HUMANISTIC THEORY AND THERAPY

Question 1

Where does distress come from according to client-centred theory/therapy

Answer 1

Psychological distress comes from incongruence between the ideal self (part of the self concept) and the real, organismic self.

Distress is not a illness, it is a signal for change, not an abnormality

Question 2

Describe organismic self and the self concept

Answer 2

The organismic self is who we really are, it emerges through self-actualization

Self-concept is built on conditions of worth typically arising in childhood from conditional positive regard, and entails concepts/feelings about the self including: Self-worth; self-image (how we see ourselves) ; the ideal self (who we would like to be)

Question 3

What are conditions of worth

Answer 3

CoW arises in childhood from conditional positive regard, they are based on evaluations about the self via internal locus of evaluation ( how we value ourself from inside) and external locus of evaluation ( our dependency to others’ evaluations)

Question 4

What are the 4 therapist qualities as per client centred therapy

Answer 4

Non directive ; Unconditional positive regard ; empathic ; congruence

Question 5

Strength and weaknesses of humanistic/client centred approach

Answer 5

Strenghts : positive view of human nature ; empowering ; focused on growth

Weakness: denies pathology , pollyana complex ; miss transfertential issues ; if non directive = are we denying the very reason they came to see us?