Explore the behavioral and humanistic theory Essay

INTRODUCTIONThis project, ferocity is on the behavioural opening and gentleitarian supposition. My research constructed chiefly on devil airal theorists Burrhus Fredric Sk knowledgeable and John Broadus Watson and two graciousistic theorists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. In behavioral theory, the founder of psychological behaviorism, John Watson recollectd that indwelling thinking movement could non be observed therefore, psychologists should not sharpen on it. An Ameri buttocks psychologist, Burrhus Fredric Skinner social philosopher behaviorist, inventor, and author, genuine the theory of Operant learn cogitated we learn new behavior through traditional or operant conditioning and al superstar behavior is learnt from the environment. unrivalled of the early pi integrityers of graciousitarian psychology was Abraham Maslow he established the hierarchy levels of inescapably and believed that by achieving the designers in the correct order would allow psy cheistics to find ego- symboliseualized.However, Carl Rogers a psychologist and father of nodecentered theory matte that in addition to Maslows hierarchical ex toys, in order for soulfulness to achieve self- realization they need to be in a positive environment. Which would provide them with, approval, under indorseing and au pastticity, and if one were divest of such nourishment in an environment, wellnessy psychealities and births would be unable to blossom.hu musical composition-centred possibilityEmphasis of the humanitarian post is on the self, which interprets into you, and your opinion of your have intercourses. This assessment claims that you atomic number 18 permitted to select your own performance, sooner than responding to environmental stimuli and reinforcers. such as matters viewing with self-esteem, self-fulfilment, and ineluctably ar vital, the chief focus is to enable somebodyal letment. There atomic number 18 two major theorists associated with this view Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Carl Rogers feels that each private functions from an exceptional frame of reference in harm of building self- forecast or his or her self-concept. As we jazz, self-concept is ones own belief nigh ones self. Such beliefs hold, in part, from the information of lordly positive affection which occurs when individuals, (especially p arnts), exhibit two-dimensional love, andconditional positive affection happens when that love appears merely when legitimate conditions argon met.Rogerss theory states that psychologically healthy lot enjoy life to the fullest hence, they are bewitchn as fully functioning individuals. Carl believed that, along with Maslows hierarchical needs a gentle, respectable, and truthful environment has a big part to play in developing a somebody, and without such commodities in the environment healthy someonealities and congenerships would not be able to grow. Nevertheless, Abraham Maslow developed his th eory not by studying mentally sick(p) patients, (which is where much psychological subsistledge derived from), plainly by studying healthy, productive, creative individuals lives and careers. Maslow felt that individuals induce definite needs that must be met in a hierarchical fashion, from the lowest to highest.These comprise f introductory needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, doing needs, and ultimately, self-actualization, according to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, the needs must be achieve in order. For congresswoman, one would be incapable of seeing their safety needs if their physiological needs are not met. This theory founded upon the knowledge that e actuallyone has the likely to contribute to the social order and be a respectable person if his or her needs are attained.Psych otherapy humane psychology introduced in the 1950s as a movement to bring psychology to an understanding of what it way of life to be a person. The theory took psychology beyond uncon scious thoughts, beliefs or behavioral responses to stimuli, to a process of understanding free bequeath, feelings, ethics and relationships with others. Humanistic psychotherapy was initially promoted as a third force in psychotherapy. Humanistic theory seems to provide both the healer and leaf node the luck to focus on what the knob is doing right, as well as the challenges that he or she whitethorn face. minded(p) the emphasis on emotional genuineness, human-centered psycho healers place a great deal of brilliance on the healer lymph node relationship.One could argue that humanistic theory ratnot be taken seriously beca physical exercise it is jailed on blending the medical and scientific along with philosophy and subjectivity. Yet, if the APA affirms that, the theorys focus is on peoples capacity to make rational choices and develop to their maximum potential (APA.org), itis difficult to notice if the critics of the theory have a valid case. Nevrtheless, added method ologies in e genuinely case identify the signifi green goddessce on the healer guest relationship, viewing the relationship mainly as a kernel of providing the treatment. In humanistic therapy, the relationship is the treatment.The study Concepts of Humanistic TheoryHumanism came about as a reaction to the theories of psychoanalysis and behaviourism. Humanists felt that pore on unconscious thoughts in psychoanalysis ignored the thoughts humans were having and the causes they caused. Unlike behaviourists, humanists felt humans have to a greater extent control over their responses than to simply be a puppet to conditioning. These new thinkers focused on what it was to be human and the entire spectrum of human feeling.Qualitative Research and Idiographic ApproachThe humanists believed that statistics and numbers told in truth little about the human beat and were, therefore, irrelevant as research. The only thing that mattered was so-called qualitative research, such as case stu dies, unstructured interviews and diary accounts. This also outlines an idiographic improvement, or studying individuals. merely by experiencing what it means to be human can the researcher truly understand what a person is going through. Humanists believed in studying individuals in-depth to understand the human condition. The Self and congruityHumanists believed that the ultimate aim of human beings was to achieve a state of congruence. This is when the actual self is the same as the musical themel self. They believed in the incessant pursuit of self-knowledge and self-improvement to achieve this state. All people are thought to have inherent deserving merely by being human. A persons actions may be positive or negative, but that does not affect his deserving. HolismThe person in humanism is studied as a whole. She is not looked at in separate parts but is looked at as an entire unit. The theories that came in front the humanists focused on the unconscious mind or obser vable behaviorrather than on how a person thinks and feels. This theory was groundbreaking for focusing on what it means to be human rather than the scientific, research laboratory data that other theories produced. Hierarchy of NeedsAbraham Maslow was one of the pioneers of the humanist movement. He developed a way of needs that people must meet in order to achieve self-actualization or congruence. It starts off with the need for physical things, such as air, food and water. The pyramid moves on to the need for safety, love and belonging, self-esteem and and so knowledge. It ends with the pursuit of aesthetics and then self-actualization. This is where a person achieves his entire potential. This is a point not umteen people ever reach.Free WillPeople who believe in free result believe that humans have the ability to choose how to live their lives free of any external forces making them chose. Humanists believe that all people have this ability and can exercise it at any time. Instead of accept that things such as behavioral conditioning or animalistic drives determine our choices, humanists believe that we naturally privation to choose the positive path and give do so freelyTheoretical Concepts Underlying Humanistic TheoryThe motivation for the development of humanism was a reaction against the idea of the human as a machine, towards a holistic and inherently optimistic view of people. The humanistic or third force perspective is based on the belief that the sources of personal distress lie in the conscious mind and essence from get word (George Boeree 1998b). Maslow developed a theory of personal motivation based on the idea of a hierarchy of needs (Noel Sheehy 2004 p163, George Boeree 1998a). At the overtake of this hierarchy Maslow believed was the possibility of self-actualisation, but he saw it as a rare achievement reached by only a very few people, since in his theory all lower-level needs had to be met before self-actualisation could take place.Maslows Hierarchy of NeedsRogers also believed in self-actualisation, but in contrast to Maslow, believed that it was a motivating force in all humans he saw babies as the outmatch examples of self-actualisation. This led to the core concept in humanistic theory the Actualising movement (Steve Vincent 1999). This is the tendency to thrive that is built-in to human beings. This tendency also implies that people are inherently goodly and healthy this is a given. The emphasis then in humanistic therapies is on the potentiality model of human development rather than the deficiency model of other therapies (Dave Mearns et al. 2000 p33). Rogers proposed that distress is a result of incongruence in the individual (George Boeree 1998b, Brian Thorne 2003 p31).The greater the incongruence, the greater the distress. Incongruity is the difference between the Real Self, which is the you that you can become as a result of self-actualisation, and the Ideal Self, which is the you created by external pressures such as society, family. Thus incongruence is like the tension in an elastic band attaching the two selves the greater the separation the greater the tension. A person has a basic need for despotic Regard. However, in society this is made conditional there are social attitudes that judge you are only worthy if you conform. These Conditions of Worth combine with the in-built need for positive regard to create qualified Positive Regard and this shapes the Ideal Self as something other than the Real Self conditions of worth commove the exemplification self away from the in truth self and generate incongruence. In time this force becomes familiarised as Conditional Positive Self-Regard so the person generates their own incongruence.The aim of therapy is to achieve Congruence the pip where Real Self and Ideal Self match or at least decrease incongruence and therefore distress (Carl R. Rogers 1961 p279). This is achieved by building an unconditional sense of se lf-worth which then gets internalised as Unconditional Positive Self-Regard. In the remediation relationship, pleader and node form a personal relationship rather than a power-based overlord one and it is the quality of this relationship that is key to success. It is Rogers claim that there are just three spirit Conditions which a therapist must achieve for therapy to be effective (Carl R. Rogers et al. 1967 p89). The first is that the counsellor must be Congruent that is, without a front or professional mask in the therapeutic relationship and that the counsellor must share this congruence with the client. Secondly, the counsellor must be Empathic towards the client, that is they experience the clients internal humankind and can share this with theclient, but without losing the separation between the counsellors gentleman and the clients. Finally, the counsellors view of the client must be one of Unconditional Positive Regard, one of accepting and prizing the client as a who le, without reservations or judgements.There are other forms of humanistic therapy than the Rogerian person-centred coming. Probably the best known is Gestalt therapy, founded by Fritz Perls (Gary Yontef 1993, Frederick S. Perls 1957). This has much in common with Rogers theories in that it focuses on process rather than content, in which counsellor and client share their perception, with the intention of allowing the client to become aware of their internal process, how they are doing it and how they can change it. There is a strong emphasis on acceptance and self-valuing. One facial expression of Gestalt theory that is not present in Rogerian theory is the idea of Unfinished Situations. The idea is that a persons natural state is one of homeostasis. However, whenever something, such as an upsetting situation, happens to the person, that disturbs the balance. The normal issue is that the person responds in such a way as to restore the balance or a different balance that accommod ates a change. However, if the natural response is interrupted, for example by social pressures not to respond, the person stays out of balance. This is an unfinished situation and Gestalt therapy aims to finish this situation and restore balance again.Critically escort the Humanistic TheoryThe humanistic theory has profoundly affected our society. It provided much of the impetus for a huge social movement of the 1960s and 1970s in which many people searched inward to find caution and meaning to their lives. It renewed the age-old debate about free will and determinism and focused attention on the need to understand the subjective or conscious experiences of individuals (Bargh & Chartrand, 1999). Rogerss method of therapy, client-centered therapy, remains highly influential. And maybe most important of all, humanistic theorists helped restore to psychology the concept of self that center of our conscious experience of being in the world. Yet the very strength of the humanistic v iewpoint, its focus on conscious experience, is also its greatest weakness when approached as a scientific endeavor. Ultimately your conscious experience is known or knowable only to an audience of one you. Yet how can humanisticpsychologists ever be certain that they are measuring with any precision the bearstage, subjective experience of another person? Humanistic psychologists major power answer that we should do our best to study conscious experience scientifically, for to do less is to ignore the very subject matter human experience we endeavor to know.Indeed, they have been joined by cognitive psychologists in developing methods to study conscious experience, including rating scales and thought diaries that allow people to make public their private experiences to report their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes in systematic ways that can be measured reliably. Though verbal or written statements of private experiences are a step removed from consciousness itself, they provide a means that scientists can use to study peoples subjective experiences. Critics also contend that the humanistic approachs emphasis on self fulfillment may lead some people to become self-indulgent and so absorbed with themselves that they develop a lack of concern for others. Even the concept of self-actualization poses challenges. For one thing, humanistic psychologists consider self-actualization to be a drive that motivates behavior toward higher purposes. Yet how do we know that this drive exists? If self-actualization means different things to different people one person may become self-actualized by pursuing an interest in botany, another by becoming a skilled artisan how can we ever measure self-actualization in a standardized way? To this, humanistic psychologists might respond that because people are unique, we should not expect to apply the same standard to different people.Humanistic Theory profit to Nursing PracticeNurses provide individual care recognizing the holis tic needs of the patient. Nurses seek to understand the health needs of the people they sketch with but also to change their behaviours, thoughts and feelings to enhance the well-being of the person, not only at present moment but also for the future. At times nurses need to provide very basic care for the people they work with but they are always looking to develop the persons ability to be more independent in any area of their life. Nurses can use psychological research and theories to enhance their nursing practice, and most nursing practice has a foundation in psychology, sociology or biology. Nursing nowhas developed its own unique body of knowledge but other sciences can still enhance nurses understanding and practice.Applying Theories to Healthcare Practice allows growth in a positive way for both the client and the nurse. Spontaneity, the importance of emotions and feelings, the right of individuals to make their own choices, and human creativity are the arses of a humani stic approach to nurture (Rogers, 1994 Snowman & Biehler, 2006). The major contribution that Rogers added to nursing practice is the understandings that each client is a unique individual, so, person-centered approach is practice in nursing. Humanistic theory is especially compatible with nursings focus on caring and patient centeredness an druthers that is increasingly challenged by the emphasis in medicine and health care on science, technology, cost efficiency, for profit medicine, bureaucratic organization, and time pressures. Like the psychodynamic theory, the humanistic perspective is largely a motivational theory. From a humanistic perspective, motivation is derived from each persons needs, subjective feelings about the self, and the desire to grow.A positive self-concept, and open situations in which people respect identity element and promote freedom of choice. Maslow (1954, 1987), best known for identifying the hierarchy of needs which he says plays an important role in human motivation and nursing care. At the bottom of the hierarchy are physiological needs (food, warmth, sleep) then come safety needs then the need for belonging and love followed by self-esteem. At the top of the hierarchy are self-actualization needs (maximizing ones potential). Additional considerations include cognitive needs (to know and understand) and, for some individuals, aesthetic needs (the desire for beauty). An assumption is that basic-level needs must be met before individuals can be concerned with learning and self actualizing. Thus, clients who are hungry, tired, and in pain will be prompt to get these biological needs met before being interested in learning about their medications, rules for self care, and health education. Besides personal needs, humanists contend that self-concept and self-esteem are necessary considerations in any situation.The therapist Carl Rogers (1961, 1994) argued that what people want is unconditional positive self regard (the feeling of being loved without arrange attached). It is innate that those in positions of authorityconvey a fundamental respect for the people with whom they work. If a health professional is prejudiced against patients, then little will be healing or therapeutic in her relationship with them until she is genuinely able to feel respect for the patient as an individual. Rather than acting as an authority, say humanists, the role of any educator or leader is to be a facilitator (Rogers, 1994). Listening rather than talking is the skill needed. Because the uniqueness of the individual is fundamental to the humanistic perspective much of the learning experience requires a direct relationship.Safe clinical environments, where humanistic principles can be taught through caring, role modeling, secondary group discussion, case discussions, attention to self-awareness and feelings, role playing. Humanistic psychology contends that feeling. Humanistic principles have been a cornerstone of self-help groups, wellness programs, and lenitive care. Humanistic theory has also been found to be well suited to workings with children and young patients undergoing separation anxiety due to unsoundness, surgery, and recovery (Holyoake,1998) and for working in the areas of mental health and palliative care (Barnard, Hollingum, & Hartfiel, 2006). Similar to psychodynamic theory, a principal emphasis is on the healing nature of the therapeutic relationship (Pearson, 2006) and the need for nursing students and health professionals to grow emotionally from their healthcare experiences (Block & Billings, 1998).Principles Derived From Humanistic Theory t o Improve Assess and Plan Care for Mentally Ill Client.Sometimes people understand psychosis or schizophrenia to be unrelenting, even with the intervention of psychotherapy. It is contended herein that therapy, and humanistic therapy in particular, can be face-saving to the psychotic individual, but, perhaps, the therapist may have difficult y understanding how this approach can be utilize to the problems of psychosis. Although it is a prevalent opinion in our society that schizophrenics are not responsive to psychotherapy, it is asserted herein that any therapist can relate in a psychotic individual, and, if therapy is unsuccessful, thisfailure may stem from the therapists qualities instead of those of the psychotic individual. Carl Rogers created a theory and therapy indicated by the ground umanistic theory and person-centered therapy. This theoretical perspective postulates many important ideas, and several of these ideas are pertinent to this discussion. The first of these is the idea of conditions of worth, and the idea of the actualizing tendency. Rogers asserts that our society applies to us conditions of worth.This means that we must perform in certain ways in order to receive rewards, and receipt of these rewards imply that we are worthy if we behave in ways that are acceptable. As an example, in our society , we are rewarded with money when we do work that is represented by employment. In damage of the life of a schizophrenic, these conditions of worth are that from which stigmatization proceeds. The psychotic individuals in our society, without intentionality, do not behave in ways that produce rewards. maybe some people believe that schizophrenics are parasites in relation to our society. This estimation of the worth of these individuals serves only to compound their suffering. The mentally ill and psychotic individuals, in particular, are innocent in social, personal and financial spheres. Carl Rogers disapproved of conditions of worth, and, in fact, he believed that human beings and other organisms strive to fulfill their potential. This striving represents what Rogers termed the actualizing tendency and the force of life. This growth enhancing aspect of life motivates all life forms to develop fully their own potential. Rogers believed that mental illness reflects distortions of the actualizing tendency, based upon faulty conditions of worth. It is clear that psychotic people deal with negatively skewed conditions of worth. It is an evident reality that the mentally ill could more successfully exist in the world if stigmas were not applied to them.The mentally ill engage in self-denigration and self-laceration that culminate in the dying of selfhood. This psychological violence toward the mentally ill is supported by non-mentally ill others. The type of self-abuse by psychotic individuals would certainly abate if the normative dismissal of the mentally ill as worthless is not perpetuated. In spite of a prevalent view that psychotic individuals are unsuccessful in the context of psychotherapy, Rogers theory and therapy of compassion cannot be assumed to be unhelpful to the mentally ill. The key atoms of Rogers approach topsychotherapy include unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy and genuineness. Unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy and genuineness are considered to be qualities of the therapist enacted in relation to the client in impairment of humanistic therapy.These qualities are essential to the process of humanistic therapy. In terms of these qualities, unconditional positive regard is a view of a person or client that is accepting and warm, no matter what that person in therapy reveals in terms of his or her emotional problems or experiences. This means that an individual in the context of humanistic psychotherapy, or in therapy with a humanistic psychologist or therapist, should expect the therapist to be accepting of whatever that individual reveals to the therapist. In this context, the therapist will be accepting and understanding regardless of what one tells the therapist. Accurate empathy is represented as understanding a client from that persons own perspective. This means that the humanistic psychologist or therapist will be able to perceive you as you perceive yourself, and that he will feel m unificence for you on the basis of the knowledge of your reality. He will know you in terms of knowing your thoughts and feelings toward yourself, and he will feel empathy and compassion for you based on that fact. . As another quality enacted by the humanistic therapist, genuineness is truthfulness in ones presentation toward the client it is integrity or a self-representation that is real. To be genuine with a client reflects qualities in a therapist that entail more than simply being a therapist. It has to do with being an authentic person with ones client. Carl Rogers believed that, as a therapist, one could be authentic and deliberate simultaneously.This means that the therapist can be a real person, even while he is by choice saying and doing what is required to help you. The finishing of therapy from the humanistic orientation is to allow the client to achieve congruence in term of his real self and his ideal self. This means that what a person is and what he wants to be sh ould become the same as therapy progresses. Self-esteem that is achieved in therapy will allow the client to elevate his sense of what he is, and self-esteem will also lessen his need to be better than what he is. Essentially, as the real self is more accepted by the client, and his elevated self-esteem will allow him to be less than some kind of ideal self that he feels he is compelled to be. It is the qualities of unconditional positiveregard, accurate empathy and genuineness in the humanistic therapist that allow the therapist to assist the client in cultivating congruence between the real self and the ideal self from that clients perspective. What the schizophrenic experiences can be confusing. It is clear that most therapists, psychiatrists and clinicians cannot understand the perspectives of the chronically mentally ill. Perhaps if they could understand what it is to feel oneself to be in a solitary prison of ones scratch and a visceral isolation within ones mind, with hallu cinations clamoring, then the clinicians who treat mental illness would be able to better empathize with the mentally ill. The problem with clinicians empathy for the mentally ill is that the views of mentally ill people are remote and unthinkable to them.Perhaps the solitariness within the minds of schizophrenics is the most painful aspect of being schizophrenics, even while auditory hallucinations can form what seems to be a mental populace. base upon standards that make them feel inadequate, the mentally ill respond to stigma by internalizing it. If the mentally ill person can achieve the goal of congruence between the real self and the ideal self, their expectations regarding who they should be may be reconciled with an acceptance of who they are. As they lower their high standards regarding who they should be, their acceptance of their real selves may follow naturally. Carl Rogers said, As I accept myself as I am, only then can I change. In humanistic therapy, the therapist ca n help even a schizophrenic accept who they are by reflecting acceptance of the psychotic individual. This may culminate in curativeness, although perhaps not a arrest cure. However, when the schizophrenic becomes more able to accept who they are, they can then change. Social acceptance is crucial for cope with schizophrenia, and social acceptance leads to self-acceptance by the schizophrenic.The accepting therapist can be a key component in reducing the negative consequences of stigma as it has affected the mental ill patient client. This, then, relates to conditions of worth and the actualizing tendency. Conditions of worth affect the mentally ill more severely than other people. Simple acceptance and empathy by a clinician may be curative to some extent, even for the chronically mentally ill. If the schizophrenic individual is released from conditions of worth that are entailed by stigmatization, then perhaps the actualizing tendency would assert itself in them in a positive wa y, lacking distortion.In the tradition of person-centered therapy, the client is allowed to lead the conversation or the dialogue of the therapy sessions. This is ideal for the psychotic individual, provided he believes he is being heard by his therapist. Clearly, the therapists mind will have to stretch as they seek to understand the clients subjective perspective. In terms of humanistic therapy, this theory would seem to apply to all individuals, as it is based upon the psychology of all human beings, each uniquely able to benefit from this approach by through the growth potential that is inherent in them. In terms of the amelioration of psychosis by means of this therapy, Rogers offers hope.Behavioral Treatment Modalities that Evolved from Humanistic TheoryTreatment modalities can be simply defined as methods of treatment. These are ways in which a doctor or an allied health professional would go about treating a condition. The major behavioral treatments in Humanistic Theory are Client-Centered TherapyCarl Rogers and his client-centered therapy provide a clear example of the humanistic focus on the therapeutic relationship. Rogers wrote extensively about the process of fostering a warm and genuine relationship between therapist and client. He particularly noted the importance of empathy, or emotional understanding. Empathy involves putting yourself in someone elses shoes and conveying your understanding of that persons feelings and perspectives. The client-centered therapist does not act as an expert who knows more about the client than the client knows about himself or herself. Rather, the therapeutic goal is to share honestly in another humans experience. Rogers encourage self-disclosure on the part of the therapist, intentionally revealing aspects of the therapists own, similar feelings and experiences as a way of helping the client.Rogers also felt that client-centered therapists must be able to demonstrate unconditional positive regard for their clien ts. Unconditional positive regard involves valuing clients for who they are and refraining from judging them. Because of this basic respect for the clients humanity, client-centered therapistsavoid directing the therapeutic process. check to Rogers, if clients are successful in experiencing and accepting themselves, they will achieve their own resolution to their difficulties. Thus client-centered therapy is nondirective.Gestalt therapyGestalt therapy is a humanistic form of treatment developed by Perls. Perls viewed life as a series of figure-ground relationships. For example a picture is hanging on a wall. The picture is a figure and the wall is the back ground. For a healthy person current needs can be perceived clearly in that persons life, just as figure can be perceived against a unmistakable ground (background).when current needs are satisfied, they fade into the ground and are replaced by new needs, which stand out in their turn and are equally recognizable.Perls believed that mental disorders represent disruptions in these figure-ground relationships. People who are unaware of their needs or unwilling to accept or express them are avoiding their real inner selves. They lack self awareness and self acceptance, they fear judgment of others. The technique of role playing that is to act out various roles assigned by the therapist.Therapies Identified in Humanistic Theory and their Therapeutic Benefits to the Client.The Benefits of Humanistic TherapyApplying Theories to Healthcare Practice allows growth in a positive way for both the client and the nurse. Spontaneity, the importance of emotions and feelings, the right of individuals to make their own choices, and human creativity are the cornerstones of a humanistic approach to learning (Rogers, 1994 Snowman & Biehler, 2006). During humanistic therapy sessions, patients are treated in a manner that emphasizes their innate goodness and potential. The humanistic therapist is encouraged to act in a manner c onsistent with the themes of unconditional positive regard, empathy, genuineness, and congruence. In an phrase on the website of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, humanistic psychologist Stan Charnofsky described the benefits of humanistic therapy in this mannerHumanistic therapy hasa crucial opportunity to lead our troubled culture back to its own healthy path. More than any other therapy, Humanistic-Existential therapy models democracy. It imposes upon the client least of all. Freedom to choose is maximized. We validate our clients human potential.Carl Rogers proposed that therapy could be simpler, warmer and more optimistic than that carried out by behavioral or psychodynamic psychologists. According to Carl Rogers he suggested that clients would be better helped if they were encouraged to focus on their current subjective understanding rather than on some unconscious motive or someone elses interpretation of the situation. Rogers strongly believed that in order for a c lients condition to improve therapists should be warm, genuine and understanding. The starting point of the Rogerian approach to counseling and psychotherapy is best stated by Rogers (1986) himself. It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behavior and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided. Rogers rejected the deterministic nature of both psychoanalysis and behaviorism and maintained that we behave as we do because of the way we perceive our situation. As no one else can know how we perceive, we are the best experts on ourselves. (Gross, 1992) Believing strongly that theory should come out of practice, Rogers developed his theory based on his work with emotionally troubled people and claimed that we have a remarkable capacity for self-healing and personal growth booster cable towards self-actualization.He placed emphasis on the persons current perception and how we live in the here-and-now. Theory is the notion of self or self-concept. This is defined as the organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself. It consists of all the ideas and values that characterize I and me and includes perception and valuing of what I am and what I can do. Consequently, the self concept is a central component of our total experience and influences both our perception of the world and perception of oneself. For instance, a woman who perceives herself as strong may well behave with confidence and come to see her actions as actions performed by someone who is confident.The self-conceptdoes not necessarily always fit with reality, though, and the way we see ourselves may differ greatly from how others see us. For example, a person might be very interesting to others and notwithstanding consider himself to be boring. He judges and rates this image he has of himse lf as a bore and this valuing will be reflected in his self-esteem. The confident woman may have a high self-esteem and the man who sees himself as a bore may have a low self-esteem, presuming that strength/confidence are highly valued and that being boring is not. Person Centered TherapyPersonal Centered Therapy or client centered therapy.The Rogerian client-centered approach puts emphasis on the person coming to form an appropriate understanding of their world and themselves. A person enters person centered therapy in a state of incongruence. It is the role of the therapists to reverse this situation. Rogers (1959) called his therapeutic approach client-centered or person-centered therapy because of the focus on the persons subjective view of the world. Rogers regarded every one as a potentially competent individual who could benefit greatly from his form of therapy. The purpose of Rogers humanistic therapy is to increase a persons feelings of self-worth, reduce the level of incon gruence between the ideal and actual self, and help a person become more of a fully functioning person. Client-centered therapy operates according to three basic principles that reflect the attitude of the therapist to the client 1. The therapist is congruent with the client.2. The therapist provides the client with unconditional positive regard. 3. The therapist shows empathetic understanding to the client. Congruence in CounselingCongruence is also called genuineness. Congruence is the most important attribute in counseling, according to Rogers. This means that, unlike the psychodynamic therapist who generally maintains a blank screen and reveals little of their own personality in therapy, the Rogerian is keen to allow the client to experience them as they really are. The therapist does not have a faade (like psychoanalysis), that is, the therapists internal and external experiences are one in the same. In short, the therapist is authentic. Unconditional Positive RegardThe follow ing(a) Rogerian core condition is unconditional positive regard. Rogers believed that for people to grow and fulfill their potential it is important that they are valued as themselves. This refers to the therapists deep and genuine caring for the client. The therapist may not approve of some of the clients actions but the therapist does approve of the client. In short, the therapist needs an attitude of Ill accept you as you are. The person-centered counselor is thus careful to always maintain a positive attitude to the client, even when disgusted by the clients actions. Empathy is the ability to understand what the client is feeling. This refers to the therapists ability to understand sensitively and accurately but not sympathetically the clients experience and feelings in the here-and-now. An important part of the task of the person-centered counselor is to follow precisely what the client is feeling and to guide to them that the therapist understands what they are feeling.In the words of Rogers (1975), accurate empathic understanding is as follows If I am truly open to the way life is experienced by another personif I can take his or her world into mine, then I risk seeing life in his or her wayand of being changed myself, and we all resist change. Since we all resist change, we tend to view the other persons world only in our terms, not in his or hers. Then we analyze and evaluate it. We do not understand their world. But, when the therapist does understand how it truly feels to be in another persons world, without wanting or trying to analyze or judge it, then the therapist and the client can truly blossom and grow in that climate.Because the person-centered counselor places so much emphasis on genuineness and on being led by the client, they do not place the same emphasis on boundaries of time and technique as would a psychodynamic therapist. If they judged it appropriate, a person-centered counselor might diverge substantially from orthodox counseling techniques. As Mearns and Thorne (1988) point out, we cannot understand person-centered counseling by its techniques alone. The person-centered counselor has a very positive and optimistic view of human nature. The philosophy that people are essentially good, and that ultimately the individual knows what is right for them, is the essential ingredient of successful person centered therapy as all aboutloving.