The human mind is an exponentially complex and complicated system that gradually learns and reacts to the internal and external environments. Above all its other components, the mind is a learning system that gradually develops core knowledge from a combination of a cognitive and empirical process. The cognitive processes collect data while the empirical system process the data and comes up with information through which the mind learns. In the case the wrong information gets fed into the system, a potential for a future malfunction is established unless the wrong information is corrected. It is this future malfunction that is normally referred to as a psychological disorder. It is important to note that the fact that a potential for a future malfunction exist does not necessarily mean that the malfunction will occur (Wilson, Stroud, & Durbin, 2017). For the malfunction that can be considered as a psychological disorder to occur there must also be environmental bearing factors that will trigger it.
Psychological Assessment of Rachel
It is clear that a potential for the malfunction of Rachel’s mind was created in her childhood which has then been triggered into an actual psychological disorder called dependent personality disorder. Rachel is having relationship problems and seems to be moving from one boyfriend to the next in rapid succession, with even some potential boyfriends being kept pending awaiting their respective turn. In itself, the conduct of Rachel does not amount to a psychological disorders although the fact that it is happening in her mid-thirties as opposed to early-twenties is troubling. What makes it potentially a psychological disorder is the fact that her unstable relationships have been going on for too long to the extent that she considers it a problem (Wilson, Stroud, & Durbin, 2017). Rachel has come for counselling but before that, she had gone to see a psychiatrist. This means that the issue relating to her relationships has been serious enough for her to consider seeking help. The second sign of a psychological problem lies in the fact that Rachel attempted to take her life through an overdose. The attempted suicide reveals the complicated nature of the relationship. Another sign of the issue having developed into a psychological problem lies in Rachel’s reaction to it. When the psychiatrist raised the issue of Rachel’s mother, she reacted with hostility. Secondly, she indicated she must be doing something wrong to ruin her relationships. Based on the totality of the above, Rachel is suffering from the dependent personality disorder (Wilson, Stroud & Durbin, 2017).
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Concepts on What Led to the Disorder
There are several potential causations to Rachel’s development of dependent personality disorder with the three leading ones being genetics, mental trauma as a child, and environmental factors as a grown up. Available research shows that genetics play a role in the development of psychological disorders (Cooper, Vental & Sharp, 2018). For example, two socially similar people may be exposed to two similar experiences, yet one will develop a psychological disorder but the other will not. In the case of Rachel, the fact that her mother exhibited abnormal behavior creates the probability that her genes carry a potential psychological weakness. It may have been reasonable for the mother to be sad about losing her career as an actor but it is abnormal to victimize an innocent child for such a loss. If the mother had psychological problems, the chances of Rachel having the same are heightened. Childhood trauma caused by how Rachel was treated by her mother must be the second causational factor. As the child of a single-parent, the mother was the closest human to Rachel and if she neglected her as indicated by the psychiatrist, the neglect would definitively hurt Rachel psychologically. That hurt would create a mental weakness that would then be triggered by a future event (Wilson, Stroud, & Durbin, 2017). The future event in this regard is the relationships that Rachel have that never last. If by some good lack Rachel and her first adulthood boyfriend somehow got married and settled down, the potential for a psychological problem would never have developed. However, having an acute relationship turnover triggered the genetic and childhood experience issues thus creating a full-blown disorder.
Humanistic Psychology Intervention
From a humanistic psychology perspective, Rachel needs to accept that she has a problem as opposed to thinking that she is the problem then consciously be able to prevent that problem from affecting her day to day behavior (Baker & Powel, 2014). Rachel is fixated on her faults, weaknesses, and what she is doing wrong which can be a strong inhibition for any counseling intervention regimen undertaken. Therefore, before any active intervention, counselling should be used to assist Rachel accept and love herself. The process of self-acceptance and love will begin with Rachel understanding and accepting the fact that what has been going on in her life is definitively not her fault. Making her understand that factors beyond her such as genetics and environment factors contributed to the advent and advancement of the problem can help foster self-acceptance.
The second component would be to use Albert Ellis’ rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) to eliminate the ‘musts’ in Rachel’s life (Baker & Powel, 2014). Rachel feels that she must get a good man then she must treat him in the right way because she must settle down with him for the rest of her life. If these ‘musts’ are not met, Rachel is willing to harm herself and even die, as reflected by her almost successful suicide by overdose. The elimination of the ‘musts’ can be achieved by enabling Rachel to learn how to live for herself and be contented with life without the need for a third-party to complete her. It is important to clarify that this does not mean she does not need a husband or a man in her life. It, however, means that having a husband should never be a matter of life and death for Rachel. Husband or no husband, she should be able to live her life, enjoy it and find fulfilment in herself.
The final and most important part of the counselling therapy from a perspective of humanistic psychology would be training on mindfulness and how to use mindfulness to solve her relationship handicap. Mindfulness can be defined as the process of actively bringing the mind to the present, taking it off secondary issues, and focusing it on the pertinent issue (Baker & Powel, 2014). The fact that Rachel has been going through relationships rapidly means there is something about her conduct that has been pushing her suitors away. Alternatively, she might be in such a hurry to get suitors that she has been picking the wrong ones, including jokers out to waste her time. The moment Rachel realizes her weaknesses, mindfulness can assist her to actively overcome them when they manifest. She will, therefore, be able to overcome her relationship handicap and make her next relationship work.
Conclusion
Rachel is in a psychological crisis that is so severe that it also places her life in danger. Rachel’s mother’s conduct towards her presents a possibility that she was genetically predisposed to develop a psychological problem. Her experiences as a child due to parental neglect had the potential to cause psychological trauma which increased propensity for developing dependent personality disorder. Finally, her inability to maintain a romantic relationship and the high relationship turnover finally triggered the dependent personality disorder. The viable solution to her problem based on humanistic psychology begins with Rachel accepting herself as perfect. She then needs to find fulfillment in herself without seeking it from others, including potential spouses. Finally, Rachel needs to learn mindfulness and use it to overcome her relationship handicap. Humanistic psychology can be applied in the day to day lives of individuals in order to mitigate the propensity for mental disorders before it is too late as almost happened to Rachel. Humanistic psychology can also be used to reverse the adverse effects of even major psychological disorders as outlined above.
References
Barker, G., & Powell, C. (2014). From Woe to Go. Bloomington, Indiana: Balboa Press
Cooper, E. B., Venta, A., & Sharp, C. (2018). The role of maternal care in borderline personality disorder and dependent life stress. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation , 5 (1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-018-0083-y
Wilson, S., Stroud, C. B., & Durbin, C. E. (2017). Interpersonal dysfunction in personality disorders: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin , 143 (7), 677-734
