ROGERIAN THERAPY/COUNSELING APPROACH

Carl Rogers’s counseling approach/model included the following;

(i) The counselor’s personality was very crucial in the counseling relationship.
(ii) Client’s uniqueness, dignity and values were very important aspects in Rogerian
therapy.
(iii) Client had to be allowed to move at his or her own pace.
(iv) The client - centered counselor had to be involved in somehow hard tasks - such as
active listening and responding empathetically.
(v) It required the counselor to ensure self awareness and being steady.
(vi) The counselor had to identify the client’s feelings, thoughts, attitudes and emotions in
general caused by the presented problem.
Last but very important, in Carl Rogers’ counseling relation model, the relationship
between client and counselor is very important. It must be empowering.
 ABRAHAM MASLOW – THE THEORIST
1908 – 1970
HIERCHY OF HUMAN NEEDS

COMPARISONS BETWEEN MASLOW AND ROGERS

 Abraham Maslow was another theorist - whose contribution to the person - centered
counseling approach was very significant.
 He introduced the idea of “ a third force in psychology”
 Like Rogers, Maslow was also referred to as the humanistic psychologist – since he also
emphasized the uniqueness of a human being and human values.
 Maslow and Rogers’ view were however, quite different from the behaviorists’ views –
which concentrated on human behaviors.
 Maslow and Rogers were also different from the psychoanalytic beliefs -which emphasized
the unconscious drives and irrational forces in the individual.
 Maslow directed his attention to “human health tendencies”
 Maslow believed psychology should concentrate on individuals and their unique experiences.
 Maslow further discovered that human psychological problems result from inadequate
provision of human needs.

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ABRAHAM’S HIERACHY OF HUMAN NEEDS
In 1954, Abraham Maslow, proposed a hierarchy of human needs - which he believed were
responsible for human motivation and human psychological disturbance.
The figure below presents the hierarchy him human needs at five (5) levels from its the base :

Self Actualition need

Self Actualization

Self Esteem Need

Relationship Need/Need for love

Safety need / Need to feel safe

Basic Physical Needs

1. Basic Human needs

 According to Maslow, these needs include for example; oxygen, water, food, shelter etc.
 There are essential human needs - which contribute to physical wellbeing.
 When those needs are not met the individual is psychologically disturbed.
 A person begins to worry about living and dying. May need humanistic therapy.
 Failure to meet the basic needs may result into death.

2. Safety
 According to Maslow, individuals need
- to feel safe –
- to feel secure
- to feel that they are protected.
- that they are protected from danger, violence, threats and any illnesses or
infections.

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 An individual will be psychologically/emotionally disturbed if safety needs are not met. Or,
if any threats are identified or suspected in the environment.

3. Relationship need
 This need is concerned with giving and receiving love.
 It is the human need to relate with other people.
 It is also having a sense of belonging to a group or a community.
Note: 1. It is a human tendency to seek love, affection and
acceptance.
2. It will be a traumatizing experience if an individual is not loved and
lacks a sense of belonging.
3. If childhood experiences were lonely and unloving, the individual
is likely to suffer social psychological problems in adult life.
 Counselors may also find it hard to help such clients with social deficits and relationship
problems.

4. Esteem need
 This is human need to feel
- respected
- to feel recognized
- with high self esteem
- important
- worthy
- confident
- competent
- with ability to manage personal issues
Note; Self esteem is built from child hood. If childhood experiences were threatening or
traumatic, the individual will find difficulty in adult life.

5. Self actualization needs

 According to Maslow, this concerns a person’s realization of h/her full potential.

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 To maslow, every one is capable of achieving self actualization given an enabling
environment.
 However, due to life challenges, very few people can reach the level of self actualization.

ASPECTS OF SELF ACTUALIZATION

Self actualization should include the following:
(i) When person feels that has achieved all h/her set life goals and objectives
(ii) Self acceptance
(iii) Ability to see realty
(iv) Ability to resist pressure.
(v) Feel self reliant
(vi) Ability to establish deep satisfying relationships.
(vii) Appreciate nature
(viii) Social interest
(ix) Feeling that what one has achieved is enough.
(x) etc
Abraham Maslow however observed that majority of the ordinary people are deficient in a
number of the above aspects of self actualization – which disturbs them psychologically and
other problems follow.

He also stressed that deprivation f the lower level human needs worsens a person’s situation.
But with counseling situations can improve or change.

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