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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

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What do you see?

What do you see?

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Double vision

et

l’art d’Arcimboldo

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