Chapter 10 Rogers's Person-Centered Theory Flashcards
The formative tendency
Natures tendency to evolve from simpler forms to more complex ones
eg: vapor into snowflake, primitive consciousness to more advanced
The actualizing tendency
Tendency within all humans towards complete fulfillment
All nature moves forward but only humans can actualize
maintenance needs
Those basic needs that protect the status quo. They may be either physiological (e.g., food) or interpersonal (e.g., the need to maintain the current self-concept).
enhancement needs
The need to develop, to grow, and to achieve.
Willingness to learn things that are not immediately rewarding
a good partner is
congruent, authentic, empathy, unconditional positive regard; These conditions are necessary and sufficient
organismic self (Rogers)
A more general term than
self-concept; refers to the entire person, including those
aspects of existence beyond awareness.
your stomach, unless it is upset and causing you to pay extra attention
self-concept (Rogers)
Aspects of one’s being that are perceived in awareness, though not always accurately by the individual
the ideal self
One’s view of one’s self as one wished to be
A wide gap between the self-concept and the ideal self creates
incongruence
The self has two subsystems:
1) the self-concept
2) the ideal self
A sense of self or personal identity begins to emerge during infancy, and once established, it allows a person to strive toward self-actualization, which is a subsystem of the actualization tendency
3 levels of awareness
1) Below the threshold are ‘ignored or denied’
Sound of traffic ignore it
2) Some are ‘accurately symbolized or freely admitted to the self structure’
Non threatening and consistent with self image
3) experiences in ‘distorted form’
Something comes your way and you need to reshape it to fit your sense of self
The two basic human needs + 2 more
The two basic human needs are maintenance and enhancement, but people also need positive regard and self-regard.
Instead of unconditional positive regard people get
conditions of worth
Perceptions of other peoples view of us are called
external evaluations
Source of psychological disorder is the ______ between self concept and organismic experience
incongruence
Sometimes we are true to ourselves and sometimes we’re acting out of expectations from others which stemmed in conditional love
The bigger the gap, the more ____ you are
vulnerable
When we gain awareness of the incongruence it turns into an _____ and eventually a threat to our sense of self
anxiety
When the organismic self and perceived self are incongruent, people will
become defensiveness, which breaks into 2 components:
Distortion
Denial
Usual defenses sometimes fail and you get
disorganization
3 conditions crucial to client-centered therapy that bring about the necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic growth
Congruence
Unconditional positive regard
Empathic listening
6 parts of the process
1) clients are unwilling to communicate anything about themselves
2) they discuss only external events and other people
(3) they begin to talk about themselves, but still as an object;
(4) they discuss strong emotions that they have felt in the past;
(5) they begin to express present feelings;
(6) they freely allow into awareness those experiences that were previously denied or distorted
(7) they experience irreversible change and growth.
Outcomes of client-centered therapy
more congruent, less defensive, more open to experience, and more realistic.
The gap between their ideal self and their true self narrows
less physiological and psychological tension
better relations
The Person of Tomorrow
“fully functioning person”
7 characteristics of the person of tomorrow
more adaptable
open to their experiences and Trust in their organismic selves not depend on others
live fully in the moment (existential living)
harmonious relations with others
more integrated
basic trust of human nature.
greater richness in life
Philosophy of Science
Must have experience as a therapist before conducting research
Must care about and nurture ideas s they progress
The method of science is precise
Findings of research on psychotherapy
therapy group—but not the wait group—showed a lessening of the gap between real self and ideal self.
not successful in bringing them to the level of the fully functioning persons or even to the level of “normal” psychological health.
people whose ideal self is at variance with their real self may turn to unhealthy behaviors as a means of coping with this discrepancy. (college kids drinking more)
People tend to be more fulfilled by intrinsic goals
organismic valuing process (OVP)
a natural instinct guiding us toward the most fulfilling pursuits.
Critique of Rogers
generate research moderate to high
Falsification - precise language makes it falsifiable but the whole theory is hard to put to the test
Organize knowledge is high
Guide to action - very high
Internally consistent - high as the definition are well defined
Parsimony - quite high with a few terms that are vague and undefinable
Concept of Humanity
Free choice - the big decisions are within our control
Optimistic - yes - positive directive qualities live among the most messed up people - so he’s aware that people can be messed up but retains a sense of optimism
Teleology is strong based on goals of themselves
Conscious - stronger than un
Bio vs socials - he chooses social
An individual becomes a person by making contact with a caregiver whose
positive regard for that individual fosters _____
positive self-regard.
when a person experiences
conditions of worth, incongruence, defensiveness, and disorganization
Barriers to psychological growth exist
what leads to vulnerability, anxiety,
and threat and prevent people from experiencing unconditional positive
regard.
Conditions of worth and external evaluation
Vulnerable people are unaware of their incongruence and are likely to become
anxious, threatened, and defensive
Discuss research on Rogers’ facilitative conditions in situations outside the therapeutic relationship
results supported Rogers’ notion that people whose ideal self is at variance with their real self may turn to unhealthy behaviors as a means of coping with this discrepancy
