Module 2: Personality Theory & Psychopathology
Person Centred
Personality Theory
Personal
Development
Self Awareness
and
Self Reflectiveness
Mental Health
Mental Illness
Clinical
Formulation
Person Centred
Psychopathology
Developing
Counselling
Competence
Supervision
and
Client Work
Person Centred
Personality
Theory
the foundation of person-centred
practice
A theory about:
A) How we develop into functioning
people
(model of ‘normal’ development)
B) How we come to experience
distress
(model for ‘psychological’ distress and
disturbance)
C) How we get from B to A
(model for therapeutic change)
(Sanders)
Part 1: Development
Will include key concepts such as
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A Phenomenological Approach
The Organismic Valuing Process
The Actualising tendency
Self Structure/Self Concept
Conditionality and the need for Positive Regard
The development of Conditions of Worth
Locus of evaluation - internalised and externalised
Part 2 - Distress & Disturbance
Will include key concepts such as
 Symbolisation – how we create meaning
 Denial and Distortion – how we protect ourselves
 Incongruence - the development of Disturbance
 Process of Breakdown
 Configurations of Self (your evening session)
Part 3 Re-integration and Change
This will include key concepts such as:
• Process of integration & change
• The Fully Functioning Person
• Personality as an ongoing process
• Implications for Practice
A Theory of Personality
“If theory could be seen for what it is - a fallible, changing attempt to
construct a network of gossamer threads which will contain the solid
facts; - then a theory would serve as it should;
as a stimulus to further creative thinking”
Carl Rogers. Client Centred Therapy 1959, p.191
Your personal theory
What do you think……
A.
How do we develop into functioning individuals - what is involved?
B.
How come some individuals experience severe levels of distress
whilst others don’t – what happens?
C.
How do these individuals get themselves back together again – what
is involved?
D.
What questions do you have?
A Person Centred
Theory of Personality
A Characteristics of the Human Infant – propositions 1-7
B The Development of the Self – proposition 8 & 9
C The Need for Positive Regard – proposition 9
D The Development of the Need for Self Regard – proposition 9
E The Development of Conditions of Worth – proposition 10
A Phenomenological Approach
• Phenomenology is the study of subjective experience
• The total reality of conscious experience
• Dedicated to describing the structures of experience as
they present themselves to consciousness
• To truly understand ourselves we need to turn our attention to our
conscious ‘lived experiences’
1. Every individual exists in a continually changing world of
experience of which he/she is the centre
A Perceptual Theory
• PERCEPTION IS REALITY
• We cannot separate ourselves from our perceptions of the world
• We can all see, hear, experience the same event but
my response/reaction will be different than yours
• Meaning is in the experiencing – not an interpretation
2. The organism reacts to the field as it is experienced and
perceived. This perceptual field is, for the individual, 'reality ’.
An Organismic Theory
• I respond as a ‘whole system’ and react in my entirety to my
perceptions.
• I react with my whole self – physical, emotional, psychological,
cognitive
• My reaction to the “psychological” will also be physical
• There is one basic drive which emerges from the “wholeness” of
the organism.
3. The organism reacts as an organised whole to this perceptual
field
The Actualising Tendency
• A directional tendency of enhancement
• The organism is driven to grow towards fulfilment
• It is as constant and universal as 'gravity'. (Merry)
• Where it finds what it needs it is nourished and “actualisation” occurs
• When it doesn’t find what it needs, it will continue to seek and find
other things
• This forward-moving tendency is the basis upon which the therapist
relies most deeply and fundamentally.
4. The organism has one basic tendency and striving -to actualise,
maintain, and enhance the experiencing organism
Behaviour is purposeful
• I'll behave in whatever way it takes to get my needs met
• If I feel (perceive) I need something, I’ll attempt to get it - whether or
not it maintains or enhances the organism in the longer term
• Behaviour is prompted by present perceptions – not the past
• As a result of value based ‘introjections’ we sometimes seek things
that do not lead to actualisation
5. Behaviour is basically the goal oriented attempt of the organism
to satisfy its needs as experienced, in the field as perceived.
Behaviour & Emotion
• If something matters to me I will feel strongly about it.
• The stronger my need or repulsion is, the stronger my feelings
will be
• The strength of my emotion will parallel the strength of my need
• Negative emotions are linked to trying to satisfy need.
• Positive emotions are linked to need being fulfilled
6. Emotion accompanies and in general facilitates such goaldirected behaviour, the kind of emotion being related to the seeking
versus the consummatory aspects of the behaviour, and the intensity of
the emotion being related to the perceived significance of the behaviour
for the maintenance and enhancement of the organism
Behaviour & Understanding
• You see what I am doing and know its impact on you
• But if you only evaluate it from this point of view you will not fully
understanding its meaning
• I give meaning and value to my actions
• If you want to understand my behaviour you need to understand my
valuing/meaning processes
• This is a clear anti-Freudian stance and refutes the idea of interpretation
7. The best vantage point for understanding the individual
is from the internal frame of reference of the individual himself
Break
Becoming a ‘Self’
• Initially the organism simply experiences discomfort/pain or comfort and
contentment.
• As the infant develops needs and experiences become “differentiated”;
‘hunger’, pleasure, pain, frustration, fear, comfort.
• The organism starts to gain an awareness of functioning and a “Me” who
is functioning (ie a self-experience). The organism becomes ‘SelfConscious’
• The organism actualises its 'self' just as it actualises its physical 'self‘
(Merry)
8. A portion of the total perceptual field gradually becomes
differentiated as the self.
‘Me’ & Positive Regard
• An awareness of self emerges in relation to others and to the
environment.
• This awareness is accompanied by a need for Positive Regard.
• Positive Regard nourishes it and sustains the ‘self’
• Positive Regard comes explicitly from others.
• Direct organismic valuing is at work in relation to self (Me) others
and the environment
• As this valuing process drives behaviour and interaction, patterns
emerge and a “Concept of Self" (the idea of ‘Me’) emerges
Positive Self Regard
• The need for positive regard from significant others is compelling
• Positive regard experiences become internalised
and independent of interactions with others
= Self-Regard
• We become our own significant “social other”
• We find ways to feel good about ourselves
independently of others
Conditionality
Receiving positive regard from significant others
can become more compelling than the
organismic valuing process
The child can become more influenced by this than by experiences
which are of positive value in actualising the organism
I experience pulling sister’s hair as a good thing - but I am
severely scolded and find out it is a bad thing.
Is it bad or good?
Positive Regard & the ‘Self’
9. As a result of the interaction with the environment, and
particularly as a result of the evaluational interaction with
others, the structure of self is formed – an organised,
fluid, but consistent conceptual pattern of perceptions of
characteristics and relationships of the ‘I’ or the ‘me’,
together with values attached to these concepts
Conditions of Worth
• Others people’s evaluations can be different from the child’s
direct valuing
• This can confuse and “threaten” the developing structure of self.
We receive positive regard within a "conditional" context:
I am good when I………… I am bad when I……………..
• The child might be able to separate the valuings (but often does not)
• The child adopts the parent’s “valuing” as if it is his/hers
• ‘Other’s valuing are “introjected”.
Conditions of Worth
• Self-experiences are discriminated by significant others as being more
or less worthy of positive regard
• Self-Regard becomes similarly selective.
• The “self” which is formed on this basis adopts behaviour which
enhance this “self”
• When a self-experience is avoided or sought because it is less/more
worthy of self-regard, the individual is said to have acquired Condition
of Worth.
• The Locus of Evaluation becomes externalised
In theory, if someone only experienced UPR then no conditions of worth
would develop and self-regard would be unconditional and the need for
positive regard would never be at variance with organismic evaluation
Conditionality and Conditions of worth
10. The values attached to experiences, and the values
which are a part of the self-structure, in some instances are
values experiences directly by the organism, and in some
instances are values introjected or taken over from other
others, but perceived in distorted fashion, as if they had
been experienced directly.
Praise & Criticism
How the did the following people
PRAISE YOU and CRITICISE YOU
Mum
Dad
Siblings & family members
Teachers
Friends
Community
What were you praised & criticised for?
Summary
Actualising Tendency
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Organismic Valuing
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Society/Environment
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Conditions of Worth
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Positive Regard
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Conditional Positive Regard
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Positive Self Regard
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Authentic/Real Self
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Conditional Positive SelfRegard
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Self Structure/Idealised Self
The place of theory
“At the point of the existential
encounter theory has no place”.
“Learn your theories as best you
can, but cast them aside when you
meet the miracle of the living soul”
Carl Rogers
© Persona Development and Training Diploma In Person-Centred Counselling
Carl Jung