Mary's Role In Humanistic Therapy
Madison Hollis
Humanistic: Research Post 1
FSHV 405- Erickson
To begin, Mary appears to be an individual who stopped the search for new experiences to enrich her life and ideas of the world, and therefore feels life has become dull and joyless. Mary is experiencing metapathologies, or the deficiency of adequate meaning in her life (Frager & Fadiman, 2013, pp.304). In humanistic therapy, the therapist’s role is to assist in the self-growth of the individual but never hinder the autonomy of self-discovery within the client. Ultimately it is the hope of the therapist that the client reaches their utmost potential in daily functioning through the means of their own realizations. The client finds fulfillment and purpose from exploring their own
capacities. Through the humanistic approach, Mary can begin to focus her attention on the incredible life she has. In order for self-growth to occur one must be dedicated to something outside of oneself as well as the accomplishment of one’s selected responsibility (Frager & Fadiman, 2013, pp. 303). Mary is already committed to her job as a teacher in which she dedicates every day to the cause of educating youth. The humanistic perspective could possibly help her to identify this as well as encourage her to strive for greater accomplishment in her career. As soon as Mary begins to understand that her everyday work is not only inspirational but also rewarding to those around her, she will begin to feel empowered again. Mary seems to feel uncertainty that she can experience joy in the life that she is already living. With the common misconception that a drastic change needs to occur in ones life for them to feel fulfilled, people often oversee that the drastic change needed is through their thought processes. In order for growth to occur exponentially, one must have faith in the possibilities that life holds. Only after rediscovering the magnificence of life can the beholder conjure meaning and the best path for themselves (Suri, 2010, pp. 177). The humanistic approach will be helpful in teaching her to experience a fuller array of her own thoughts, feelings, etc. When she comes to reconnect with the realization of endless potential for herself and the world around her, she will begin to completely redefine her attitude towards living (Schneider, et al., 2015, pp. 75). While a newfound outlook of her career will aid Mary greatly in her search for purpose and fulfillment, it is important that she also become more mindful of her mother. One major key in the humanistic approach is to practice one’s awareness or concentration to live completely in the moment. This could prove to be especially relevant when Mary is caring for her elderly mother. Presence provides a sense of care and acceptance that sometimes cannot simply be communicated when coping with an elder whose mind may be slipping (Suri, 2010, pp. 177). If Mary can learn to focus her complete and undivided attention to her mother when she is with her, this state of mind will naturally transfer to her everyday life and in every moment that she lives. The absolute mental and physical presence of another person whom one cares for deeply and considers being a very close relationship in their life stems potential for individual and spiritual development for both people involved (Suri, 2010, pp. 177).
References
Frager, R., & Fadiman, J. (2013). Personality and Personal Growth (7th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
Schneider, K. J., Pierson, J. F., & Bugental, J. F. T. (2015). The handbook of humanistic psychology: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Suri, R. (2010). Working with the elderly: An existential— humanistic approach. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 50(2), 175-186. doi:10.1177/0022167809335687
Humanistic: Research Post 1
FSHV 405- Erickson
To begin, Mary appears to be an individual who stopped the search for new experiences to enrich her life and ideas of the world, and therefore feels life has become dull and joyless. Mary is experiencing metapathologies, or the deficiency of adequate meaning in her life (Frager & Fadiman, 2013, pp.304). In humanistic therapy, the therapist’s role is to assist in the self-growth of the individual but never hinder the autonomy of self-discovery within the client. Ultimately it is the hope of the therapist that the client reaches their utmost potential in daily functioning through the means of their own realizations. The client finds fulfillment and purpose from exploring their own
capacities. Through the humanistic approach, Mary can begin to focus her attention on the incredible life she has. In order for self-growth to occur one must be dedicated to something outside of oneself as well as the accomplishment of one’s selected responsibility (Frager & Fadiman, 2013, pp. 303). Mary is already committed to her job as a teacher in which she dedicates every day to the cause of educating youth. The humanistic perspective could possibly help her to identify this as well as encourage her to strive for greater accomplishment in her career. As soon as Mary begins to understand that her everyday work is not only inspirational but also rewarding to those around her, she will begin to feel empowered again. Mary seems to feel uncertainty that she can experience joy in the life that she is already living. With the common misconception that a drastic change needs to occur in ones life for them to feel fulfilled, people often oversee that the drastic change needed is through their thought processes. In order for growth to occur exponentially, one must have faith in the possibilities that life holds. Only after rediscovering the magnificence of life can the beholder conjure meaning and the best path for themselves (Suri, 2010, pp. 177). The humanistic approach will be helpful in teaching her to experience a fuller array of her own thoughts, feelings, etc. When she comes to reconnect with the realization of endless potential for herself and the world around her, she will begin to completely redefine her attitude towards living (Schneider, et al., 2015, pp. 75). While a newfound outlook of her career will aid Mary greatly in her search for purpose and fulfillment, it is important that she also become more mindful of her mother. One major key in the humanistic approach is to practice one’s awareness or concentration to live completely in the moment. This could prove to be especially relevant when Mary is caring for her elderly mother. Presence provides a sense of care and acceptance that sometimes cannot simply be communicated when coping with an elder whose mind may be slipping (Suri, 2010, pp. 177). If Mary can learn to focus her complete and undivided attention to her mother when she is with her, this state of mind will naturally transfer to her everyday life and in every moment that she lives. The absolute mental and physical presence of another person whom one cares for deeply and considers being a very close relationship in their life stems potential for individual and spiritual development for both people involved (Suri, 2010, pp. 177).
References
Frager, R., & Fadiman, J. (2013). Personality and Personal Growth (7th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
Schneider, K. J., Pierson, J. F., & Bugental, J. F. T. (2015). The handbook of humanistic psychology: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Suri, R. (2010). Working with the elderly: An existential— humanistic approach. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 50(2), 175-186. doi:10.1177/0022167809335687