Carl Rogers is one of the people who have developed a wide range of psychological frameworks used in the understanding of different issues that affect human beings. Rodgers was an American psychologist who strived to promote the adoption of the humanistic approaches to psychology (Kirschenbaum, 1979). In addition, he was involved in the writing of texts showing the application of humanistic models in the field of psychology. Rodgers wrote different books to explain diverse concepts related to his framework. An example of a text that was written by Carl Rodgers is A Way of Being . The aim of the paper is to summarize the text A Way of Being and highlight how the concepts addressed in the text can be used in the field of psychology.
A Way of Being is one of the important books that Carl Rodgers wrote in the course of his life. This book addressed the psychological world views used to understand how people behave (Rogers, 1995). The first paradigm that had been used for a long time around the world was linked to the ideas of Freud. Freud’s framework was based on the unconscious mind and the ideology that human beings were generally aggressive and impulsive. Furthermore, Freud believed that the kind of behavior that human beings were showing were based on their compensatory fantasies and unconscious desires (Rogers, 1995). This implied that human beings were dangerous and always strived to exercise their authority and power. Such powers were caused by the dark forces which existed within an individual. Therefore, they could lead to the expression of emotions that could affect the functioning and overall wellbeing of the society. Therefore, it is important to understand human reasoning and find ways through which they could be assisted to overcome their struggles.
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Another common world view that influenced the way human beings were perceived was the Skinner worldview. The framework postulates that human beings are not any different from physical objects (Rogers, 1995). Furthermore, it is argued that the abilities of human beings and were not related to the magical privileges that they had or accessed to in life. Instead, it is linked to the fact that human beings have a complex brain that determines how they behave. Furthermore, human being had a brain made them behave in a way that may not be easy to predict. In addition, it is difficult to determine the exact responses that people will have when facing particular situation. Consequently, there have been a wide range of experiments that have been done to examine the working of the human brain and to show the extent to which it can be influenced subconsciously by the cues that exist in the environment.
The realization that the environmental cues can influence human brain affected the belief that people have a free will to act and respond to situations. Furthermore, it become difficult to explain how a person whose actions is affected by environmental factors can still claim to be having the ability to make free choices. It is also worth stating that the complex human brain usually has chemicals that can be acted upon by various environmental triggers. In such instances, a person may react in an unpredictable way. Therefore, Rodger concluded that the thoughts and emotions of a person are directly linked to his or her experiences of reality (Rogers, 1995). If a person is able to change reality, then he or she can also change the thinking process. Consequently, the is no need to think about an individual as an autonomous being that is capable of making decisions without external influences. Furthermore, the second framework postulates that everything that the human brain thinks about may occur subconsciously.
In the book, Carl Rodgers provides a different framework that can also be used when analyzing and understanding the human brain. In addition, he strives to explain why human beings should be viewed from a subjective rather than an objective perspective. While developing his framework, Carl Rodgers avoided the idea of denying that the human brain could be affected by environmental factors (Rogers, 1995). In addition, he did not deny the possibility that there were biological factors that could affect the way human beings acted or behaved. However, Rodgers underscored the fact that every person has the ability to maintain a certain degree of freedom. In addition, the modicum freedom that human beings had allowed them to act in a specific way and respond to cues differently. This is a concept that had also been addressed in other works by different scholars. For instance, Victor Frankly opined that there are instances where human beings go through severe forms of mental torture but still managed to make a free decision on how to live (Rogers, 1995). In some instances, those who are going through challenging periods in life may decide to share their experiences with the people around them. In other cases, human beings decide to engage in activities that will relieve their stresses. These are examples that have been given to support the idea that even through environmental issues may influence human behavior, every individual will still decide how to respond to them.
In his book, Rodgers also stated that it may not be necessary to think of human being as people who are influenced by destructive forces that come from within. Instead, it is imperative to see human beings as people who have a complex brain but strive to achieve a high level of harmony in life (Rogers, 1995). By controlling their thought process, humans have managed to deal with some of the complex experiences that they face. In addition, they have been able to confront their own emotions, speak in an honest way, and live with high degree of dignity. All these processes occur within a complex environment where there are different cues that may also have a confounding impact on the way person lives.
Another critical issue that is raised in this particular book is the fact that human beings are not always powerful or autonomous. Furthermore, the future of any person is not predetermined. The argument is based on the fact that human beings are not objects but rather subjects who can make valid decisions after considering a wide range of issues and factors. Rodgers also noted that even when considering the deal that a person may be influenced by environmental factors, it is also imperative to remember that the environment may also be constructed based on the subjective views and individual decisions (Rogers, 1995). It implies that the decision that a person makes today may affect his or her environment in the future. However, predicting the actual impact that the present decisions may have in the future may prove to be a challenge for many people. I addition, it may be difficult to know how a person may respond to the future occurrences in the environment where they live. This is to say that even though objective reality can exist, there are still various forces that operate beyond the control of a human being which may affect their plans and feelings. As subjective beings, human beings will respond to the forces differently and understand them I diverse ways. The kind of thinking approach that a person develops may affect their perception of the environment and the kind of emotions that they will have in life.
When examining the text by Rodgers, it is also imperative to consider the manner in which the author addresses the issue of wholeness. Wholeness of a person may refer to their overall wellbeing. It may encompass the physical, mental, ad spiritual wellbeing of an individual. Rodgers noted that most of the social structures that have been used in the field of psychology tend to overlook the idea of wholesomeness. I addition, there have been attempts to neglect the issue of distorted or wrong sense of competence. An example is the case where students may not get enough time to engage in physical exercise because of the demanding nature of their academic journey (Rogers, 1995). The same applies to those in employment who may not get enough time to engage in physical exercise. Instead, the focus is normally on the academic performance for the studies and improve level of productivity for the people who are in employment. While it is not wrong to focus on such issues, there is a need to also consider the overall wellbeing of the person in question. When such wrong social structures approaches are used, then minimal attention will be given to the other factors that may affect and the wholesomeness of a person. Furthermore, people may end up being stifled in a corner where they may not be able to improve all their face of life.
Rodgers used his personal experiences to advocate for the idea of wholesomeness. For instance, he talked about a lady who was always trying to be happy but faced constant pressure from the rest of her family. Whenever the lady tried to get into a relationship, she would be opposed by her father who believed that her daughter was making the wrong choice. With time, the lady began to lose trust in her abilities and would involve other people in critical decisions that she had to make (Rogers, 1995). Whenever the lady made a decision that was against the wishes of the father, she would feel guilty and blamed herself for everything. The mental pressure led to suicide. This is an excellent example of the manner in which social structures and practices can adversely affect the mental wellbeing of a person. In addition, it shows the way failure to consider the issue of wholesomeness when understanding how people behave and act may lead to the wrong conclusions.
Finally, Rodger’s addressed the subject of person-centered approach in his text. Rodgers did not believe in the idea that human beings can be controlled by forces. Therefore, he proposed that when striving to help people deal with various mental health issues affecting them, it is imperative to always use the patient centered approach. Rodger’s argument was based on the belief that people who were self-motivated and self-determined could easily achieve their desires and goals in life (Kirschenbaum, 1979). However, those who were forced to confirm to a particular norm in the society would always feel restricted and controlled. It is undeniable that certain circumstances may require people to follow the existing norms to be able to live peacefully and realize the desired results. An example is the case of children who are expected to live in accordance to the rules that are handed down to them by parents. As people grow, they begin to develop unique abilities that will determine how they respond to situations. Therefore, the caregivers need to embrace patient centered approach when dealing with such people.
The concepts that are raised in Rodger’s book are relevant to the current field of psychology. In addition, they can be used as the basis for dealing with some of the challenges that patients face in the course of their lives. One of the critical implications of the text is that caregivers need to avoid viewing people as objects with a predetermined fate. In addition, it is important to consider human beings as subjective beings who have the ability to make decisions after considering various contextual and environmental factors ( Corey, 2016 ). In addition, human beings should be perceived as people who understand their environment and strive to respond to cues effectively.
Another vital concept that should be integrated into practice is the idea of wholesomeness. In most instances, the focus is usually on the physical wellbeing of a person. In such instances, minimal attention is directed to the mental and spiritual elements of life. Psychologists need to embrace the concept of wholeness and strive to incorporate it into their practice. Finally, the subject of patient centered care is critical in the modern psychological practice. In particular, it is imperative to consider the fact that every human being is unique in a given manner. Furthermore, people tend to develop a unique personality and thinking method that suits their lives. These choices may be influence by the kind of experiences that person has in life. Therefore, there are high chances that people will react to life challenges in different ways. When dealing with patients, psychologists should consider human beings as unique individuals who hold unique perspectives about life and its reality.
In conclusion, Rodger provided critical concept that have been used in the understanding of the human mind and behavior. In addition, he strived to show how the client-centered model could be used in addressing the complex mental issues that human beings were facing. The concept can be used to create therapies for managing mantel issues. The interventions that are used when caring for such patient should be developed based on their traits and the manner in which the patients view and perceive life.
References
Corey , G. (2016). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy . Cengage Learning.
Kirschenbaum, H. (1979). On Becoming Carl Rogers. Delacorte Press.
Rogers, C. (1995). A way of being. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
