Compare and Contrast Psychodynamic and Humanistic Essay

Compare and contrast how the psychodynamic and person-centred approaches to counselling understand the person, and how these two approaches explain psychological distress experienced by individuals. In part 2 reflect on and write about which of the two models appeals most to you and why? INTRODUCTION Psychodynamic and person-centred approaches to counselling have many differences in the way they understand the person and explain psychological distress. Part one below reviews both approaches separately, followed by a comparison of the main similarities and differences. Part two explains why I feel psychodynamic therapy appeals to me most. PART ONE PSYCHODYNAMIC Psychodynamic counselling has its roots in the work of Sigmund†¦show more content†¦Person centred therapists believe that people are driven by two distinct needs. The first is self-actualisation (the ability to be the best we can be), the second is the need to be loved and valued. ‘Self concept’ or the way we view ourselves is highly relevant in person-centred therapy. Should there be a separation between actual experience, and the way our ‘self’ believes something should be incongruence is said to occur. McLeod (2008) describes this as, â€Å"Where there is a disjunction between feelings and the capacity for accurate awareness and symbolization of these feelings, a state of incongruence is said to exist. Incongruence is the very broad term used to describe the whole range of problems that clients bring to counselling† (p. 179). Rogers ‘conditions of worth’ are explanation of how a person’s self-concept is shaped by parental influence, and ‘locus of evaluation’ considers how the self-concept is shaped by internal versus external influences. It is worth noting that ‘conditions of worth’ are the only explanation Rogers used of childhood influences on current behaviour. Rogers had a very positive view on humanity and believed that if a normal, self-aware person follows their own internal thoughts and feelings, they would come to the correct conclusions which would not only satisfy themselves, but othersShow MoreRelatedmodels and approaches relate to client need, therapeutic context and aims and objectives of the therapy.1106 Words   |  5 Pageslook to condition new behaviours, or through the idea of internal behaviour, such as the Psychodynamic approach and believing the unconscious needs to be divulged, the aim of all approaches is to enable the client to lead a positive and prosperous life, in the words of Carl Rogers, as a â€Å"Fully functioning person†. The models have introduced the idea of the individual being central to psychology. The Psychodynamic approach believes that (R. Gross (Hodder, 2010 ) â€Å"Much of our behaviour is determinedRead MorePersonality Analysis Paper1521 Words   |  7 Pagesthere are several approaches to the personality analysis, this paper will specifically focus on the psychodynamic, humanistic and existential approaches. This paper will compare and contrast these theories, explore the characteristics that accompany these theories, and explain the interpersonal relational aspects associated with these particular theories. 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DisputesRead MorePsychology : Humanistic And Psychodynamic Approach On The Dsm, And Going A Bit Into Homosexuality1111 Words   |  5 PagesFor this writing assignment, I did research in the areas of approaches such as humanistic and psychodynamic along with reading the DSM, and going a bit into homosexuality. In my findings I put together a bit of information regarding the question, to the best of my knowledge. I mention why I prefer the humanistic approach. Also I was able to local a copy of the DSM and descr ibe about the disorder I found interesting. Last, I talked about homosexuality since there a lot of controversy regarding thisRead MoreSimilarities And Differences Between Psychodynamic Approaches, Trait, Learning, Biological And Evolutionary, And Humanistic Approaches1279 Words   |  6 PagesThe first subject discussed is comparing and contrasting the personality approaches to personality. 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