Psychology 3051 Psychology 305A: Theories of Personality Lecture 18 1.

Psychology 305 1

Psychology 305A: Theories of Personality

Lecture 18

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1. According to Rogers’ person-centered theory, what is a fully functioning person?

2. How does a person become fully functioning?

3. What therapeutic approach did Rogers develop to help people become fully functioning?

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The Organismic Perspective

By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:

3. identify the conditions that are necessary to become fully functioning.

4. define the term “conditions of worth.”

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1. describe Roger’s notion of the “actualizing tendency.”

2. identify the characteristics of a fully functioning person.

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6. describe the 3 conditions that are necessary for therapeutic change in client-centered therapy.

5. identify defense mechanisms that are used by individuals who are not fully functioning.

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7. discuss Rogers’ fulfillment of the 3 conditions that are necessary for therapeutic change, as illustrated in the film “Three Approaches to Psychotherapy.”

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According to Rogers’ person-centered theory, what is a fully functioning person?

• Rogers believed that humans are driven by one “master motive,” the actualizing tendency. The actualizing tendency subsumes all other motives:

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“There is one central source of energy in the human organism … and it is perhaps best conceptualized as a tendency toward fulfillment, toward actualization, toward the maintenance and enhancement of the organism” (Rogers, 1963).

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• Rogers described the “fully functioning person” (FFP) as an individual who is engaged in the process of self-actualization. This individual need not be fully self-actualized.

• Rogers (1961) maintained that the fully functioning state is “a direction, not a destination.”

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How does a person become fully functioning?

• Rogers believed that humans have an innate need to be accepted and receive love and affection from others. He referred to this as the need for positive regard.

• Rogers theorized that, in order to become fully functioning, an individual must receive unconditional positive regard—acceptance, affection, or love that is given freely, without conditions.

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• Rogers argued that an individual who receives unconditional positive regard in the formative years

develops unconditional positive self-regard—an ability to view her- or himself favorably under all conditions.

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• An individual with unconditional positive self-regard is able to accept diverse experiences, trust her or his own judgments, and act in accordance with his or her own desires and wishes.

• Accordingly, the individual with unconditional positive self-regard develops the attributes necessary to engage in self-actualization and be fully functioning.

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• Rogers believed that an individual cannot become fully functioning if s/he receives conditional positive regard—acceptance, affection, or love that is given only under certain conditions.

• Rogers referred to conditions put forth by significant others for earning positive regard as conditions of worth.

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• Rogers argued that an individual who experiences a multitude of conditions of worth in the formative years develops conditional positive self-regard—an inability to view her- or himself favorably under all conditions.

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• An individual with conditional positive self-regard distorts personal experiences, disregards her or his own judgments, and acts in accordance with the desires and

wishes of others.

• Accordingly, the individual with conditional positive self-regard develops attributes that prevent him or her from engaging in self-actualization and becoming fully

functioning.

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What therapeutic approach did Rogers develop to help people become fully functioning?

• Rogers suggested that most people encounter incongruities or discrepancies between their self-concept and their experience.

• These incongruities produce anxiety—an “uneasiness or tension whose cause is unknown” (Rogers, 1959).

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• The FFP reduces incongruities by incorporating new experiences into her or his self-concept.

• The individual who is not fully functioning reduces incongruities by employing defense mechanisms: denial and distortion.

• In an effort to minimize this anxiety, people try to reduce the incongruities that they experience.

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• Rogers developed a therapeutic approach to help people who are not fully functioning: Client-centered therapy.

• Client-centered therapy is also referred to as “nondirective therapy” because the therapist does not

interpret the patient’s problem or provide a specific course of action.

• Instead, the therapist creates an environment in which the patient can solve his or her own problem.

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• Rogers maintained that a therapist must satisfy 3 conditions in order to create an environment in which a patient can solve her or his own problem:

1. Therapist congruence

2. Unconditional positive regard

3. Empathetic understanding

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“I have found that it does not help … to act as though I were something that I am not …. It does not help to act calm and pleasant when actually I am angry and critical. It does not help to act as though I were permissive when I am really feeling that I would like to set limits …. It does not help to act as though I were acceptant of another person when underneath that exterior I feel rejection.”

• With respect to therapist congruence, Rogers (1959) wrote:

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• Empathetic understanding is communicated by restating the feelings and contents of the patient’s statements.

Example:

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Patient: I just don’t know which classes to take next year. I wish someone could make those decisions for me.

Therapist: You are looking for someone to tell you what to do.

Patient: Yes, but I know that’s impossible. Nobody can decide what’s right for me if even I don’t have a clue.

Therapist: You find it exasperating that you are having so much trouble deciding on a class schedule.

Patient: Well, none of my friends have this much trouble making decisions.

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Therapist: You feel that your situation is not normal; it’s not like the experiences of your friends.

Patient: Yeah, and it makes me mad. I should just be able to pick four or five courses and stick with my decision, but I can’t seem to. I know it’s silly.

Therapist: You think it is a trivial thing, yet it makes you angry that you cannot seem to make the decision.

Patient: Well, you know, it really is trivial, isn’t it? I know I can always change classes if they don’t work out. I guess I just need to try them out.

Therapist: You see some options, that you can get out of a class if it isn’t right for you.

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1. According to Rogers’ person-centered theory, what is a fully functioning person?

2. How does a person become fully functioning?

3. What therapeutic approach did Rogers develop to help people become fully functioning?

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The Organismic Perspective