Person-centered Theory - Rogers Flashcards
1
Q
The theory
A
- was first known as ‘non-directive’, but then changed to ‘client-centered’, ‘person-centered’ etc.
2 broad assumptions
- the formative tendency
- the actualising tendency
2
Q
The formative tendency
A
- when the matter whether its organic or inorganic, devs and advances from simple to more complex forms
- process of creation, not disintegration
3
Q
The actualising tendency
A
- tendency within all living-beings to move toward completion or fulfilment of potentials
- the only tendency ppl possess
- ppl operate holistically and actualisation includes the whole person
- ppl are always in the process of ‘becoming’
The actualising tendency - enhancement
- enhancement - the desire to grow
- ppl move towards actualisation naturally when they have congruent, empathic rels
4
Q
The self and SA
A
- babies dev a vague sense of self, forming a basic self-structure and then self-actualisation evolves
2 self-subsystems:
- the self-concept
- the ideal self
5
Q
The self-concept
The ideal self
A
Self concept:
- incl the self and our experiences we get through awareness
- not the same as the organismic self
- ppl can disown aspects of self when such experiences are not consistent with their self-concept ex: experiences of dishonesty.
Ideal self:
- what we wish to be
- usually positive attributes of what we aspire to possess
- wide gap between the ideal and self-concept indicates incongruence and unhealthy pers
6
Q
Conditions of worth
A
- relate to ways kids, and then adults behave in ways others approve of
- conditional love and value inhibits the child’s free expression of internal emotions and potential
7
Q
Origins of distress - incongruence
A
- to achieve positive regard from others, we have to cut off our emotions and thoughts, which later creates distress
- incongruence - a humanistic concept dev by rogers that suggests that unpleasant feelings can result from a discrepancy between our perceived and ideal self. The perceived self - how a person views themselves, the ideal self - how a person wishes they were.
8
Q
Awareness -
A
- without it the self-concept and the ideal self would not exist
3 levels of awareness -
- ignored
- denied
- distorted
9
Q
Denial of positive experiences
A
- the positive is also sometimes denied by ppl ex: positive feedback, compliments etc
- compliments might make no difference to a person’s self-concept. A person might give a compliment but that person might not be trusted so the other person would disregard it. Or the person might think they are not deserving of that compliment
- compliments can also be seen as threatening
10
Q
Becoming a person
A
- certain processes need to happen for someone to become a person
- first we need to make contact with another person - minimum experience to becoming a person
- if we feel like we’re loved, cared for etc - then positive regard has been met
- positive regard is needed to dev a positive self-regard or psychological functioning occurs.
11
Q
Barriers to psy health
A
- not everyone is psy healthy
- we take more notice of other’s judgements of us instead of relying on our real or organismic self
- we stop trusting our experiences
Conditions of worth:
- instead of unconditional love, we might receive conditions of worth
Incongruence:
- organism and self are separate entities
- may be or may not be congruent with one another
Actualisation:
- tendency to move towards fulfilment
Self-actualisation:
- desire of perceived self to reach fulfilment
12
Q
Client-centered psychotherapy
A
- challenging
- someone experiencing distress needs to work with a professional who is congruent, accepts them unconditionally and empathic. The relationship between the client and therapist needs to last, not brief.
13
Q
Congruence & incongruence
A
congruence
- in tune with our organismic experiences and can express these feelings
- a sense of being genuine and real
- open to range of emotions
- congruence is based on feelings, awareness and expression
Incongruence
- discrepancy between feelings and awareness
- also happens when is aware of an experiences but unable to express it
14
Q
Unconditional positive regard
A
- the need to feel that someone likes you, values you, accepts you
15
Q
Empathic listening
A
- being empathic and understanding
- therapist senses what client is experiencing and then communicates what they have understood
- when a client feels like they’re understood, they experience relief
- when therapists empathise with others, they learn how to empathise with themselves
- sympathy and empathy not the same
