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Comparing the humanistic to the psychodynamic approach
Comparing the humanistic to the psychodynamic approach
Comparing the humanistic to the psychodynamic approach
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The Potency of Humanistic Therapy
With the ever growing expansion of the modern culture that our American society has wrapped our time and hearts around, we have lost some of the most basic and fulfilling concepts about what it means to be human, and how we can live our lives to the highest potential. In some ways, this is due in part to the fact that we have created an environment for ourselves that is significantly different from the one in which we evolved. Currently in modern society, certain elements of our culture have been exaggerated and others diminished, in order to emphasize qualities that are attractive to the modern individual at this specific moment in time. For example, children learn to dress a certain way, act a certain way, have a good academic standing, assume certain values, be athletic, be happy, etc.. Such social influence has not only created a stark contrast between ‘how it used to be’ and how America is today, but it has also forced us to bend in ways that may veer from our individual desires and characteristics. Thus, we struggle to find a harmonious balance between who we should be according to current society and who our ‘real selves’ are. As a result, we have adapted to a lifestyle of ‘chaos’ or disharmony that has become the assumed or ‘normal’ way of being. Understandably, it may become apparent that a new perspective is necessary, a way to see the world and ourselves anew, in order to break from negative ideas about human nature, improve our mental health, and ultimately self-actualize.
The goal of humanistic psychology is to address these struggles of the mind and to become an alliance to the solution, through techniques such as empowerment and positive regard. The theory begins with the assumptio...
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...al sourcebook . Westport: Greenwood.
O’Hara, M. (2013). Historic Review of Humanistic Psychology. The Association for Humanistic Psychology. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.ahpweb.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=14&Itemid=24
Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist's view of psychotherapy. (pp. 300-450). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Rogers, C.R. (1980). A way of being. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Company.
Rogers, C. R. (1981). Reflection of feelings and transference. Person-Centered Review, 1, 375-377.
Vasconcellos, J. (2001). Foreword. In K. J. Schneider, J. F. T. Bugental, & J. F. Pierson (Eds.), The handbook of humanistic psychology. (pp. xiii-xiv). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=jtO7czidPeYC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Additionally, Humanistic Psychology studies how people value themselves. Today’s Psychologists are often faced with problems when diagnosing patients, and utilizing a Humanistic approach to their prognosis facilitates a more broad study of what may be occurring. Taking a step back, Jake is having a tough time with his classes; his classes are now more difficult than before, and they might be affecting how Jake perceives his own values. I.e. because Jake feels more nervous, he could be losing his sense of control, which goes against his personal growth and affects his values and image of himself. Applying the humanistic approach to Jake, his fulfillment as a student is his personal growth. However as the difficulty of his classes increase, so does his own personal perception on how much he is growing. For Jake, realizing that he’s not suited for a particular difficult class is upsetting and induces anxiety. Modern day Psychologists would concur because Jake is feeling less valued and lacking a proper humanistic view of himself, he is feeling uncomfortable, and thus more
Haney, Craig; Zimbardo, Philip. American Psychologist, Jul98, Vol. 53 Issue 7, p709, 19p, 2 Black and White Photographs,
Psychoanalysis is a unique form of psychological treatment founded by Sigmund Freud and later modified by his followers including Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, and Harry Stack-Sullivan (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). Although there is no one psychoanalytic theory Wedding and Corsini (2013) tell us that there are basic principles that tend to be found throughout different psychoanalytic perspectives. They note that psychodynamic perspectives emphasize ideas of the unconscious and the ability to increase choice by facilitating an awareness of unconscious motivations. Psychodynamic perspectives tend to focus on the client’s use of defense mechanisms like projection, reaction formation, splitting, intellectualization, repression, transference, and resistance as a way of avoiding painful fantasies, feelings, and thoughts (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). Such perspectives embrace the assumption that people are ambivalent about change and emphasize the importance of exploring that ambivalence (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). In addition, the therapeutic relationship is viewed as a vehicle of change; one that can be used for exploring both unconscious (primary) and conscious (secondary) self-defeating processes and actions (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). Transference and countertransference are viewed as essential therapeutic tools (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). Psyc...
Bibliography 3rd edition Psychology (Bernstein-Stewart, Roy, Srull, & Wickens) Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, Massachusetts 1994
The humanistic theory had much influence after the time of World War II toward the late 1950’s (Hansell & Damour, 2008). According to Dombeck, (2006), the humanistic approach was defined to be consciously reflective, allowing one to have the ability to experience self-determination. The humanistic approach combines philosophy, existentialism, and the hierarchy of needs that motivates every individual person on a unique level of growth potential; it worked to find the importance of life’s true meaning’s in an individual’s life for human characteristic (Dombeck, 2006). For obsessional-compulsion disorder, the goal of humanistic therapy is to create a suitable environment for the patient that will allow him or her to develop, mature, and evolve
Munsey, Christopher. “A long road back”. Monitor on Psychology. 38.6. June 2007. 34. PSYARTICLES. Web. 5 March 2014.
There are numerous advantages and complication in the humanistic approaches to the study of psychology. Numerous individuals sent out messages to each other, non-explicitly, thus, influencing the actions exhibited. As it was stated in the first letter written by Rilke, addressed to Kappus:”Things aren’t all so tangible and sayable as people would usually have us believe; most than all other things are works of art, those mysterious existences, whose life endures beside our own small, transitory life” (Rilke 8). People are able to understand each other in the normal process since gestures have been popular among our societies. In addition, individuals would not have to waste so much time verbalizing everything in our today’s fast-paced societies. The only complication in this process had been individuals with difficulty processing cognitive information had struggling experiences adapting to this usual humanistic approach.
Feist, G. J. & Rosenburg, E. L. (2012). Psychology: Perspectives & connections (2nd ed.) (Vital Source digital version). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
The field of psychology is a discipline, originated from many branches of science. It has applications from within a complete scope of avenues, from psychotherapy to professional decision-making. The flexibility and versatility of this field reflects its importance and demands in-depth analysis. Psychology was a division of philosophy until it developed independent scientific disciplines. The history of psychology was a scholarly study of the mind and behavior that dates back to the beginning of civilization. There are important details from previous theory psychologist, research have contributed to behaviorism approaches and have contributed towards specific current behavioral practices. Contemporary behavior therapy began to emerge into distinct practical and core learning theories concerning the needs and knowledge engaging cultural and professional differences.
Bootzin, R., Loftus, E., Zajonc, R., Hall, E. (1983). Psychology Today: An Introduction. New York: Random House. Fifth Edition.
Waiten,W., (2007) Seventh Edition Psychology Themes and Variations. University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Thomson Wadsworth.
Therapy is as unique and diverse as the people who seek it. There are many types of therapy that are used to treat different kinds of problems. There is no perfect or absolute form of therapy, because therapy varies for each person. One of the branches of therapy is humanistic therapy. This therapy is considered an insight therapy, along with psychoanalytic therapies. However, there are differences between humanistic and psychoanalytic therapy. Humanistic therapy focuses on self-development, personal growth and responsibilities. This type of therapy guides the client to find their own answers. The therapy focuses on emotional awareness: how the person feels versus why that person feels that way (Oltmanns & Emery, 2012).
The humanistic theory of psychology is the successor to both behavioristic and psychoanalytic approaches. Primarily, it refutes the practice of analyzing quantitative data in the study of human behavior with an approach focused on the qualitative aspects of that research.
I decided early on that I would allow myself to experience these feelings fully, because in order to be a good therapist, I need to be able to understand how the client might be feeling. I am still just beginning this journey, but I have every intention of becoming more open to embracing the new awareness that I have found in this class. This paper describing my philosophy will incorporate all three of these systems of psychotherapy in what I believe to be a clear and cohesive manner.
This psychology perspective emphasizes individuals ' inherent drive towards self-actualization, the process of realizing and expressing one 's own capabilities and creativity. It helps the client gain the belief that all people are inherently good. It adopts a holistic approach to human existence and pays special attention to such phenomena as creativity, free will, and positive human potential. It encourages viewing ourselves as a "whole person" greater than the sum of our parts and encourages self exploration rather than the study of behavior in other people. Humanistic psychology acknowledges spiritual aspiration as an integral part of the human psyche. It is linked to the emerging field of transpersonal psychology. As per usual, there are advantages and limitations to this particular theory. One of the greatest strengths of humanistic psychology is that it emphasizes individual choice and responsibility. Humanistic psychology satisfies most people 's idea of what being human means because it values personal ideals and self-fulfillment. Finally, humanistic psychology provides researchers with a flexible framework for observing human behavior because it considers a person in the context of his environment and in conjunction with his personal perceptions and feelings. As with any viewpoint, humanistic psychology has its critics. One major criticism of humanistic psychology is that its concepts are too vague. Critics