Assignment 4
"What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself. --
Abraham H. Maslow (Robson, John 2013)”
This says to me that in order for a person to change they have to first become aware of themselves and how they perceive and understand themselves in relation to the world.
During the following assignment I am going to explore how I myself, through the studying of counselling skills and theory, have developed my understanding of self and how I apply this within whatever environment I am placed in.
1. Understand how the study of counselling theory can inform personal development and growth
1.1 Reflect on ways in which the study of counselling theory has developed their understanding of self
One area I feel I have developed during my study of counselling skills is that of self-concept and how I can place conditions of worth upon myself.
“A need for positive regard from others is a learned need developed in early infancy. Positive regard here means the perception of experiencing oneself as making a positive difference in the experiential field of another (Nelson-Jones 2006)”
This says to me that we learn form an early age to seek recognition from others by way of having a positive impact on other people and seeing the positive responses they show towards us.
Conditions of worth are standards of value that are placed upon us as to how good we are and how we think we should behave based upon outside influences, and we behave in certain ways dependant upon how we view ourselves related to these standards of value. In essence our organismic or real self, that is simply how we are and our own true feelings not influenced externally, is distorted by these standards of value and we become an idealised version of ourselves based upon what we believe are expectations from others on how we should behave. This ideal self then becomes reality for us, however irrational this is, and we then adopt behaviours supporting our ideal self, even resisting positive
Abraham H. Maslow (Robson, John 2013)”
This says to me that in order for a person to change they have to first become aware of themselves and how they perceive and understand themselves in relation to the world.
During the following assignment I am going to explore how I myself, through the studying of counselling skills and theory, have developed my understanding of self and how I apply this within whatever environment I am placed in.
1. Understand how the study of counselling theory can inform personal development and growth
1.1 Reflect on ways in which the study of counselling theory has developed their understanding of self
One area I feel I have developed during my study of counselling skills is that of self-concept and how I can place conditions of worth upon myself.
“A need for positive regard from others is a learned need developed in early infancy. Positive regard here means the perception of experiencing oneself as making a positive difference in the experiential field of another (Nelson-Jones 2006)”
This says to me that we learn form an early age to seek recognition from others by way of having a positive impact on other people and seeing the positive responses they show towards us.
Conditions of worth are standards of value that are placed upon us as to how good we are and how we think we should behave based upon outside influences, and we behave in certain ways dependant upon how we view ourselves related to these standards of value. In essence our organismic or real self, that is simply how we are and our own true feelings not influenced externally, is distorted by these standards of value and we become an idealised version of ourselves based upon what we believe are expectations from others on how we should behave. This ideal self then becomes reality for us, however irrational this is, and we then adopt behaviours supporting our ideal self, even resisting positive
References: Memiah Limited. (1998). Diversity. Available: http://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counselloradvice9993.html. Last accessed 7th June 2013. The University of Nottingham. (2012). Principles of Constructive Feedback. Available: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/hr/guidesandsupport/performanceatwork/pdpr/documents/pdprprinciplesofconstructivefeedback.pdf. Last accessed 9th June 2013. WikiHow Hough, M (1998). Counselling Skills and Theory. London: Hodder & Stoughton Educational. Nelson-Jones, R (2006). Theory and Practice of Counselling and Therapy Wheeler, Professor Sue (2006). Difference and Diversity in Counselling: Contemporary Psychodynamic Approaches. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.