Theory Of Existential Couseling
Comparison of Counseling Theories
By:
Introduction to Counseling
February 27, 2007
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight on several different counseling theories. The theories outlined are client-centered therapy developed by Carl Rodgers, existential therapy developed by Rollo May and Victor Frankl and the Gestalt counseling theory derived from Gestalt psychology. Each theory is still used today with many studies and attempts to study each theory further to align with the changing needs of society.
Client-Centered Therapy Approach
The client-centered therapy approach was first developed by Carl Rodgers in the 1940’s in the form of nondirective psychotherapy. The client-centered approach, often …show more content…
called person-centered therapy is focused on the individual receiving therapy and allows them to maintain dignity and realize their worth a human beings. This humanistic personality approach is based on Rodgers’ assumption that people are inherently good. Rodgers’ theory also emphasized the self-actualization tendency that all living things possess. Self-actualization is commonly described as the attainment of one's full potential through creativity, independence, and a having a firm grasp on reality. Associated with self-actualization are secondary needs of the human being such as the desire and need for positive regard from others in addition to the need to have positive regard for themselves. Attaining these positive attitudes towards themselves and receiving them from others leads to more favorable life behaviors. Once the client realizes that life is a process and not a just a state of being, they begin to formulate positive behaviors that lead to the enhancement of their lives.
The client-centered therapy approach leaves it up to the counselor to decide which behaviors their clients should modify and how. Client-centered therapy does not limit the counselor in how they can respond in treatment of the client. It also allows the counselor to be more creative while maintaining their original theories of therapy. In this process of attitudinal conditioning the counselor focuses on the client and not their actual problems. The counselor/client relationship is an unequal one but the non-direct attitude of the counselor gives the client a sense of control of their own self-improvement. The counselor uses empathetic speech and response techniques to convey their understanding to the client which leads to the growth of the clients’ self-confidence. The client is also more apt to respond to client-centered therapy because the approach does not make them feel evaluated or feel like they are “damaged goods”.
Existential Counseling Theory
The theory of existential counseling was developed by Rollo May and Victor Frankl.
When Frankl was young he studied with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung before being imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. “Frankl stated that in the camps he would, at times, pretend to himself that he was actually in the future” (www.wikipedia.com). This approach to giving life a significant meaning, he says, is what kept him alive. Frankl’s disclosure is a good example of how the existential couseling theory works. The central theme of existential counseling is that a human being’s existence comes first and is more elemental than any meaning attributed to human life. In essence, man determines his reality. The view of this theory is that we are not determined by our past but by our present actions and actuality. The client must be willing to take responsibility for their own lives and counselors who practice existential counseling work to teach the client how to achieve this …show more content…
goal.
Methods of existential counseling are akin to forming an intimate personal relationship. All counselors are not equipped to apply existential techniques due to their inability to tolerate the emotional closeness with a client. Existential therapy requires a willingness of the client to be very open with the counselor and for the counselor to create a trusted relationship with the client. The theory calls for counselors to encourage the client to make decisions based upon what has significance to them as opposed to what society thinks is rational. “Because all men and women face the same basic issues of love, suffering, and death, existentialism is really a universal philosophy of life” (Vontress).
Some theorists propose that existential counseling should only be emphasized in the realm of mental health counseling.
Most existentialists maintain that the unconscious mental conflicts are what shape cognition, emotion, and behavior. The mental health existential counseling theory focuses heavily on two themes: existential anxiety and authenticity. “Existential anxiety differs from the everyday anxiety in that it is not accompanied by the usual somatic symptoms but is rather a deep feeling of unease that arises from our awareness of the givens: our existence is finite, we are mortal, and there is no purpose but the one we create for ourselves. Authenticity is the kind of existence human beings have when they accept the responsibility for choosing the direction of their lives and they base those choices on values determined through increasing self-awareness” (Bauman et al,
1998).
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapy was developed from the clinical research of German psychotherapists, Fritz Perls, and Lore Perls. The word gestalt means whole figure. Gestalt therapy stresses how people function in their entirety. Like the existential theory, Gestalt therapy is a present-centered approach. This approach poses questions to the client such as how, what, and why a situation is they way it is. The answer, of course, is in the present and the present should be the focus of a client receiving Gestalt therapy. Counselors utilize two forms of techniques: experiments and exercises. Exercises are pre-determined methods that counselors assign to the client such as acting out thoughts, dreams, or fantasies. These exercises provoke a response from the client that counselors use to help the person explore and understand themselves. Experiments are derived completely out of the interactive relationship of the client and counselor. Dream theory is often practiced as an extension of Gestalt therapy. Many Gestalt therapists agree that dreams are existential messages. These therapists believe that dreams are a projection of a reality that the client may be avoiding or feel that they are unable to act out. The same basic techniques of Gestalt therapy are also applied to dream theory. Counselor interpretation of the clients’ actions and reactions as well as dreams is almost always avoided.
Adlerian Counseling Theory
The Adlerian theory is aptly named after its’ founder Alfred Adler. Adlerian counseling is a therapeutic approach focusing on the concept that human nature is chiefly motivated by social interest. In contrast to existential theory, the Adlerian theory is believed to be influenced by the conscious mind. Alderian contended that people in general struggle to obtain exactness and/or wholeness. In this quest, he beloved that people are driven by the past in addition to the future. Adlerian theory in itself bestows considerable importance on birth order, suggesting that those who share ordinal familial status have major similarities. In addition to birth order, the family environment is important to a person’s development, particularly in the first five years (Gladding).
Like other counseling theories and therapies Adlerian counseling also agrees that the institution of a positive counseling relationship is critical to success of the client. Next the counselor examines the client’s lifestyle, and then counselors attempt to help clients develop insight. Unlike the theories previously discussed, interpretation of client output is relied on heavily by the counselor in determining treatment.
Although the Adlerian theory is internationally popular and well practiced, it remains the least researched theory. Criticism suggests that this theory is not a culturally universal, neglectful of certain life dimensions, and is too vague. In comparison this theory provides sanguinity and is adaptable throughout life span development.
References
Anisman, H., Remington, G., & Sklar, L. S. (1979).
Effects of inescapable shock on subsequent escape
performance: Catecholaminergic and cholinergic
mediation of response initiation and maintenance.
Psychopharmacology, 61(1), 107-124.
Beck, A. T. (1967). Depression: Clinical, experimental
and theoretical aspects. New York: Hoeber.
Cicero, T. J. (1979). A critique of animal analogues
of alcoholism. In E. Majchrowicz & E. P. Noble (Eds.),
Biochemistry and pharmacology of ethanol (Volume
2, pp. 31-59). New York: Plenum Press.
Dorworth, T. R., & Overmier, J. B. (1977). On "learned
helplessness": The therapeutic effects of
electroconvulsive shocks. Physiological Psychology,
5, 355-358.
Plonsky, M. (2004). Psychology with style: A hypertext
writing guide (Version 5). Retrieved from the Web
January 10, 2004. http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm
U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
(1971). Alcohol and health. Washington, DC: U.S.
Government Printing Office.
.
By:
Introduction to Counseling
February 27, 2007
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight on several different counseling theories. The theories outlined are client-centered therapy developed by Carl Rodgers, existential therapy developed by Rollo May and Victor Frankl and the Gestalt counseling theory derived from Gestalt psychology. Each theory is still used today with many studies and attempts to study each theory further to align with the changing needs of society.
Client-Centered Therapy Approach
The client-centered therapy approach was first developed by Carl Rodgers in the 1940’s in the form of nondirective psychotherapy. The client-centered approach, often …show more content…
called person-centered therapy is focused on the individual receiving therapy and allows them to maintain dignity and realize their worth a human beings. This humanistic personality approach is based on Rodgers’ assumption that people are inherently good. Rodgers’ theory also emphasized the self-actualization tendency that all living things possess. Self-actualization is commonly described as the attainment of one's full potential through creativity, independence, and a having a firm grasp on reality. Associated with self-actualization are secondary needs of the human being such as the desire and need for positive regard from others in addition to the need to have positive regard for themselves. Attaining these positive attitudes towards themselves and receiving them from others leads to more favorable life behaviors. Once the client realizes that life is a process and not a just a state of being, they begin to formulate positive behaviors that lead to the enhancement of their lives.
The client-centered therapy approach leaves it up to the counselor to decide which behaviors their clients should modify and how. Client-centered therapy does not limit the counselor in how they can respond in treatment of the client. It also allows the counselor to be more creative while maintaining their original theories of therapy. In this process of attitudinal conditioning the counselor focuses on the client and not their actual problems. The counselor/client relationship is an unequal one but the non-direct attitude of the counselor gives the client a sense of control of their own self-improvement. The counselor uses empathetic speech and response techniques to convey their understanding to the client which leads to the growth of the clients’ self-confidence. The client is also more apt to respond to client-centered therapy because the approach does not make them feel evaluated or feel like they are “damaged goods”.
Existential Counseling Theory
The theory of existential counseling was developed by Rollo May and Victor Frankl.
When Frankl was young he studied with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung before being imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. “Frankl stated that in the camps he would, at times, pretend to himself that he was actually in the future” (www.wikipedia.com). This approach to giving life a significant meaning, he says, is what kept him alive. Frankl’s disclosure is a good example of how the existential couseling theory works. The central theme of existential counseling is that a human being’s existence comes first and is more elemental than any meaning attributed to human life. In essence, man determines his reality. The view of this theory is that we are not determined by our past but by our present actions and actuality. The client must be willing to take responsibility for their own lives and counselors who practice existential counseling work to teach the client how to achieve this …show more content…
goal.
Methods of existential counseling are akin to forming an intimate personal relationship. All counselors are not equipped to apply existential techniques due to their inability to tolerate the emotional closeness with a client. Existential therapy requires a willingness of the client to be very open with the counselor and for the counselor to create a trusted relationship with the client. The theory calls for counselors to encourage the client to make decisions based upon what has significance to them as opposed to what society thinks is rational. “Because all men and women face the same basic issues of love, suffering, and death, existentialism is really a universal philosophy of life” (Vontress).
Some theorists propose that existential counseling should only be emphasized in the realm of mental health counseling.
Most existentialists maintain that the unconscious mental conflicts are what shape cognition, emotion, and behavior. The mental health existential counseling theory focuses heavily on two themes: existential anxiety and authenticity. “Existential anxiety differs from the everyday anxiety in that it is not accompanied by the usual somatic symptoms but is rather a deep feeling of unease that arises from our awareness of the givens: our existence is finite, we are mortal, and there is no purpose but the one we create for ourselves. Authenticity is the kind of existence human beings have when they accept the responsibility for choosing the direction of their lives and they base those choices on values determined through increasing self-awareness” (Bauman et al,
1998).
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapy was developed from the clinical research of German psychotherapists, Fritz Perls, and Lore Perls. The word gestalt means whole figure. Gestalt therapy stresses how people function in their entirety. Like the existential theory, Gestalt therapy is a present-centered approach. This approach poses questions to the client such as how, what, and why a situation is they way it is. The answer, of course, is in the present and the present should be the focus of a client receiving Gestalt therapy. Counselors utilize two forms of techniques: experiments and exercises. Exercises are pre-determined methods that counselors assign to the client such as acting out thoughts, dreams, or fantasies. These exercises provoke a response from the client that counselors use to help the person explore and understand themselves. Experiments are derived completely out of the interactive relationship of the client and counselor. Dream theory is often practiced as an extension of Gestalt therapy. Many Gestalt therapists agree that dreams are existential messages. These therapists believe that dreams are a projection of a reality that the client may be avoiding or feel that they are unable to act out. The same basic techniques of Gestalt therapy are also applied to dream theory. Counselor interpretation of the clients’ actions and reactions as well as dreams is almost always avoided.
Adlerian Counseling Theory
The Adlerian theory is aptly named after its’ founder Alfred Adler. Adlerian counseling is a therapeutic approach focusing on the concept that human nature is chiefly motivated by social interest. In contrast to existential theory, the Adlerian theory is believed to be influenced by the conscious mind. Alderian contended that people in general struggle to obtain exactness and/or wholeness. In this quest, he beloved that people are driven by the past in addition to the future. Adlerian theory in itself bestows considerable importance on birth order, suggesting that those who share ordinal familial status have major similarities. In addition to birth order, the family environment is important to a person’s development, particularly in the first five years (Gladding).
Like other counseling theories and therapies Adlerian counseling also agrees that the institution of a positive counseling relationship is critical to success of the client. Next the counselor examines the client’s lifestyle, and then counselors attempt to help clients develop insight. Unlike the theories previously discussed, interpretation of client output is relied on heavily by the counselor in determining treatment.
Although the Adlerian theory is internationally popular and well practiced, it remains the least researched theory. Criticism suggests that this theory is not a culturally universal, neglectful of certain life dimensions, and is too vague. In comparison this theory provides sanguinity and is adaptable throughout life span development.
References
Anisman, H., Remington, G., & Sklar, L. S. (1979).
Effects of inescapable shock on subsequent escape
performance: Catecholaminergic and cholinergic
mediation of response initiation and maintenance.
Psychopharmacology, 61(1), 107-124.
Beck, A. T. (1967). Depression: Clinical, experimental
and theoretical aspects. New York: Hoeber.
Cicero, T. J. (1979). A critique of animal analogues
of alcoholism. In E. Majchrowicz & E. P. Noble (Eds.),
Biochemistry and pharmacology of ethanol (Volume
2, pp. 31-59). New York: Plenum Press.
Dorworth, T. R., & Overmier, J. B. (1977). On "learned
helplessness": The therapeutic effects of
electroconvulsive shocks. Physiological Psychology,
5, 355-358.
Plonsky, M. (2004). Psychology with style: A hypertext
writing guide (Version 5). Retrieved from the Web
January 10, 2004. http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm
U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
(1971). Alcohol and health. Washington, DC: U.S.
Government Printing Office.
.