Psychology 3051 Psychology 305: Theories of Personality Lecture 17

Psychology 3052 Papers are due on Tuesday, July 27, Students are expected to submit their papers at the start of class. If you are unable to attend class on the day the paper is due, please have someone hand it in for you at the start of class. Papers left in mailboxes or submitted via will not be accepted. Late papers will lose 10% per day that the paper is overdue. In addition to submitting a hardcopy of the paper, you must submit your paper electronically to TurnItIn. Reminders

Psychology What is TurnItIn? TurnItIn is a plagiarism detection system that scans and compares your paper to online content (e.g., other students’ papers, websites such as wikipedia). It provides an “originality report” that documents the overlap between your paper and online content. The originality report indicates the source of plagiarized content (note that overlap is acceptable if it is properly cited—see APA guidelines).

Psychology Go to To create your own account, click on “New User” in the upper right hand corner of the screen. You will need the following information to create your account or add this course to your existing account: Class ID: Password: personality TurnItIn Instructions

Psychology Step-by-step instructions are available in the “Student Quickstart Guide” at support/guides_manuals.html You should submit your paper to TurnItIn by July 27th. If you submit your paper to TurnItIn late, you will lose 10% per day that the paper is overdue. Papers that are not submitted to TurnItIn will receive “0.” Please contact David if you have any questions or difficulties submitting your paper to TurnItIn.

Psychology 3056 Lecture 17 Questions That Will Be Answered In Today’s Lecture Phenomenological Perspective on Personality, continued 5. According to Rogers’ person-centered theory, what is a fully functioning person? 6. How does a person become fully functioning? 7. What therapeutic approach did Rogers develop to help people become fully functioning?

Psychology 3057 According to Rogers’ person-centered theory, what is a fully functioning person? Rogers believed that humans are driven by one “master motive,” which he referred to as the actualizing tendency. Rogers maintained that the actualizing tendency subsumes all other motives: “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)

Psychology 3058 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.”

Psychology 3059 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 need as the need for positive regard. Rogers theorized that, in order to become fully functioning, an individual must receive unconditional positive regard—that is, s/he must be given acceptance, affection, or love freely, without contingencies or conditions.

Psychology Rogers argued that an individual who receives unconditional positive regard in the formative years develops unconditional positive self-regard—that is, an ability to view him- or herself favorably under all conditions.

Psychology An individual with unconditional positive self-regard is able to accept diverse experiences, trust his or her 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.

Psychology Rogers believed that an individual cannot become fully functioning if s/he receives conditional positive regard—that is, if s/he is given acceptance, affection, or love only under certain conditions. Rogers referred to the conditions put forth by significant others for earning positive regard as conditions of worth.

Psychology Rogers argued that an individual who experiences a multitude of conditions of worth in the formative years develops conditional positive self-regard—that is, an inability to view him- or herself favorably under all conditions.

Psychology An individual with conditional positive self-regard tends to distort personal experiences, disregards his or her 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.

Psychology 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, he maintained, produce anxiety— that is, they produce “uneasiness or tension whose cause is unknown” (Rogers, 1959). In an effort to minimize or eliminate this anxiety, people try to reduce the incongruities that they encounter between their self-concept and their experience.

Psychology The FFP reduces incongruities by incorporating new experiences into his or her self-concept. In contrast, the individual who is not fully functioning reduces incongruities by employing defense mechanisms.

Psychology 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 attempt to interpret the patient’s problem or provide the patient with a specific course of action. Instead, the therapist attempts to create an environment in which the patient can solve his or her own problem.

Psychology Rogers maintained that a therapist must satisfy 3 conditions in order to create an environment in which a patient can solve his or her own problem: 1. Therapist congruence: The therapist must exhibit genuineness in his or her relationship with the patient.

Psychology “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.” (Rogers, 1995)

Psychology Unconditional positive regard: The therapist must ensure that the patient is aware that his or her positive regard is not contingent upon any conditions of worth. 3. Empathetic understanding: The therapist must attempt to understand the patient’s internal frame of reference. Empathetic understanding is communicated to the patient by restating the feelings and contents of his or her statements.

Psychology E.g., 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.

Psychology 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.

Psychology Rogers identified 7 stages that characterize the process of therapeutic change: 1. The patient is unwilling to communicate about him- or herself, refuses to own his or her feelings, and is rigid and resistant to change. 2. The patient is able to discuss external events and other people. However, the patient continues to refuse to own his or her feelings. 3. The patient is able to discuss his or her feelings but only in the past or future tense. S/he avoids discussing present feelings.

Psychology The patient is able to express feelings in the present, without hesitation. The patient begins to trust his or her own judgments and make new discoveries about him- or herself. 4. The patient begins to express feelings in the present. However, s/he does so with hesitation, distrust, and fear. The patient begins to recognize incongruities between his or her self-concept and experience.

Psychology The patient is able to generalize in-therapy experiences to the world beyond the therapeutic setting. At this stage, the patient becomes fully functioning. 6. The patient is able to allow into awareness those experiences that were previously denied or distorted. The patient begins to develop unconditional positive self-regard. A “physiological loosening” is observed.

Psychology Questions That Were Answered In Today’s Lecture Phenomenological Perspective on Personality, continued 5. According to Rogers’ person-centered theory, what is a fully functioning person? 6. How does a person become fully functioning? 7. What therapeutic approach did Rogers develop to help people become fully functioning?