Client Centered Therapy Essay

The Client – Centered therapy refers to the term self-concept which is how someone thinks about, evaluates or perceives himself. According to this theory, the self concept has three different components, the self image, the self-worth (self esteem) and the ideal self. The self image is about the view we have of ourselves and does not necessarily have to reflect reality. The self-worth (self esteem) is how much value we place on ourselves. Self esteem involves a degree of evaluation and may be positive or negative. The ideal self refers to what we wish we were really like. If there is a difference between the self image and the ideal self, then this is likely to affect the self-worth (self-esteem). Sometimes the person’s ideal self is different from what actually happens in his life. This is called incongruence and leads to maladjustment. On the other hand, when the ideal self and the actual experiences are consistent, there is a congruency and the person is fully functioning. According to Rogers, when the person achieves self-actualization there is congruency.
The Client – Centered approach is based on three basic

Sometimes responses are maladaptive because of misperceptions or dysfunctional interpretations of situations. Cognitive theory refers to cognitive vulnerabilities. Each individual has some cognitive vulnerability that may predispose him or her to psychological distress. These vulnerabilities are related to personality structure, which is affected by cognitive schemas. Cognitive schemas contain people’s perceptions of themselves and others, their goals and expectations, memories, fantasies, and previous learning. Symptoms of psychopathology are created when schemas are activated by stressful events. When schemas are dysfunctional, cognitive vulnerabilities can be