Homework Question on Carl Rogers
- Apply Carl Rogers Theories of studying person-situation interactions to the situation below. Isabella is a sophomore in college who is spending her Spring Break at Rocky Point for the first time. She drinks heavily, engages in sexual activity with strangers, sleeps through the day to be ready to party at night, and spends most of the week in a bikini. She is very outgoing with everyone she meets. When the semester ends, Isabella goes home for the summer to be with her parents. Isabella dresses conservatively, and is usually home by midnight, unless she spends the night at a friend’s house. Her parents believe her sexual activity has been limited to a boyfriend she dated for two years. Isabella has not mentioned dating anyone since the break up. When she goes to the beach with her parents, Isabella wears a one piece bathing suit. She is generally outgoing, friendly, and considered a “good girl.” Her parents had once hoped she would marry the boy next door, until he got a tattoo.
- Carl Rogers-
- Person- Centered Approach
- Psychotherapy Research
- Personality Development
- Self-Actualization
- Self-Worth and Positive Regard
- Congruence
- Humanistic Approach
Homework Answer on Carl Rogers
According to Rogers (1951), human beings behave as they do because of the perception they have on the situations surrounding them. The main inclination of human beings is to self-actualize. This is most excellently attained in a suitable environment. This is only inhibited in situations where there is a poor self-concept and where the surroundings supersede the valuing development. A state of congruence must be attained for self-actualization. In this situation, Isabella attained self-actualization while in college.
Isabella is a fully functioning person. She was open to experience, in touch with various experiences and trust feelings. She is creative as she can adjust to different life situations. She is also living a fulfilled life. According to the theory, self is made up of three parts: self worth, self-image and the ideal self. For Isabella to have a high self-esteem, she ought to have received a positive regard from her parents. However, the parents offered only conditional positive regard.
She seemed to have been loved for her behavior and not because of who she really is. Consequently, loving a person for her behavior is contrary to emotional attributes. Parental love is not dependent on the behavior of a child rather depends on the individual.In Isabella’s case, the self-image and ideal self seems to be incongruent to each other. The self-image is very different from her ideal self. In college, she mostly spends her time partying at night and wearing a bikini.