Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) Humanistic-Existential Paradigm Self-actualization Theory.
Humanistic Existential Approaches - Potentiality! -...
Transcript of Humanistic Existential Approaches - Potentiality! -...
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Theoretical Perspectives
Chapter 4
Humanistic Existential
Humanistic Existential Approaches
Person – Centered
Humanistic
Existential
Gestalt
Humanistic- Existential Approaches
• Person Centered
• Humanistic
• Existential
• Gestalt
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PERSON-CENTERED THERAPY
Person - Centered
• Carl Rogers
• Based on 3 Personality Characteristics
1. Congruence
2. Unconditional Positive Regard
3. Empathy
Empathic Understanding
• Demonstrated in
many ways:
• Reflective
responding: ability
to be empathetic
• Accurately
reflecting clients
meaning & affect
• Metaphors
• Analogy
• Visual image
• Nodding
• Touch on shoulder
• Being with the client
• Hearing the client
• Understands the
client fully
• Able to
demonstrate that
understanding to
the client
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Congruence
• People are real, genuine, transparent with others feelings, thoughts, &
behaviors
• Important for the therapist to express
negative feelings to avoid falseness
• Falseness =Incongruence
Unconditional Positive Regard
• Ability to provide the client w/ acceptance
regardless of what they are presenting
• Individuals are born w/ the need to be
loved
• Allows people to feel safe & to be able to
delve into deeper issues
• Children who do not experience UPR from
parents will try to live as they believe others
want them to be.
• False self
HUMANISTIC APPROACHES
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Humanistic Psychology
• Focus on the entirety of life rather than
it’s individual components
• Human dignity
• Individual choice
• Self worth
• Self actualization
Self - Actualization
• One of the highest levels of psychological development.
• Trying to achieve everything one is
capable of.
3 Theoretical Assumptions
• People strive for self- actualization
• People possess inner resources for self -
healing
• Healing and self actualization are
facilitated by respect, warmth, acceptance genuineness, and
empathy
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Concept of “Self”
• The self is not a permanent structure
• The self is fluid, changes
• Every person must be understood in
the “here and now” (present)
Therapeutic Relationship
• Carl Rogers
• Non - authoritarian relationship
• Client seen as competent
• Clients sets therapeutic agenda
• Client experiences the therapist as:
– Authentic, respectful, accepting, caring
– Empathetic, warm, engaged
EXISTENTIAL THERAPIES
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Existentialism
• Jean Paul Sarte
• Martin Buber
– Therapist believe that therapy is a shared
journey that examines meaningfulness in
life
– No specific techniques because it is
based on a philosophy
– Philosophy is a technique in itself
Underlying Assumptions
• The ability of self reflect and be self aware
– People often operate in denial
• Feelings as a message of our being in
the world
– Anxiety, guilt, depression not always
an indication of pathology
Underlying Assumptions
• Choice
– We are capable of making positive
choices
– Not choosing is making a choice
“existential death” or “ existential vacuum”
• Responsibility: we have the
responsibility to make positive choices
if not leads to chaos.
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Underlying Assumptions
• Meaning through our own relationships w/ others.
– We are constantly re-defining ourselves
through our relationships
– Therapy is a journey I which the therapist
& client are equal partners in their search
for meaning
Underlying Assumptions
• The Importance of Authenticity:
– It is important that we are real w/ each
other.
– Otherwise leads to lies, deceit, denial
of thoughts and feelings
• Never ending search for completeness
and wholeness
– As we become more authentic and
aware healthy choices become more
obvious and easy to make
GESTALT THERAPY
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Gestalt Therapy
• Originated by Fritz Perls
• Gestalt- wholeness or complete
– Reality is clouded over Unfinished Business
– It is necessary for the client’s experience
to be in the now
• Awareness = Reality
• Experience = Emotion
Gestalt Therapist
• Active, directive, use nonverbal behavior
• Point out clients intellectualizing and
non verbal behaviors
• Push their clients to deepen their experiences as a mechanism to free
their defenses
Techniques
• Awareness Exercises: client is ask to close his
or her eyes & experience all prevalent
feelings, thoughts, & senses to quickly get in
touch w/ their defenses.
• Playing the Projection: Used to discover
projection onto other things
– “I hate her because she doesn’t love
me.” becomes…
– “I hate myself. I’ve never learned how to
love myself.”
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Techniques
• Exaggeration: used when the therapist wants the client to get in touch w/ the
underlying meaning of the word,
phrase, or behavior
– Tapping foot, tap foot harder, state the
feeling
• Empty Chair Technique: Used to help
the client dialogue w/ a part of self or
to another person to uncover
underlying issues and feelings
Techniques
• Turning Questions into statements about self: all questions are about
underlying feelings, issues, and values.
– “Why don’t people care about others?”
Becomes..
– “I don’t believe others care about me.”
– Notice the use of “I – statement”
Gestalt Laws of Organization
Gestalt psychologists suggest that conscious experience is more than the sum of its parts
The mind organizes the elements of experience to create something unique
The Law of Prägnanz •Stimuli that can be grouped together
as a whole will be seen that way
•We see the simplest shape possible
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Gestalt Laws of Organization
Principles of organization helps us perceive figures
and contours
They define the Figure – Ground Relationship
• Figures (the object of attention) are perceived
as distinct from the grounds (background)
Illusions
• Why are our brains and eyes fooled?
– Recent theories account for illusions in terms of
the backgrounds against which they are seen
• Assume previous experience with the particular
stimulus
• Also assume well-developed perceptual
constancies
Figure – Ground/ Ambiguous
Figures