Carl Rogers – Flashcards

-humanist/ humanistic psychologist -responsible for how psychotherapy is done today -not the first for humanists, but could be the most important -he called them clients instead of patients (Freud called them patients as a medical term) -big family, sort of closed off, not open to other ideas -had a "slight feeling of wickedness" when he drank his first pop -went to China, first time encountering other races and religions -wrote to his parents about how he is independent in his own beliefs -not an MD, they began to relax requirement to be doctor in US -wasn't happy with Freud's ideas -

wanted to recover the human being, sometimes called 3rd force psychology -not behaviorist, not cognitivist -an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

1. psychoanalysis often ineffective 2. resistance used as an excuse for psychoanalyst (not working) "It didn't work because she was resistant to my therapy" 3. quest for insight, search to find reason for someone's behavior is often fruitless (does insight=cure?)

he got to observe Adler. he was happy to not see the frigid freudian way

Rogers: -every person experiences single/fundamental force that is motivation for all of his behaviors (Freud said to satisfy instinctual urges) -Rogers said that the desire to perform behaviors that will bring me closest to self-actualization (actualizing tendency)

innate tendency to develop personality in positive, constructive, healthy way

-infallible mechanism within us (homing device) that will guide me toward self-actualization (internal radar) -because of this, I always know which behaviors will draw me closer/farther to my self-actualization

anti-science, but all like himseemed to still want to maintain a dialogue with science

romanticism was humanistic quest to re-establish the meaning of the human being and human emotions "feelings are more important than thoughts"

-study of subjective experience -comes from the philosophy that is an offshoot of romanticism, scientists & modern science are way to objective, stealing humanism from human life, wanted to recover the subjective experience ex: you can say there are ______ many different classrooms, but there's actually as many classrooms as there are people in them -Freud would say it starts with how your mother loves you -Rogers was a great believer in phenomenological reality: my subjective experience of the world -all psych needs to start with realization that each person lives within their own subjective experience -your subjective experience may not be everything around you ex: we don't notice the rumble of the AC -objectivist: it was there, just in our unconscious, we didn't notice it -subjectivist: it wasn't there

phenomenological field. The phen. reality is neutral...objectivist says its only one classroom

-everyone has a need for positive regard, children need it from others -when parents put conditions on positive regard, this can mess a kid up -ex: if a child behaves parents have positive regard for child, thus to child they are lovable -child internalizes these conditions -OVS tells me to go this way, but I may not get love that way so I'll go this other way and go against the way that is actually right

Unconditional positive regard

he said that if you feel like something is worth doing, then it is "feelings are more important than thoughts". So, if a kid thinks stealing a cookie is worth doing, it is right? However, then he says "I have my feelings, you have yours, and that's ok" as well as "we love you deeply as you are, but we would be happier if you stopped." So kid can have his won opinion that's worth acting on but he can't act on it because of someone else's opinion? I'd like to see how that kid turns out.

-when condition of worth replaces OVS as primary compass, kid begins to deny experiences that point him to self-actualization -he then accepts those things that don't lead him to self-actualization -how does a child grow to incongruency? -Fred story, all 3 older brothers, dad, grandpa are doctors, he becomes one even though he wants to be an artist, he thinks art is useless, only math and science and med school are worth anything. "You're in the business of saving lives, you can't just draw pictures -Fred became unhappy and incongruent. He went the wrong way. If he was raised with unconditional positive regard, he would become an artist and be encouraged in it. (parents said he needs to bring up his math grade, how will you be a doctor with a B+? A+ on artwork, that's nice but what about the math?)

-Rogers didn't understand the limits of psychology as a discipline -many 20th century psychologists thought psychology was enough to guide a person through life

-wasn't super great with it -looked at OVS as "infallible guide" -ex: interviewed woman having affairs with other married men. He said her mother was making her feel bad, and that if she thinks it feels right to do this, do it and don't let your mom guilt you -said we save ourselves -we can attain perfection by our own efforts -denies concept of original sin

-create an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard -client-centered therapy