‘Evaluate the Claim That Person Centred Therapy Offers the Therapist All That He/She Will Need to Treat Clients’
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- Date Submitted: 04/06/2014 12:06 PM
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Carl Rogers was an influential psychologist. He had a humanistic approach and was the founder of the person centred therapy approach in the 1940’s. His approach is still relevant and widely used by therapists today. Rogers seemed to have a very optimistic and positive viewpoint on mankind. The humanistic approach is essentially positive as it identifies the basic goodness of individuals. Roger’s concept of person centred therapy was a result of his experiences with his patients. Rogers also argued that all humans strive to reach their potentials.
To understand Rogers and the person centred approach it is useful to look at Maslow’s Theory. Maslow argued that humans strive for the highest levels of consciousness and wisdom, which he called the fully functioning person. He argued that with the right environment you grow strong and actualise your potential. However if the environment is not right you will not be able to grow as strong. Maslow called this the Hierarchy of Needs’. Maslow argued we all have needs, which he illustrates in a pyramid format and you could not move on to the higher level of the pyramid without the lower levels being satisfied.
The lower level of the pyramid is called the physiological needs; this is the biological needs such as food, shelter, water, oxygen etc. These are the needs that come first, our basic survival needs. The psychological needs have to be met before the safety needs can become active.
The next level is the safety needs; this level is the need for love, affection and belongingness. Maslow argued that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. This can be shown when you consider the need for most people to be married, have a family and become part of a community.
The next level is the need for esteem, this relates to self esteem and the esteem you receive from others. Maslow’s theory was that humans have a need for a high level of self respect and the respect of others. We feel satisfied if we feel...
To understand Rogers and the person centred approach it is useful to look at Maslow’s Theory. Maslow argued that humans strive for the highest levels of consciousness and wisdom, which he called the fully functioning person. He argued that with the right environment you grow strong and actualise your potential. However if the environment is not right you will not be able to grow as strong. Maslow called this the Hierarchy of Needs’. Maslow argued we all have needs, which he illustrates in a pyramid format and you could not move on to the higher level of the pyramid without the lower levels being satisfied.
The lower level of the pyramid is called the physiological needs; this is the biological needs such as food, shelter, water, oxygen etc. These are the needs that come first, our basic survival needs. The psychological needs have to be met before the safety needs can become active.
The next level is the safety needs; this level is the need for love, affection and belongingness. Maslow argued that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. This can be shown when you consider the need for most people to be married, have a family and become part of a community.
The next level is the need for esteem, this relates to self esteem and the esteem you receive from others. Maslow’s theory was that humans have a need for a high level of self respect and the respect of others. We feel satisfied if we feel...