Novice Counselor's blog

Diversity in the Context of Fundamental Christians

novice counselor — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:44:38 +0000

Image via Wikipedia This article examines the role that diversity plays in the context of Fundamental Christians. Two different views of this group are presented. The first view, the one of the majority of the population, is primarily negative, portraying this group as rigid and pathological. A second view is one of acceptance [...]

Character Analysis

novice counselor — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:13:50 +0000

Image via Wikipedia The following is a character analysis from the viewpoint of Rogerian Phenomenological theory. The personality is that of Will Hunting from the movie Good Will Hunting. The theoretical concepts include Personality Structure, Process, Growth and Development, Pathology, and Change. Phenomenological Theory of Carl Rogers was selected as the primary personality [...]

Social-Cognitive Theory and Self-Esteem

novice counselor — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:10:37 +0000

Image via Wikipedia Some social-cognitive theorists like Hazel Markus would say that self-esteem is dependent upon how successfully we measure up to our self-schemas or internal representations of the ideal self. Similarly, other social-cognitive theorists like Tory Higgins theorize that self-esteem depends on self-guides, or personal standards that individuals like to meet. Discrepancies [...]

Self-Efficacy and Motivation

novice counselor — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:32:27 +0000

Image by Harm Rhebergen via Flickr Self-efficacy is defined as self-perceived ability to successfully complete or perform a particular task. For example, when someone is presented with a challenge, such as to solve a problem or learn a new skill, a person with high self-efficacy will expect that they will rise to the occasion and [...]

Trait Theory and Self-Esteem

novice counselor — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:51:18 +0000

Image via Wikipedia The trait theorists would postulate that low self-esteem is probably caused by the combination of two basic traits which are part of the Big Five model of the basic traits: that of neuroticism, which is described by the qualities of tenseness, nervousness, instability, disconnectedness, and high emotionality; and that of introversion, which [...]

The Case of Donna

novice counselor — Sat, 09 May 2009 12:42:40 +0000

Image by Stephen Poff via Flickr Donna is a 51-year-old divorced mother of Dutch descent. She has two children, ages 10 and 12. Donna is not an outwardly demonstrable mother. However, she takes pride in making sure her children do the right thing at all times, as it causes her distress if people think poorly of [...]

The Concept of Self-Esteem in Rogerian Theory

novice counselor — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:50:10 +0000

Image by Funky64 (www.lucarossato.com) via Flickr According to the Rogerian perspective, self-esteem is a personal judgment of worthiness. It would follow then that low self-esteem is a result of personal judgment of unworthiness. Rogerian theory suggests that people who have a consistent self-view across situations are psychologically healthier than people whose self-view is variable [...]

Current State of the Person-Centered Approach

novice counselor — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:32:27 +0000

Image via Wikipedia The person-centered approach to therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, relies on several “core conditions” on the part of the therapist. These include unconditional positive regard of the client, empathic understanding, and congruence. When the client perceives these core conditions at least to a minimal degree, then positive therapeutic personality change [...]

Freudian Approach to Self-Esteem

novice counselor — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:19:24 +0000

Image via Wikipedia In Freudian theory, low self-esteem is the Superego’s punishment for “bad” behavior. The Superego represents the moral branch of our functioning and contains ideals for which we strive as well as punishments we expect if we violate ethical codes. It is an internal representation of the moral rules of the external [...]

Defense Mechanisms

novice counselor — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:18:51 +0000

In Freudian theory, defense mechanisms are used by people to ward off anxiety. Defense mechanisms are ways to distort reality and exclude feelings from consciousness so that we do not feel anxious; they are strategic efforts by the ego to cope with socially unacceptable impulses of the id (Pervin, Cervone, & John, 2005). An [...]