Positive Regard Essay

Un qualified Positive Regard is a central concept in the theories of Carl R. Rogers, both for psychotherapy and for interpersonal relations. A universal fill for verifying regard by others appears at approximately the alike(p) time a person begins to experience awareness of self (Rogers, 1959). In therapy, UPR is a fictitious character of the healers experience toward the node (p. 239). Rogers writing sheds light on various aspects of this construct UnconditionalOne experiencing UPR holds no conditions of involveance . . . It is at the diametric pole from a selective evaluating attitude. (p. 225) Positive One offers warm acceptance . . . a prizing of the person, as Dewey has used that term . . . It means a caring for the client . . . (p. 225). Regard One regards each aspect of the clients experience as being part of that client . . . It means a caring for the client, however not in a possessive way or in such a way as simply to satisfy the therapists own postulate.It mean s caring for the client as a separate person, with permission to have his or her own feelings, his or her own experiences. (p. 225) Theoretically, the importance of UPR lies in its power to image up or restore the recipients unconditional absolute self-regard. Unconditional positive regard requires that a person be warm and accept even when another person has done something questionable. While most parents attempt to give their children unconditional love, few grant their children unconditional positive regard.Many therapists proponent giving their clients unconditional positive regard as part of the therapeutic process. UPR is most notably associated with person-centered therapy, or Rogerian therapy. Carl Rogers (1951) viewed the child as having two basic pick outs positive regard from other people and self-worth. How we think about ourselves, our feelings of self-worth are of fundamental importance both to psychological health and to the likelihood that we can obtain goals an d ambitions in life and achieve self-actualization.Self-worth may be seen as a continuum from very high to very low. For Carl Rogers (1959) a person who has high self-worth, that is, has confidence and positive feelings about him or her self, faces challenges in life, accepts failure and unhappiness at times, and is open with people. A person with low self-worth may avoid challenges in life, not accept that life can be painful and unhappy at times, and will be defensive and guarded with other people. Rogers believed feelings of self-worth developed in early childishness and were formed from the interaction of the child with the mother and father. As a child grows older, interactions with significant others will affect feelings of self-worth.Rogers believed that we need to be regarded positively by others we need to feel valued, respected, treated with affection and loved. Positive regard is to do with how other people evaluate and judge us in social interaction. Rogers made a disti nction between unconditional positive regard and conditional positive regard. Unconditional positive regard is where parents, significant others (and the humanist therapist) accepts and loves the person for what he or she is. Positive regard is not withdrawn if the person does something wrong or makes a mistake.The consequences of unconditional positive regard are that the person feels free to learn things out and make mistakes, even though this may lead to getting it worse at times. People who are able to self-actualize are more possible to have received unconditional positive regard from others, especially their parents in childhood. Conditional positive regard is where positive regard, praise and approval, depend upon the child, for example, behaving in shipway that the parents think correct. Hence the child is not loved for the person he or she is, but on condition that he or she behaves only in ways approved by the parent(s). At the extreme, a person who constantly seeks app roval from other people is likely only to have experienced conditional positive regard as a child.How Unconditional Positive Regard Works in TherapyRogers believed that it was essential for therapists to show unconditional positive regard to their clients. He also suggested that individuals who dont have this type of acceptance from people in their life can eventually come to hold negative beliefs about themselves. The demonstration of UPR from a therapist can encourage people to share their thoughts, feelings, and actions without fear of offending the therapist. A therapist might simply ask a client to expand on why he or she behaved in a particular manner, rather than condemning the persons action or inquiring as to how the other person might have felt.Some therapists believe that UPR can serve as a temporary substitute for enatic love that may help clients gain confidence to explore their issues. This belief is heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud and is not popular among contemp orary mental health professionals. by dint of providing unconditional positive regard, humanistic therapists seek to help their clients accept and take responsibility for themselves.Humanistic psychologists believe that by showing the client unconditional positive regard and acceptance, the therapist is providing the best possible conditions for personal growth to the client. David G. Myers says the following in his Psychology Eighth Edition in Modules People also conjure up our growth by being acceptingby offering us what Rogers called unconditional positive regard. This is an attitude of grace, an attitude that values us even intentional our failings. It is a profound relief to drop our pretenses, confess our worst feelings, and discover that we are still accepted. In a good marriage, a close family, or an intimate friendship, we are free to be spontaneous without fearing the loss of others esteem.Drawbacks of Unconditional Positive RegardUPR can be especially problematic in co uples counseling, where couples frequently desire a referee who will tell them when they are doing something detrimental to the relationship. When clients feel that UPR in therapy is contrived, it may backfire. For example, some people want a therapist to tell them when they are doing something wrong, to bring awareness to the behavior.UPR can be difficult for a therapist to sustain, particularly when a person is making negative or unhealthy choices on a recurring basis. Consequently, many therapists attempt to strike a balance by remaining positive, upbeat, and nonjudgmental while at the same time pointing out when a persons actions are harmful to himself or herself or to others.