An_Exploration_of_the_Nature_and_Development_of_the_Humanistic_Approach.

An exploration of the nature and development of the Humanistic approach. Richard Llewellyn Introduction This essay will firstly examine the origins of Humanistic approaches to counselling and how they evolved predominantly from the Psychodynamic approach. It will then look at the key people involved in developing the Humanistic paradigm and how this approach relates to counselling in practice. The strengths and limitations can then be highlighted in relation to the counselling situation and how it has evolved and developed. The basic standpoint I will take throughout this exploration is that the Humanistic approach is a psychological perspective and under its umbrella different schools of thought have grown which have more practicality in the therapeutic arena. The dominant approach is the Person Centred Approach developed by Carl Rogers also Abraham Maslow was a key thinker in the movement away from the Psychodynamic approach. Humanism developed from an attempt to alter Psychology to more person-oriented objectives. The humanistic perspective is interested in a person’s everyday life behaviour rather than human behaviour as it occurs in the psychology lab. Humanistic psychology believes that behaviour must be understood in terms of the individual’s subjective experience and their behaviour can only be explained by the individual. It is the person’s perceptions and feelings that define how they behave. There was a distinct shift away from the Psychodynamic approach and in reading the definitions of Humanistic and Person Centred approaches I noticed that there is an attempt to distance the theory from the more traditional Freudian theories. For instance Humanism believes that behaviour is not constrained or determined by the past or the present. The way in which one acts is not viewed as a response to past occurrences or present incidents. It acknowledges that it can influence behaviour but is not the key element. What is viewed as the crucial element is that individuals are able to respond to situations based on their subjective judgement of the situation and can make choices. It therefore focuses on the conscious awareness of the individual and their free will, each individual is unique and develops in an on going process of evolution. Towards the 1960’s psychologists concerned with advancing a more holistic vision of psychology, Maslow and Rogers among them founded a professional association dedicated to focusing on uniquely human issues such as hope, love, creativity, individuality basically understanding what it means to be human. This was the beginning of what was to become known as the ‘third force’ in psychology after Behaviourism and Psychoanalysis. Roger’s put it succinctly “in my early professional years I was asking the question, how can I treat or cure or change this person' Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which person may use for his personal growth'” (Rogers 2002) This sums up the Humanistic approach. Carl Rogers was the father of the Person or Client centred approach and believed that personality of the counsellor was also very important indeed vital to the Counsellor/Client relationship. In order to be effective the counsellor needs to hold certain philosophical beliefs and attitudes which uphold the worth, dignity, significance and value of each individual. For a therapeutic relationship to exist depends on there being three core conditions which he referred to as ‘congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy. The fundamental essence of the Humanistic approach is contained in these core conditions. The word ‘congruence’ refers to the counsellor’s ability to be a real or genuine person in the counselling situation, a person who has no need to act as an expert, to feel superior or to pretend in any way. Because of this lack of pretence or superiority, the counsellor who is congruent or genuine will encourage the client to seek the truth within him, and go on to identify the very core of his problem more effectively. Rogers used the word ‘transparent’ to describe the truly congruent or genuine counsellor, and by this he meant that the counsellor’s openness should be such that the client is able to see right through to the real person beneath. This means, for example, that even when a client behaves in a difficult or inconsistent fashion, the person-centred counsellor is willing to bring his perception of the client’s behaviour into the open and to discuss it supportively with him. When this true sharing of perceptions takes place between counsellor and client, there is a greater chance that the client will be encouraged to become more open with himself, and this openness should in turn lead to a deeper insight, healing and progress. The phrase ‘unconditional positive regard’ refers to the respect or valuing which the counsellor feels for the client. This should be given to the client without any conditions attached, for in the person-centred model the client is seen as a unique person who, regardless of his problems or difficulties, has a right to be accepted for himself. Rogers sometimes uses the word ‘prizing’ to describe this attitude, and he believed that this prizing is necessary if the client is to feel safe within a counselling situation. Feeling safe also implies that the client knows that the counsellor is not judging him, even though the counsellor may very well have a value system, which is different from his, own. Appreciating a client as a person and not judging them in any way regardless of personal beliefs on either side of the relationship. ‘Empathy’ is used to describe a particular characteristic, which the counsellor possesses in relation to the client. When a counsellor is empathic it means that he is capable of understanding the client in the very deepest senses, that he can, when necessary, stand in the clients shoes and perceive things as the client perceives them and that he can also transmit this deep understanding back to the client, through reflection, who will be encouraged and supported by it. This ability to enter into the true spirit or feelings of another person’s world is sometimes referred to as being within the clients ‘frame of reference’. In order to develop true empathy a counsellor needs to strive constantly for a clearer awareness of all aspects of the client’s feelings, and then to experience his private world with him, as if it were his own. Genuineness, Respect and Empathy are the core conditions which encapsulate both the Person centred and Humanistic approach. Although Rogers is pivotal in the development of the Humanistic approach there were other key thinkers and Abraham Maslow was significant also Gerard Egan and Rollo May. It must be noted too that all of these eminent psychologists were influenced in one way or another by their forefathers. It was Maslow who in 1958 introduced the Third Force idea and he emphasised the uniqueness of human beings and was concerned like Rogers with subjective experiences and human values. Maslow had a positive and optimistic view of human nature and tried to direct attention to the ‘healthy’ tendencies which he believed were present in everyone. Maslow introduced his hierarchy of needs theory which had basic needs at the bottom like survival needs warmth, food etc and then a self-actualising need at the pinnacle of the human needs hierarchy. This mirrored Carl Rogers’s view that humans have one basic motive which is a tendency to actualise. That people wish to grow and fulfil their potential but that humanistic practice is centred on creating conditions where people can make up their own minds and follow their own goals. If this Actualising tendency is to flourish then any constraints must be lifted which surround someone. It will only happen if their environment is conducive for it to prosper. An understanding of the self-concept is important in person-centred counselling for it relates to the individuals perception or image of himself which is based on his life experience and the way he sees himself reflected in the attitudes expressed by his family and friends. People acquire their self-concept very early in childhood and it is continually reinforced by ongoing interactions with other people throughout life. For example when an infant begins to interact with his environment, he simultaneously starts to build a picture of himself in relation to it, and if early experiences are bad or negative, then the subsequent development of the self- concept will also be negative. Thus, an individual who has received very little love and a great deal of criticism from parents in early life will, in all probability, grow into adulthood with a poor self-concept. Rogers insisted that the right environment was paramount before a natural, positive self-healing process can take place (Mearns 1997).  As well as the self-concept, each individual also possesses, according to Rogers, an ‘organismic self’ which is essentially the real inner life of the person. This organismic self is present from birth and consists of the basic force, which regulates each person’s physiological and psychological growth. The humanistic approach proposes that people are innately good and unique and need to be respected by others, the answers lay within the person not the therapist. In our minds we have an image of ourselves as we are and an image of our ideal self. If they do not match up then self esteem is damaged and it can be psychologically unhealthy. Is it ever possible, therefore, to integrate techniques and procedures from other models of counselling with the person centred approach' Many counsellors who are person-centred in their basic orientation, do in fact select and use ideas from other models, when and if clients request and need them. Clients can be given the core conditions and be helped in other ways too. It is still possible and frequently desirable, to use elements of REBT, behavioural, Gestalt or psychodynamic counselling within the framework of the person-centred approach. Conclusion A person seeks counselling for many different personal reasons such as relationship difficulties; help with addressing a traumatic unresolved life event, working through issues of inner conflict and phobias or bereavement. The humanistic approach aims to help the client to promote the necessary ability to develop their own personal skills and inner strengths, to help them. According to Nelson-Jones (2000) there is a growing willingness in society to seek help from a qualified counsellor for problems associated with psychological pain, rather than to hide it behind ‘stiff upper lips and lace curtains’.  Person-centred counselling, especially in today’s age of wanting quick results and fixes is seen by some therapist as not being enough or the procedure being too time consuming. This is one of the reasons some therapists will choose to use other models in therapy. Its difficult to disparage the theory of such a renowned psychologist as Carl Rogers but it could be that it all seems too simplistic when contrasting it with the Psychodynamic approach or Cognitive Behavioural therapy. I personally think that one of the main strengths of the Humanistic approach is its innate simplicity. The fact that it does not over complicate and only focuses on the two people involved in the therapeutic relationship and the quality of that interaction is paramount to its success. It strikes me that reading around all the different approaches and theories that it’s a bit like comparing different Religious theory – they cannot all be right and you will not suit all situations with the same approach. Maybe there is some truth in all of them and it’s a case of picking out what is relevant. There are elements of the Humanistic approach in all the different theories even the ones that preceded it. That is certainly one of its qualities in that it’s stood the test of time and is a fundamental part of all modern therapeutic practice. Bibliography Maslow, A (1968) ‘Towards a Psychology of Being’, 2nd Edition. Toronto: Van Nostrand   Rogers, C (1991) ‘Client-centred Therapy’, London: Constable   Rogers, C (2002) ‘On Becoming A Person’, London: Constable   Nelson-Jones, R (2000) ‘6 Key Approaches to Counselling & Therapy’, Sage Nelson-Jones, R (2006) ‘Theory and Practice of Counselling & Therapy’, Sage Mearns, D., (1997) ‘Developing Person Centred Counselling London: Sage