What is Organismic Valuing Process

Rogers defines the organismic valuing process as an ongoing process in which “experiences are viewed freshly and valued in terms of how well they serve the person’s sense of well-being and potential growth” (Cain, 2010, p. 25). In terms of person-centered therapists’ view, clients have an intrinsic motivation that enables them to experience fulfillment. As Cain (2010) points out, person-centered therapists play a role to make it possible for clients to fully engage in all experiences. So, if I incorporate this concept into my coaching modality, I’d like to support my clients’ motivation in the organismic valuing process, which encourages them to experience satisfaction in their lives.

Reference
Person-Centered Psychotherapy

Two Types of Presence in Coaching or Therapy Session

I think that “presence” is very important in therapy or coaching to transform or heal clients because our presence is a manifestation of our psyche. Presence is one of the key concepts in the third force, and there are two types of presence: interpersonal and intrapersonal presence. As Schneider and Krug (2010) elucidate, interpersonal presence “refers to the capacity to be present to experiences, feelings, and attitudes occurring between therapist and client that are implicitly or explicitly unfolding in the present moment in the therapy room” (p. 137). In terms of Integral Theory, interpersonal presence is categorized in the Lower Left quadrant (collective interior), and it can be said to be a shared subjective experience. On the other hand, intrapersonal presence is “the capacity to be present to inner experiences, memories, feelings, and attitudes that are implicitly and explicitly unfolding in the present moment in the therapy room” (Schneider & Krug, 2010, pp. 137-138). Although interpersonal presence shows up between therapist and client, intrapersonal presence arises within therapist and client. Expressed in another way, interpersonal presence arises from the Lower Left quadrant, and intrapersonal presence comes from each therapist’s and client’s Upper Left quadrant (individual interior). I’ll build a better interpersonal presence between my client and I, and pay attention to my intrapersonal presence in my coaching session.
Reference    
Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy

What's the Difference between "Congruence" and "Incongruence?"

In terms of Rogers’ view, congruence is the degree of accuracy between experience, communication, and awareness. A person with a high degree of congruence tends to regard experience, communication, and awareness as the same and can’t discern them. For example, small children often display high congruence in that they can’t disidentify from both three elements; a child who is angry expresses the emotion of anger thoroughly and absolutely. On the other hand, incongruence arises when there are differences between awareness, experience, and communication. Especially, “[i]ncongruence between awareness and experience is called repression or denial” (Farger & Fadiman, 2002, p. 320). As a coach, I often help my clients notice the difference between awareness and experience during a session. Also, I encourage my clients to modify the distorted perception by asking various questions.      

Reference
Personality and Personal Growth

Ideal Self in Rogers' Theory

The following is a simple memo about "ideal self" in Rogers' theory.

In Rogers’ view, the ideal self is “the self-concept witch the individual would most like to possess, upon which he places the highest value for himself” (cited in Farger & Fadiman, 2002, p. 318). As well as the self, ideal self also evolves with the march of time. If our ideal self has no connection to the actual self, we may suffer from neurotic difficulties in the worst case. In other words, our ideal self could be a hindrance to our psychological growth when it differs significantly from our real self (Farger & Fadiman, 2002). In my view, this concept is strongly related to self-esteem need, so we need to strictly discern healthy self-esteem from excessive ideal self because most humanists tend to insist on the importance of self-esteem too much.

Reference

Personality and Personal Growth

Maslow's Model and Rogers' Model: Unconditional Positive Regards

With respect to the transformation and healing model in the third force, the key of transformation and healing resides in basic human needs and other’s responses in terms of Carl Rogers’ theory. Although Maslow proposes the importance of satisfying lower needs such as safety, belonging and love, and esteem need in order to accomplish self-actualization, Rogers focuses on needs for self-actualization and positive regard for self-actualization.

Maslow points out that it is important to fulfill lower needs and to exclude the following three limitations for self-actualization “(1) negative influences from past experience and resulting unproductive habits; (2) social influence and group pressure that often operate against our own taste and judgment; and (3) inner defenses that keep us out of touch with ourselves” (Farger & Fadiman, 2002, p. 355). These three limitations inhibit our self-actualization because each limitation is a factor to prevent lower needs from being satisfied. For instance, unproductive habits such as addiction to alcohol or poor diet may threaten physiological need. Also, group pressure may impede an individual achievement related to self-esteem need. In terms of Maslow’s model, enough supports to satisfy lower needs and to eliminate those three limitations are important for self-actualization.

On the other hand, Rogers insists on the importance of not only clients’ satisfying with basic human needs but also receiving other’s responses, which is “unconditional positive regard.” Unconditional positive regard means that we are accepted by others regardless of what we say or do. If our need for unconditional positive regard is satisfied, we are more able to be proud of ourselves and to accept our feelings. Regarding this point, Cain (2010) explains: “[W]hen clients feel predominantly accepted and consistently valued for who they are by their therapists or significant others, they are likely to develop positive and accepting views of themselves” (p. 22). In other words, therapists play an important role to fill with client’s self-esteem need for his or her to accomplish self-actualization.

As a conclusion, to exclude the three factors to impede self-actualization is a distinctive characteristic in Maslow’s approach, and unconditional positive regard is a key element for self-actualization in Rogers’s approach.                 　

Reference

1 Personality and Personal Growth

2 Person-Centered Psychotherapies

Primary Model of Pathology in Humanistic Psychology

Regarding the primary model of pathology in the third force, Maslow (1954) enumerates three points about major impediments to self-actualization: deprivation, conflict, and threat. First, Maslow (1954) points out that being deprived of, for example, love, prestige, respect, or other basic needs will have a negative effect on human psyche. And these kinds of deprivations are almost the same as threats. However, Maslow raises an alarm over this point. In Maslow’s view, the inevitable deprivations in childhood such as sexual deprivation are regarded as a kind of frustration, and these are not necessarily pathological. In that sense, the clear distinction between certain deprivations, which are like threats, and mere deprivations is important to cure the hindrance of deprivations.

              Second, Maslow (1954) demonstrates several types of conflicts, but I’d like to choose one type of them: “catastrophic conflict” (p. 159). It’s a well-known fact that we live with innumerable choices in our daily lives, but “all the choices are equally catastrophic or threatening in their effects or else there is only one possibility and this is a catastrophic threat” (p. 159). Although this type of conflict is common in the animal world, human beings also suffer from it and it becomes a kind of pathology to prohibit self-actualization.

              

             According to Maslow, a certain threat in our lives becomes a factor to inhibit our psychological growth. Maslow (1954) explicates that “synonymizing ‘threat’ with ‘growth-inhibiting’ creates the difficult possibility of a situation being at this moment subjectively nonthreatening, but threatening or growth-inhibiting in the future” (p. 166). This sentence implies that a certain present event seems to be nonthreatening in that moment, but it may include a future risk of prohibiting self-actualization. With respect to this point, Maslow (1954) illustrates by an example that a child hopes for satisfaction which will please him, quiet him, reduce anxiety, etc., but which might have a possibility to inhibit his psychological growth. In terms of Maslow’s view, the above three concepts lead to pathology to restrain self-actualization.

Reference

1 Motivation and Personality

Humanistic Psychology in Wilber's Model

        Ken Wilber’s spectrum of consciousness model comprises the following four levels: shadow, ego, existential, and mind. To come right to the point, the third force (especially, humanistic force) is situated on the mind level; strictly speaking, the transpersonal force might be more closer to the mind level. First, Wilber (1975) explains that human beings tend to identify with the universe. Human beings in the existential level are regarded as organisms which have a rational thought, those who in the ego level are deemed to have a mental picture of their total psychophysical organism, and those who in the shadow level become gradually able to dis-identify with some aspects in their ego. On the other hand, human beings in the mind level are identical to the absolute and ultimate reality of the universe. Secondly, Wilber (1977) describes the mind level in the following: “The Level of Mind is―as we shall try to demonstrate―exactly what you are feeling right now before you feel anything else―a sensation of being one with the cosmos.” (p. 8). In other words, human beings in this level tend to value feelings of here-and-now and attempt to connect with higher and expanded consciousness.

As well as Wilber’s remarks, the third force addresses a sense of unity, or higher realm of human consciousness. While the first force is prone to focus on the mechanistic aspects in human beings and the second force is inclined to emphasize a dark side of human beings, the third force is likely to shed light on higher realms of human psyche. Regarding this point, Maslow’s research about self-actualizaed people is a typical example of focusing on a bright side of human beings. Therefore, I think that the third force is categorized into the mind level in Wilber’s model in that it refers to the higher and bright side of human beings.  

Reference:The spectrum of consciousness