histories, to back up the claims of the humanistic model. The model offers an optimistic view of personality. It is regarded as an ethical model because it focuses on the person rather than the diagnosis. The model facilitates the human capacity for self-cure
Weaknesses of the humanistic model:
The focus on the individual carries the assumption that people should be able to help themselves, and may neglect important environmental and social factors (e.g., poverty and discrimination). Some disorders requiring medical treatment may go untreated due to the reluctance to diagnose.The model tends to espouse western ideals of individuality and freedom, which may not take into account more collectively based cultures. (Bruch)
Institutions and Reforms
The first asylum for the mentally ill was probably in the Islamic world in the first century, but they became more common in Europe during the middle Ages. However, these institutions were not great places. The facilities were unsanitary, and treatments involved sometimes horrifying experiments. One of the most notorious asylums was Bedlam, which was in London. Descriptions of Bedlam from the 18th century show a place of inhumane treatment. During the day, the patients were left to wander in the yard, where tourists and schoolboys watched them and poked fun. At night, they were chained up.Across the English Channel in Paris, Dr. Philippe Pinel worked as a physician in a mental institution. Horrified by the treatment of patients, Pinel and his predecessor Jean-Baptiste Pussin began a humanitarian movement in the treatment of the mentally ill. They removed the chains from patients who were considered dangerous.
To the surprise of many people, the men became gentler when treated with kindness and released from chains. The success of Pinel and Pussin led others to join the humanitarian movement, including William Tuke in England and Dorothea Dix in the United States. Slowly, the conditions in institutions became better. (Reforms in Abnormal Psychology: Demonology through Humanitarian Reforms)
Moral therapy
Moral therapy comes under humanitarian approach. The term moral really meant emotional or psychological rather than a code of conduct. Its basic tenets included treating institutionalized patients as normally as possible in a setting that encouraged and reinforced normal social interaction, thus providing them with many opportunities for appropriate social and interpersonal contact. Relationships were carefully nurtured individual attention clearly emphasized positive consequences for appropriate interactions and behaviour.
Asylum reform and Decline of Moral Therapy
After a period of time there was a decline in moral therapy .Dorothea Dix began the mental hygiene movement campaigned endlessly for reform in the treatment of the insane. Her work was known as the mental hygiene movement. In addition to improving the standards of care she worked hard to make sure that everyone who needed care received. Through her efforts humane treatment became more widely available in American institutions.Dix's heroic efforts was a substantial increase in the number of mental patients. This led to a rapid transition from moral therapy to custodial care.
A final blow to the practice of moral therapy was the decision, in the middle of the 19th century, that mental illness was caused by brain pathology and, therefore, was incurable. Later this led to the beginning of different approaches. (DURNAND)
Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926) brought much needed order to the classification of mental disorders focusing on the biological aspects of mental illness. This approach resulted in closer alignment of psychiatry with medicine because many categories of mental illness were treated in disease terms. Two major groups Kraepelin focused on was dementia praecox (schizophrenia) and manic-depressive psychosis. He believed a chemical imbalance caused schizophrenia and a metabolism irregularity caused manic-depression. Kraepelin’s classification ideas laid the groundwork for today’s classification system. In the United Kingdom in 1882, the Statistical Committee of the Royal Medico-psychological Association came up with a classification scheme that was revised many times but never adopted by its members. In Paris in 1889, the Congress of Mental Science adopted a classification system, but it was never actually used. Finally in the United States, the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, which later became known as the American Psychiatric Association, adopted an idea similar to the British system. This system incorporated many of Emil Kraepelin’s ideas.
Works Cited
Abnormal Psychology. (n.d.).
Bruch, H. (. (n.d.). ABNORMALITY MODELS . Retrieved from AS PSYCHOLOGY: http://as-psychology.pbworks.com/w/page/9174232/AbnormalityModels
DURNAND, B. A. (n.d.). ESSENTIALS OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY. CENGAGE BRAIN USER.
Reforms in Abnormal Psychology: Demonology Through Humanitarian Reforms. (n.d.). Retrieved from EDUCATION PORTAL: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/reforms-in-abnormal-psychology-demonology-through-humanitarian-reforms.html
Bibliography
Abnormal Psychology. (n.d.).
Bruch, H. (. (n.d.). ABNORMALITY MODELS . Retrieved from AS PSYCHOLOGY: http://as-psychology.pbworks.com/w/page/9174232/AbnormalityModels
DURNAND, B. A. (n.d.). ESSENTIALS OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY. CENGAGE BRAIN USER.
Reforms in Abnormal Psychology: Demonology Through Humanitarian Reforms. (n.d.). Retrieved from EDUCATION PORTAL: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/reforms-in-abnormal-psychology-demonology-through-humanitarian-reforms.html
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