Certainly, it is clear that some of the initial comments by positive psychologists in the early days were unjustified. I will show how the person-centered approach offers a distinctive view of human nature that leads the person-centered psychologist to understand that if people are to change, it is not the person that we must try to change but their social environment. The good life is a process, not a state of being. National Library of Medicine For example, research shows that greater authenticity leads to greater well-being. For Rogers, fully functioning people are well-adjusted, well-balanced, and interesting to know. The very essence of the creative is its novelty, and hence we have no standard by which to judge it. The central tenet of humanistic psychology is that people have drives that lead them to engage in activities resulting in personal satisfaction and a contribution to society: the . Positive psychology was formally launched by Martin Seligman in his 1998 presidential address to the American Psychological Association (Seligman, 1999), and in the special issue of the American Psychologist dedicated to the topic that soon followed (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). The need for diagnosis, formulation, and all expressions of expertise over the person dissolve when it is the social environment that is the focus of intervention, not the person (Joseph, 2021). Respecting the humanistic image of the human being and, consequently, considering and influencing people's social environment to facilitate personal growth would promote cross-fertilization between positive psychology and the person-centered approach instead of widening their gap. It seems likely that humanistic psychology lost its power and influence, not only for these reasons, but because it was inherently incompatible with the basic assumptions and values of contemporary mainstream psychology and with the conservative ideologies that have increasingly gained power in American culture since the 1960s (Elkins, 2009, p. 267). According to Rogers, we want to feel, experience, and behave in ways which are consistent with our self-image and which reflect what we would like to be like, our ideal-self. Unconditional positive regard can be used by parents, teachers, mentors, and social workers in their relationships with children, to foster a positive sense of self-worth and lead to better outcomes in adulthood. I think that Rogers' (1959) approach provides a brilliant illustration of Lewin's quote. A persons ideal self may not be consistent with what actually happens in life and the experiences of the person. Congruence and countertransference: similarities and differences. The idea of focusing on the positive was an idea that was always core to humanistic psychology. Carl Rogers: Founder of the Humanistic Approach to Psychology - ThoughtCo As a child grows older, interactions with significant others will affect feelings of self-worth. Positive psychology has become a richer and deeper form of scholarship as a result. Click the card to flip 1 / 70 Flashcards Learn Test Match Q-Chat Created by reid_bervik One of the ways in which psychology has power over people is through its adoption of the medical model. But while such thinking was a refreshing change for many, these were not new ideas. It encompasses an individuals self-image (how they see themselves), self-esteem (how much value they place on themselves), and ideal self (the person they aspire to be). But there was little written in the mainstream literature about this. Human beings have some choice and, with that, responsibility. The idea that the task should be to promote more fully functioning behavior has always been at the core of person-centered psychology (see Levitt, 2008; Joseph, 2015b). The technique of reflection involves the therapist: mirroring the client's emotional experience of a particular situation. PDF Person-centered Personality Theory: Support From Self-determination Saul Mcleod, Ph.D., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years experience of working in further and higher education. A potential limitation of the person-centered approach is: that some students-in-training and practitioners may have a tendency to be very supportive of clients without being challenging. The first way it does this is because the remit of positive psychology is often seen as a supplement to traditional psychology, which focuses on distress and dysfunction. Of more importance, in my view, is that positive psychology expends its energy on upstream interventions, to facilitate people's psychological development in the first place, such that the eventual need for psychotherapy and clinical psychology is reduced. Seligman M. E. P., Ernst R. M., Gillham J., Reivich K., Linkins M. (2009). Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. The gap that exists between research and practice might blind some to how their research is understood and used, and how ultimately its implementation may condone ideas about deficit and dysfunction within the person. Carl Rogers is a theorist who held unique views on human nature. It aligns with Victor Frankl's logotherapy, which asserts that human beings are fundamentally oriented towards the pursuit of meaning, even in the face of adversity. To be more than a corrective reaction, it is essential to understand how the negative and the positive are related, and how one cannot understand the positive without the negativewhat some have called positive psychology 2.0 (see Wong, 2011). By the late 1990's, humanistic psychology was largely seen as obsolete, irrelevant, and lacking in rigor by mainstream scholars (Krippner, 2001). Because the person-centered approach focuses on the relational climate that the practitioner fosters through their ability to be genuine, empathic, and congruent, the importance of the practitioner's own psychological development and emotional maturity cannot be understated. Rarely, if ever, does a total state of congruence exist; all people experience a certain amount of incongruence. This is the theoretical core of the person-centered approach that led to 70 years of research and scholarship concerning the operational definition of what constitutes the optimal social environment to produce constructive personality change (Cornelius-White and Motschnig-Pitrik, 2010; Murphy and Joseph, 2016). As the emphasis on pathology lessons, there have been a few recent efforts toward positive conceptualizations of mental health. What is the source of personality maladjustment? In this way, it is evident that person-centered psychology is a form of positive psychology. In addition to traditional topics, chapters on Eastern and religious perspectives as positive approaches to adult personality development are included. It has been criticized as potentially inauthentic, as it might require therapists to suppress their own feelings and judgments. Rogers (1959) proposed that the optimal social environment was one that was experienced as unconditional, positively regarding, empathic and genuine. Carl Rogers self-concept is a central theme in his humanistic theory of psychology. 5. Critics of Carl Rogers humanistic approach to psychology argue that it lacks scientific rigor and empirical evidence compared to other established theories. John Shlien, originally writing in 1956, noted: In the past, mental health has been a residual' concept the absence of disease. Positive psychology is a broad discipline of study and practice. This is the person who we would like to be. As such, the person-centered approach is often associated with humanistic psychology. The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Why I Believe People Are Inherently Good | Steve Rose, PhD Human beings are aware and aware of being aware i.e., they are conscious. Human beings, as human, supersede the sum of their parts. Throughout the 1990's, I studied Rogers' ideas coming to realize that what he and his colleagues had achieved from the 1950's onwards had offered a new paradigm for the psychological sciences, one that focused on how to promote human flourishing. Self-determination theory, person-centered approaches, and personal goals: exploring the links,, Interdisciplinary Handbook of the Person-Centered Approach: Research and Theory, Goals, congruence, and positive well-being: new empirical support for humanistic theories, Boy's person-centered perspective on psychodiagnosis: a response. Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers are two of the most influential names in Humanistic Psychology, both contending that the optimal psychological state for all humankind is self-actualization, an individual's potential within a synergistic society (Pearson & Podeschi, 1997; Winston, Maher & Easvaradoss, 2017). As Wong (2011) wrote. Additionally, critics argue that Rogers approach may overlook the influence of external factors, such as social and cultural contexts, on human behavior and development. Moving forward with a new research agenda, positive psychologists must become more explicit about their own positionality, to be clear what theoretical assumptions underpin their choice to focus either on the person or the social environment. But for positive psychology, if not the growth model, what model? The American Association for Humanistic Psychology was founded by Abraham Maslow in 1961 (renamed the Association for Humanistic Psychology in 1963). Despite the similarity in stated goals there can be gulf between humanistic and positive psychology. He also emphasized self-concept and free will. Freud thought human dysfunction developed as a result of poor genetic make-up, as well as deficits (fixations) caused by missed psychosexual developmental stages. The organism has one basic tendency and striving to actualize, maintain, and enhance the experiencing organism (Rogers, 1951, p. 487). In these ways, I believe that positive psychology can learn from the person-centered position, to realize the often dark and destructive images of humanity that actually lie at the core of much contemporary positive psychology, disguised by its language of positivity. It continues to inform person-centered therapy and other humanistic therapeutic modalities. It is wrong to think of this as an end or completion of lifes journey; rather it is a process of always becoming and changing. Carl Rogers' Theory of Personality | Overview & Concept - Video 1112). I believe that positive psychology was a welcome shift in the everyday business of mainstream psychology, but as Seligman (2004) made clear, it was not a paradigm shift. Rogers, C. (1959). In the first edition of "Systema Naturae," he listed four variations of the human species, based on geographic distribution: Americanus rubescens, Europaeus albus, Asiaticus fuscus, and . All forms of psychological practice and policy are grounded in a vision of the human being (Joseph, 2017). However, unlike a flower, the potential of the individual human is unique, and we are meant to develop in different ways according to our personality. On Human Nature "When I look at the world I'm pessimistic, but when I look at people I am optimistic." Rogers believed people possess inherent goodness and that people are driven by the actualizing tendency. Positive psychology promises to offer an alternative to the medicalisation of human experience (Maddux and Lopez, 2015), but yet it does so only in the most superficial of ways by not using the language of medicine but continuing to condone the essential elements of the medical model (see Joseph and Linley, 2006b). It continued to operate within the same world view as mainstream psychology. There is nothing inherent in the research finding itself that presupposes the nature of the intervention, whether it be through changing the social environment or by altering the person's thoughts, feelings or behaviors. Was humanistic psychology simply ahead of its time? A growth model offers: (1) an alternative nomological net of variables for research, to do with the quality of relationships, growth promoting climates, and fully functioning personality dimensions, with (2) different implications for practice, to do with non-directive rather than directive interventions, and (3) significance in terms of real-world relationships between people, institutions, and society, as the aim is to work toward a social environment free from corruption, injustice, oppression, and poverty, and all other ways in which the growth of people is usurped and thwarted. In many ways, Rogers regarded the fully functioning person as an ideal and one that people do not ultimately achieve. To illustrate what I mean, first, all constructs used in research are derived from theories that represent an ideological position, whether expressed implicitly or explicitly, and in turn, the choice of which constructs to investigate represents one's own ideological views. Person-Centered Therapy Flashcards | Chegg.com Self-Concept in Psychology: Definition, Development, Examples Hence the child is not loved for the person he or she is, but on condition that he or she behaves only in ways approved by the parent(s). All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Where a persons ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists. This remains a revolutionary idea in psychology that remains underappreciated in my view, perhaps because while Rogers' theory of therapy is well-known, it is less well-understood that it is about changing the social environment, not the person. A theory of therapy, personality and interpersonal relationships as developed in the client-centered framework. Rogers revolutionized the course of therapy. Simply Scholar Ltd. 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU, 2023 Simply Scholar, Ltd. All rights reserved, distorted or based on inaccurate perceptions, The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change, Unconditional positive regard reconsidered. This method involves removing obstacles so the client can move forward, freeing him or her for normal growth and development. 1It is beyond the scope of this paper to go into the detail, but it is worth noting that this view of human nature was also taken up and developed subsequently by Ryan and Deci (2000) in their self-determination theory, which, by and large, offers theory and evidence consistent with and supportive of Rogers' theory (see Sheldon and Kasser, 2001; Patterson and Joseph, 2007; Joseph and Murphy, 2013b; Sheldon, 2013). 3. you cannot live a healthy and fulfilling life in a sick world contaminated by crime, corruption, injustice, oppression, and poverty. Accessibility This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). How we think about ourselves and our feelings of self-worth are of fundamental importance to psychological health and the likelihood that we can achieve goals and ambitions in life and self-actualization. Carl Rogers (1959) believed that humans have one basic motive, which is the tendency to self-actualize - i.e., to fulfill one's potential and achieve the highest level of "human-beingness" we can. It is not, in my estimation, a state of virtue, or contentment, or nirvana, or happiness. Discrepancies between self-concept and reality can cause incongruence, leading to psychological tension and anxiety. Carl Rogers View On Human Nature - 497 Words | Bartleby Hidden personality - Wikipedia This complete acceptance and valuing of the client facilitates a positive and trusting relationship between the client and therapist, enabling the client to share openly and honestly. Rogers' humanistic approach to psychology centers human happiness, wellbeing, and human strengths. A person is said to be in a state of incongruence if some of the totality of their experience is unacceptable to them and is denied or distorted in the self-image. Keywords: Carl Rogers; actualizing tendency; fully functioning person; humanistic psychology; person-centered approach; positive psychology. And in changing the social environment, people will change in a way that is toward becoming more fully functioning. I propose that a stronger argument in support of the legitimacy of PP is that PP is much more than a corrective reaction to the perceived imbalance in the literature. The word paradigm is often overused to refer to new ideas and practices, but its real meaning is that of a world view underlying the theories and methodology of a particular scientific subject. Critics also question the universal applicability of Rogers theories, suggesting that they may be more relevant to certain cultural or individual contexts than others. Rogers believed that people are inherently good and creative. This belief stirred my thinking. In sum, if we reflect on the demise of humanistic psychology relative to the success of positive psychology, we might wonder if the latter's rise was at least in part because it fits well with the demands of conservative ideologies and the need for many organizations and institutions to control and coerce people to behave in particular ways, which presupposes an ideological position that runs counter to a growth model. Self-Concept in Psychology: Definition, Development, Theories What is congruence? Carl Rogers humanistic approach maintains relevance in modern psychology by emphasizing the importance of individual agency, personal growth, and the therapeutic relationship. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal It is not a condition in which the individual is adjusted or fulfilled or actualized. It also helps us think about how our research is used by others and what other agendas our findings might be used to serve. Rogers humanistic approach placed the individuals subjective experience at the forefront, prioritizing their unique perspective and personal agency. How Humanistic Is Positive Psychology? Lessons in Positive - PubMed Like many, I had studied humanistic psychology briefly in my undergraduate studies, but not in a way that I understood its depth and richness, so it came as a revelation to me when I discovered that the same intellectual challenges I was now grappling with, had been tackled decades ago. As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. Both positive psychology and the person-centered approach share a common aim to promote human flourishing. Views OF Human Nature - Lecture notes 1 - VIEWS OF HUMAN NATURE Introduction This method of - Studocu Meaning nature and importance international understanding brilliant. Almost two decades later, I think positive psychology has indeed provided an important vehicle for renewed interest in humanistic psychology. Certainly, there were aspects of the 1960's counterculture that were questionable and did no favors to humanistic psychology's standing in the eyes of mainstream psychology by becoming so closely aligned (see Grogan, 2013). Two primary sources that influence our self-concept are childhood experiences and evaluation by others. It must mean that when the therapist has intentions of treatment plans, of treatment goals, of interventive strategies to get the client somewhere or for the client to do a certain thing, the therapist violates the essence of person-centered therapy (Bozarth, 1998, pp. Critics (e.g., May, 1982) of client-centered therapy (CCT) have argued that it avoided negative antisocial feelings and impulses, exhibiting a bias toward the positive. The therapist cannot be up to other things, have other intentions without violating the essence of person-centered therapy. In turn, more fully functioning people, by definition, will create more facilitative social environments for others (Motschnig-Pitrik and Barrett-Lennard, 2010). As no one else can know how we perceive, we are the best experts on ourselves.. In that moment, I acquired the mission of helping to build the scientific infrastructure of a field that would investigate what makes life worth living: positive emotion, positive character and positive institutions. (Seligman, 2004, p. xi). It is this belief that resonates with the humanistic psychology of Carl Rogers, who posited that individuals inherently strive towards self-actualization. In 2001, in response, the Journal of Humanistic Psychology had a special issue containing several articles dedicated to what had become a fraught relationship between humanistic and positive psychology. Did Carl Rogers' Positive View of Human Nature Bias His - ADPCA To understand Carl Rogers's ideas and approach to therapy, it is important to understand what he valued and believed about human nature. What is Carl Rogers' view of human nature? - Homework.Study.com Rogers believed that people could only fulfill their potential for growth if they had a basically positive view of themselves (positive self regard). What is Carl Rogers' view of human nature? According to Rogers, people could only self-actualize if they had a positive view of themselves (positive self-regard). In summary, while the move toward studying the good life is surely to be welcomed, in taking up the baton from humanistic psychology, positive psychologists left behind what I believe is the most vital part of the humanistic approachits view of human nature. Self-worth may be seen as a continuum from very high to very low. What needs does this behavior strive to fulfill? Finally, some note a lack of empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness, though this is common for many humanistic psychological theories (Farber & Doolin, 2011). Rogers (1963a) described the fully functioning person as (1) open to all their experiences, they are sensitive to the world around them, other people's reactions, and their own internal feelings, reactions, and meanings; (2) living existentially, able to be fully present in the moment; and (3) able to trust their feelings and reactions to guide them in their actions. In this way, person-centered therapy effectively posits a unitary cause of distress, but varied expressions of that distress will arise according to the uniqueness of each individual's incongruence (see Sanders and Joseph, 2016). Human consciousness always includes an awareness of oneself in the context of other people. The environment a person is exposed to and interacts with can either frustrate or assist this natural destiny. Rogers' (1959) approach succeeded in doing this because of how he theorized the nature of psychological problems as having a unitary cause in incongruence and he offered a form of therapy which was about the social environment; in these ways he moved beyond a separation of the negative and the positive into distinct fields of study, and the need for practitioners to take an expert stance over the person's inner experiences. The idea that the world around us influences how we think, and feel is of course not new, and many positive psychologists have already emphasized that attention cannot only be placed on the individual. Hence, a difference may exist between a persons ideal self and actual experience. A person with low self-worth may avoid challenges in life, not accept that life can be painful and unhappy at times, and will be defensive and guarded with other people. Genlin. This might be seen as a strength for a discipline, but it is misleading to think that this means that each instance of research or practice is not based in a paradigm. In therapy, it can substitute for any lack of unconditional positive regard the client may have experienced in childhood, and promote a healthier self-worth. All the different applications of the person-centered approachwhether downstream in the domains of clinical psychology, coaching, counseling, conflict resolution, psychotherapy; or upstream in business, education, encounter groups, leadership, management, parenting, or policy, are all about changing the social environment, because they are grounded in a vision of humanity in which people are always striving toward becoming fully functioning, a tendency which will automatically be released when the social environment is optimal. It sought to understand the nature of humanity and the problems faced in the quest to live harmoniously and peacefully together and within nature. This way of thinking is what I believe would make for a more person-centered positive psychology. Such evils can destroy individuals and societies like cancer cells. 4. Positive education, whilst offering a new focus on human flourishing, does not challenge traditional education with its largely teacher-centered approach.
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