Developmental psychology.pdf

418 Integration of Behavior
The chief problem, according to humanistic psychology, is that Jenny's concept
of self is not in accordance with her experience. There is considerable incongruence.
Her self-concept is that of a good, honest, hard-working person who even starves
to help others. Her experiences are those of being rebuffed and rejected by nearly
everyone, including Ross. An appropriate counseling relationship might allow Jenny
to gain greater self-understanding. This increased self-awareness then would enable
her to make more appropriate reactions to others. The hypothetical fully functioning
individual is completely open to experience. Jenny, in contrast, is readily threatened.
She continues to deny and distort reality, which is the basis of incongruence.
Research and Measurement
The person-centered approach developed from clinical work, primarily through Carl
Rogers's individual counseling sessions with college students. Later, his followers expanded
this approach to include group sessions of various forms, chiefly for the purposes
of personal growth and awareness. In these groups, people are stimulated to look
at themselves and their relations with others critically and openly (Figure 15.14).
Illustrative Research The encounter-sensitivity-training group movement, which
became extremely popular a few years ago, was inaugurated in the late 1940s, when
psychologists were interested in improving interpersonal relations in industry. For this
purpose they established training sessions, called T-groups, in which the main goal was
to help persons gain greater self-awareness. According to the person-centered approach,
Known to self
Not known to self
Known
to others
I
Area of
free activity
II
Blind
area
Not known
to others
III
Avoided or
hidden area
IV
Area of
unknown activity
Areas of awareness
Figure 15.14
Personal Awareness. In quadrant I
are the behaviors and feelings known
to an individual and also to other
people. In quadrant II, the blind area,
are aspects of the individual of which
he or she is not aware but which are
known to other people. The avoided
or hidden area, quadrant III, involves
personal characteristics that the
individual knows about but does not
wish to reveal to others. In quadrant
IV are aspects of behavior and
motivation unknown to the individual
and to others. One aim of sensitivity
training is to enlarge quadrant I, the
area of free activity (tuft, 1963).
1
III
II
IV
1
III
II
IV
Before training
After training