Chapter 5 Phenomenological theory Flashcards
Conditions of worth
p159
This alternative Rogers describes as conditions of worth; the child is made to feel like a worthy individual only if he/she has some thoughts and feelings but not others. If the child receives positive regard unconditionally, then there is no need to deny experiences. However, if children experience conditions of worth, then they need to balance their own natural tendencies with their need for positive regard from the parents. The child then may cope by denying an aspect of his or her own experience—essentially denying, or distorting, a feature of his or her true self.
Congruence
p156
In addition to self‐consistency, Rogers emphasized the importance to personality functioning of congruence between the self and experience, that is, between what people feel and how they view themselves.
Denial
p157
Two defensive processes are distortion of the meaning of experience and denial of the existence of the experience. Denial serves to preserve the self‐structure from threat by denying it conscious expression.
Ideal self
p150
Rogers did recognize two different aspects to the self: an actual self and an ideal self. The ideal self, then, is the self‐ concept that an individual would most like to possess. It includes the perceptions and meanings that potentially are relevant to the self and that are valued highly by the individual.
Incongruence
p156
Lacking congruence, or having feelings not aligned with your actions.
Need for positive regard
p158
Rogers answered this question by proposing that all persons possess a basic psychological need. It is a need for positive regard. The idea is that people need not only the obvious biological facts of life—food, water, shelter, and so on—but also something psychological. They need to be accepted and respected by others, that is, to receive others’ positive regard.
Phenomenal field
p146
This phenomenal field—the space of perceptions that makes up our experience—is a subjective construction. The individual constructs this inner world of experience, and the construction reflects not only the outer world of reality but also the inner world of personal needs, goals, and beliefs. Inner psychological needs shape the subjective experiences that we interpret as objectively real.
Phenomenology
p148
Rogers takes a phenomenological approach to the study of persons. n psychology or other disciplines, such as philosophy, a phenomenological approach is one that investigates people’s conscious experiences. The investi- gation, in other words, does not try to characterize the world of reality as it exists independent of the human observer. Instead, one is interested in the experiences of the observer: how the person experiences the world.
Self-concept (or the “Self”)
p150
The self, or self‐concept, represents an organized and consistent pattern of perceptions. Although the self changes, it always retains this patterned, integrated, organized quality. Because the organized quality endures over time and characterizes the individual, the self is a personality structure. To Rogers, the self is not a little person inside of us. The self does not independently control behavior. Rather, the self is an organized set of perceptions possessed by the individual, who is ultimately responsible for his or her actions. The pattern of experiences and perceptions known as the self is, in general, available to awareness.
Self-consistency
p156
The concept of self‐consistency originally was developed by Lecky (1945). According to Lecky, the organism does not seek to gain pleasure and to avoid pain but, instead, seeks to maintain its own self‐structure. The individual develops a value system, the center of which is the individual’s valuation of the self. Individuals organize their values and functions to preserve the self‐system. Individuals behave in ways that are consistent with their self‐concept, even if this behavior is otherwise unrewarding to them. If you, for example, see your- self as a poor speller, you may try to behave in a manner consistent with this self‐perception.
Subception
p156
To Rogers, then, when we perceive an experience as threatening because it conflicts with our self‐concept, we may not allow the experience to be conscious. Through a process called subception, we can be aware of an experience that is discrepant with the self‐concept before it reaches consciousness.
Blah 1
The phenomenological approach emphasizes an understanding of how people experience themselves and the world around them. The person‐centered theory of Carl Rogers is illustrative of this approach
Blah 2
Throughout his life, Rogers attempted to integrate the intuitive with the objective, combining a sensitivity to the nuances of experience with an appreciation for the rigors of science.
Blah 3
Rogers emphasized the positive, self‐actualizing qualities of the person. In his research, he emphasized a disciplined effort to understand subjective experience, or the phenomenal field, of the person.
Blah 4
The key structural concept for Rogers was the self—the organization of perceptions and experiences associated with the “self,” “me,” or “I.” Also important is the concept of the ideal self, or the self‐concept the person would most like to possess. The Q‐sort is one method used to study these concepts and the relation between them.
