Person-Centered Theory Flashcards
primary agent for constructive self-change
the client
“becoming one’s experience”
characterized by an openness to experience, a trust in one’s experience, an internal locus of evaluation, willingness to be in process
Emotion-focused therapy (EFT)
emerged as a person-centered “approach informed by understanding the role of emotion in human functioning and psycho-therapeutic change.
emotional change
can be a primary pathway to cognitive and behavioral change
how to change emotions
by accepting and experiencing them, by opposing them with different emotions to transform them, and by reflecting on them to create new narrative meaning
existentialism v. humanism
similar: respect for client’s subjective experience, uniqueness of each client, capacity of client to make positive choices. emphasis on freedom, choice, values, personal responsibility, autonomy purpose and meaning. little emphasis on techniques. more emphasis on encounter
existential v. humanism 2
different: extistentialists take position that we’re faced w/ anxiety of chooosing to create an identity in a world that lacks intrinsic meaning. existentialists acknowledge stark realities of human experience, and their writings focus on death, anxiety, meaninglessness, isolation.
existential v humanist 3
different: humanists take more optimistic view that we each have a natural potential that we can actualize and through which we find mining.
Maslow
furthered understanding of self-acutlizing. criticized freud for proccupation w/ sickness and darkness. self-actualization is central theme. core characteristics: self-awareness, freedom, basic honesty, trust, autonomy, welcoming uncertainty
hierarchy of needs (maslow)
primary source of motivation. most basic needs are physiological. hunger, safety, love, esteem
vision of humanistic philosophy
underlying philosophy captured by metaphor of how an acorn, if provided w/ appropriate conditions, automatically grows in positive ways.
human nature
client has ability to grow. people are trustworthy, resourceful, capable of self-understanding/direction, can make constructive changes, can live productive lives.
3 therapist attributes create grwoth-promoting climiate
- congruence (genuineness or realness)
- unconditional positive regard (acceeptance and caring)
- accurate empathic understanding.
actualizing tendency
direction process of striving toward realization, fulfillment, autonomy, self determination.
therapy rooted in
client’s capacity for awareness and self-directed change in attitudes and behavior
therapeutic goals
cornerstone of person-centered theory is view that clients in relationship w/ a facilitating therapist have capacity to define and clarify their own goals.
therapist’s function and role
encounter clients on a person-to-person level. human dimensions are more powerful determinants of therapeutic effectiveness than theories or techniques. therapist’s function is to be present and accessible
client’s experience in therapy
change depends on clients’ perceptions of their own experience in therapy and of counselor’s basic attitudes. clients create their own self-growth and are active self-healers.
incongruence
clients come to counselor w/ a discrpancy btwn self-perception and experience in reality.
necessary and sufficient conditions for change
quality of relationship. “if i can provide a certain type of relationship, other person will discover w/in himself or herself the capacity to use that relationship for growth and change, and personal development will occur”
significant positive personality change does not occur except in a relationship
Rogers’s hypothesis for necessary and sufficient conditions for change
- 2 persons in psychological contact
- client arrives in incongruence
- therapist is congruent; perceived as such by client
- unconditional positive regard for client
- empathic understanding of client’s internal fream of reference and attempt to communicate this experience to client
- communication to client of unconditional positive regard is to a minimal degree achieved
if these core conditions exist over some period of time, constructive change will occur
congruence
implies that therapists are real: genuine, integrated, authentic during therapy. no false front. inner experience and outer expression match. openly express feelings, thoughts, reactions, attitudes that are present in the relatinoship w/ the client
unconditional positive regard
nonpossessive, deep and genuine caring.
empathy
deep and subjective understanding of the client w/ the client.
integral model of empathy
based on 3 ways of knowing:
- subjective empathy (experience what ti’s like to be client)
- interpersonal empathy (understanding client’s internal frame of reference)
- objective empathy (knowledge sources outside client’s frame of reference)
accurate empathic understanding
therapist will sense clients’ feelings as if they were his or her own w/out becoming lost in those feelings. therapist empathy most potent predictor of client progress in therapy
primary agent of growth in client
quality of therapeutic relationship
presence
being completely attentive to and immersed in the client as well as in the client’s expressed concerns
immediacy
addressing what is going on btwn client and therapist
guiding question for therapists
“does it fit?” continually monitor whether intervention fits or is compatible w/ client’s understanding of problems
assessment
accomplished through self-exploration
stages of change model
clients progressess through 5 identifiable stages in counseling:
- precontemplation
- contemplation
- preparation
- action
- maintenance
underlying philosophy of person-centered therapy is grounded on…
the importance of hearing the deeper messages of a client
self-actualization
is innate.
human nature is phenomenological
we structure ourselves according to our perceptions of reality. nobody knows client better than the client
individual client
A moving cause, containing constructive
forces within which constitute a will to health.
therapist
Guides the individual to self-understanding and selfacceptance.
It is the therapist as an authentic and empathic human
being who acts as the remedy to client ills – not delivery of their
technical skill.
the relationship
The spontaneity and uniqueness of the lived
experience of therapy in the present moment carries the client toward
health (Rank, 1936).
rogers’s philosoph
Roger’s work and life were influenced by eastern philosophy which is, at
times, diametrically opposed to western culture. From Taoist teachings we
get the concept of “WuWei”, meaning “non-action,” or refusing to impose
your beliefs on others, but instead helping them to find their own path t
freedom. “To interfere with the life of things means to harm them or one’s
self. He who imposes himself has the small, manifest might; he who does
not impose himself has the great secret might . . . . The perfect man does
not interfere in the life of beings, he does not impose himself on them, but
he helps all beings to their freedom”
human nature
Human beings are experiencing beings; life exists in the present
moment. There is a fundamental understanding and acceptance of a
client’s subjective experience in Person-Centered Psychology.
Individuals lives in their own personal and subjective world and all
experiences are the result of an internalized sense of purpose and
choices. A deep, mutually communicative, free, and spontaneous
human relationship is one of our greatest needs. Life is intended to be
an active process - not passively experienced - and people have an
innate urge to move toward actualization. Humans have the capacity
to motivate themselves and are inherently trustworthy. Deceit comes
from defensiveness, which alienates us from our own nature.
Concepts such as need reduction, tension reduction and drive
reduction are included in this concept
self actualization
The inherent tendency of the organism is to develop all its capacities
to maintain or enhance itself. While there are some similarities to
Existentialism within Person-centered psychotherapy, there is a
fundamental difference when considering the nature of humanity.
Within Existentialism, a person must create an identity within a largely
meaningless world; while in Humanism a person has a given internal
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nature to actualize and find meaning.
purpose of psychotherapy
The focus of psychotherapy is the person, not the presenting
problem. The goal is to help the individual become a fully functioning
agent within their own lives. The primary questions are: how can a
person reclaim self-actualizing urges? What does it take for human to
acknowledge their own inherent wisdom about how best to live? And
how can people restore congruence between their self-perception
and reality? Psychotherapy is releasing the existing power in a
potentially competent individual. The central variable in personcentered
therapy is the relationship between client and therapist,
meaning that the disposition of the therapist is more important that
technique. For the client to improve, the individual must perceive the
therapist as exhibiting genuineness (congruence), accurate empathic
understanding, and unconditional positive regard.
if/then hypothesis
These ideas led to the IF / THEN
HYPOTHESIS which states: IF congruence, unconditional positive
regard, and empathic understanding are part of the therapist’s
disposition, THEN positive growth will take place in the client.
how many stages of person-centered therapy?
7
stage 1
Communication is about externalizing our internal experiences. If the client
seems unwilling to communicate honestly about their self-concept, this can
result is other negative consequences, such as: denial of feelings,
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disavowal of personal meaning, the potential for internal constructs to
become increasingly rigid, and the belief that intimate relationships are
“dangerous” because they require intrapersonal vulnerability.
stage 2
Feelings are sometimes described but remain unowned as past objects
external to the self (also known as denial). The client is remote from their
subjective experiencing, voices contradictory statements about himself on
topics unrelated to themselves, and recognizes some problems exist but
they are perceived as external.
stage 3
Exploration of feelings and personal meanings connected to past painful
events. These experiences are framed as “undesirable” or “bad” and are
discussed in abstract, not personal terms. Overall, there is a freer
expression of self-as-object (meaning as “one who experiences” but not
quite “me”). The client will occasionally question rigid internal constructs,
begin to acknowledge that problems exist, and they come from within.
stage 4
Some feelings are expressed as they happen (known as the “here and
now”) and are experienced in the present. Client reactions to strong
feelings are often engaged as a “not now” proposition, because if these
feelings are fully owned and/or accepted, the client fears that they may
become overwhelmed. (For example, clients might say, “I don’t want to cry
because I’m afraid that I will never stop.”) If these fears are realized slowly
while parallel internalized concern develops, the loosening of rigid personal
constructs can begin. Experience is thought to have meaning, but it is not
absolute or inherent. There is some expression of self-responsibility for
problems, and the client is occasionally willing to relate to people on an
intimate feeling level.
stage 5
Many feelings are now expressed as they occur and can be personally
owned/accepted. Previously denied feelings (such as guilt or shame) are
being experienced and there is still some fear of fully recognizing them.
There is some recognition that experiencing immediacy – i.e., being in the
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“here and now” can help relieve unproductive thoughts, painful feelings,
and compensatory behaviors. Contradictions are realized as attitudes
existing within different aspects of the self (head v. heart, for example), and
a desire to be “the real me” emerges. The client can now question the
validity of problematic and/or rigid personal constructs and acknowledge
their responsibility for the problems that stem from them.
Stage Six:
stage 6
Feelings previously denied are now experienced with immediacy and
acceptance. This is a vivid, dramatic, and releasing experience for the
individual. Self is no longer an object that experiences; individuals become
the process of experiencing. The client often feels “shaky” as they realize
new internal constructs are developing. They are now open to the risk of
being themself and trusting others to accept them as they are, which is
often described as a client “existing within the flow of their life.”
stage 7
The Individual lives comfortably in the flow of their experiences. New
feelings are experienced with richness and immediacy. Inner experiences
now become a clear referent for behavior. Meaning of experience is held
loosely as experiences are checked and rechecked against further
experiencing.
maslow personality development
Personality development is the process of going through stages to
actualize your talents or potentials, but the environment tends to
block this. Maslow acknowledges that blocks from sources other than
people is likely, such as political, social, and economic forces. When
actualization is thwarted, pathology begins.
