Psychological Communication - Chapter 3 Flashcards
Which four requirements should an appropriate theory meet?
according to psych communication
Theory should:
1. encourage the client to seek solutions to their own problems
2. be easily explainable to the client (+ techniques that are from it)
3. be broad enough in vision/approach to be applicable to a wide range of problems
4. be versatile enough to deal with a wide range of severity
why is this book weirdly gendered
Rogers’ definition of self-actualization?
Fundamental motivational force, driving a person to develop his potentialities
Self-actualization in the context of Rogers’ theory?
so not the verbatim definition
Directing the person to grow towards
an optimal personal ideal (non-static concept, no shit)
On what does the development course of (proper?) self-actualization depend?
Rogers
The “quality” of the experiences of a person
What determines the quality of one’s experience?
Rogers
Quality increases:
- better incorporation of all types of stimuli (without inhibition or resistance)
- The above will occur naturally when circumstances are favourable
the book is vague, don’t blame the cards
What is Roger’s unconditional positive regard and for what is it important?
= Unconditional acceptance & be in an atmosphere of warmth and love
- Experiencing this from an early age is important for the development of a person (no shit)
his theory is just what he wanted from his childhood I swear
How is Roger’s conditional regard play an important role in the origin of difficulties?
So, the opposite of unconditional (positive) regard; love and acceptance is dependent on one’s behaviour
Incongruence is a term introduced to destinguish between “being” and “having to be” in the context of (un)conditional regard, what is meant by this?
Rogers
When one no longer dares to act according to their own intuition and judgement but starts to conform in their behaviour and actions to the norms of their environment
Not a choice; internalized rule
How does Rogers’ belief regarding unconditional regard translate to how the therapist should act? (3)
- Unconditional positive regard (surprising, I know); acceptance of client as a whole (which does not equate agreement)
- Genuineness; acceptance of thoughts, transparency to client, etc.
- Empathy; being able to walk in the client’s shoes + being able to express understanding
What is a pitfall/problem of Rogers’ non-directiveness (one he himself has been victim to)?
That it is impossible to be truly non-directive:
- Rogers himself reacted differently (unconsiously) depending on the client (e.g., Rogers was more empathetic when clients’ statements were more personal)
smh hypocrite
What are the main points of critique against Rogers’ theorem? (4, basic)
- Too optimistic
- Range & applicability
- Non-directiveness
- Vagueness
Too optimistic critique against Rogers’ theory?
- Especially believed by behaviourists
- To them, self-actualization does not occur naturally, but through reinforcement and correction
- Rogers sees goodness as innate, behaviourists don’t like that (they’re negative nancy’s- point = that clinician’s also need to be capable in pointing out the client’s responsibility to others)
Range & applicability critique regarding Rogers’ theory?
- He is too optimistic in the above; requirement of capabilities regarding self-analysis, verbal expression & planning
- For parts of the population that have certain deficits and/or their skills lie elsewhere, the above is not appropriate
Non-directiveness critique regarding Rogers’ theory?
- Made by the cognitive school
- Non-directiveness (to Rogers’ degree) means an insufficient influence in modifying cognitive processes (which is seen as a clinician’s responsibility)
Vagueness critique regarding Rogers’ theory?
Unclear regarding how self-actualization is brought about (especially regarding the “naturalness” of it)
What is a general consensus for efficient helping?
A good relationship between client and clinician (in the Rogerian sense)
Wexler’s theory (basic) + how does this work with Rogers’ theory?
Wexler’s insights can be used to modify Rogers’ theory, posing solutions for some of the criticisms mentioned.
Wexler’s theory:
- Experiencing is an active process
- Role of emotions & how they occur
What is Wexler’s “experiences as an active process” & what criticism of Rogers does it pose a solution to?
This active process is opposed to the “natural” and external way of Rogers- which is vague:
- People are active in their experiences with the world (selection, discrimination, etc.)
- The active concept is based on research into perceptual/informational processes, making it more defined in how it develops, what the client does themselves, etc. (the book is not clear on this, this is my own interpretation)
What is meant with Rogers’ metaphor of “a plant which with light, water, and the right nutrients grows naturally into what it should ideally become”?
Referring to this natural self-actualization, in relation to the quality of one’s experiences
What does Wexler mean with the interpretation of information (experiences) being ideosyncratic?
That people assign meaning to things (things do not hold meaning of their own accord)- this also works on an interpersonal level (e.g., thinking that someone hates you because they failed to greet you when walking past)
Important qualities of information processing? (3)
- Language (surpisingly…)
- Differentiation (refinement of beliefs/attitudes based on incoming info)
- Integration (connections made between different pieces of info + overall pattern made)
How are differentiation/integration important for the clinician?
If a client is unable to make sense of their incoming experiences, a clinician has a responsibility to lend a hand; that of helping the client ordering the information (differently)
Wexler’s ideas regarding emotion, how this differs from Roger’s and how it poses a solution to critiques?
Importance of experiencing emotions (same as Rogers), but emotions occur through informational processes (as opposed to Rogers’ natural occurence)
- Once more, Rogers’ concept is vague, Wexler more clearly defines his (bases it on cognitive research)
- Emotions are produced by the active processing of substantive information (dependent on several factors)
- There is also more directiveness with this definition (as per Wexler’s opinion)
Which three factors does Wexler mention that account for information processing sometimes being linked to feelings, where it is not, other times?
- Significance (of information- not sufficient on its own)
- Disorganization (of info processing system, i.e., sudden changes)
- Updating (re-examining of beliefs/opinions after new information)
Why is the emotions part of Wexler’s theory important for a clinician?
For obvious reasons, understanding what may drive an emotional reaction (e.g., significant changes).
- Note that this does not equate that producing significant change, requires one to evoke strong feelings in a client (and that doing that, could be quite disastrous)
Wexler critiques Rogers on his view of experiences as a passive process, why may this critique not (fully) be accurate?
Rogers doesn’t view experiences as passive as Wexler makes it out to be:
- Rogers encourages a person to pay more attention to emotions and suggests that such emotions should be recognized as information that needs to be processed
- This is active direction (in part)
What is the general point made regarding Rogers’ and Wexler’s approaches?
That both have their use & that a balance between things like directiveness and non-directiveness are necessary.
I think
