AllanJohn 1 | 9 Freelance Writer
Jun 05, 2012 | #1
Human Development And Carl's Rogers Theories
[Name of the Writer]
[Name of the Institute]
Human Development And Carl's Rogers Theories
Introduction
It is extremely important for our own sake and for those closest to us that we know how to lead fulfilling and healthy adult life. As a strong believer of free will and person's own responsibility for shaping their life I also believe that this process is in continuum rather aiming at complete creation reachable at some point.
As an individual is a subject to many external forces, the nurture part will always come into a play to the end of their life. From all stages of human development this is the longest one, the most independent, and many would agree, the most fulfilling. On the other hand it also bears the highest degree of responsibilities- including conscious self realization and actualization. Assuming that an average life span lasts ~75 years, nearly of it will fall for a period of adulthood. From all stages this one will most likely influence a lot of other people. Since this is the time we are setting up a family, have spouses, children, grandchildren. In case of divorce and being remarried we may gain one more family, often with kids included. Therefore after completing all previous stages, as we approach adulthood, we assume to be well shaped person; as a means of being the resultant of two strong forces - nature and nurture.Adulthood and Adolescence
First, the biological changes of puberty require adolescents to adjust to a new body shape and size, as well as sexual maturity. The physical changes of puberty are protracted (on average lasting four years), and there is also a wide range of age of onset (some seven years), with girls entering puberty on average two to three years prior to boys. Pubertal timing plays a role in adolescent adjustment, especially in the case of girls.
Research has shown that girls who mature early dislike it, and are at increased risk for delinquency; for boys it is the late maturers who dislike their status. Second, cognitive developments mean that adolescent thought is more mature than children's thought; however this does not come without pitfalls. That is, although adolescents are able to think abstractly and engage in metacognition (think about their own thinking), adolescents are also likely to become self-absorbed, leading to cognitive distortions (Carl, 1995, 20).
Third, adolescents strive for socio-emotional maturity and financial independence. Although adolescence is often portrayed as a period of storm and stress, as well as rebellion against parental authority, the vast majority of adolescent's remains closely connected with their parents, and continue to be influenced by their parents about life goals and values. On the other hand, by late adolescence (age 17-18), teenagers spend the majority of their non-classroom time with same-age peers rather than with family members. This social independence, coupled with financial independence, defines adulthood in most western societies.
Nature vs. Nurture
As much as nature determines our physical package that we received from our parents and their ancestors, the nurture is building up on this fundament along creating a whole human being. The view of nature and nurture in will remain a controversial issue within science. Since almost all fields of human activity can be situated in relation to the nature-nurture distinction, it is not possible to even try to give an overview of the state of the art of ongoing discussions in the fields of human intelligence, aggression, emotions, gender roles, life history, evolutionary esthetics, ethics, cognitive sciences, and so forth.
However, while most of the empirical insights of evolutionary psychology and sociobiology in all the named fields cannot be ignored, their importance and fruitfulness for a full-fledged understanding of human nature has to be evaluated on a case by case basis. There is no clear method to give a precise and general account of what in humans is mere nature and what can be attributed to mere nurture.
Nature acts as the basis for a new individual. It includes the genetics that comprise of body, temperament, physical abilities and health, and psychological health. Scientific researches reveal that nature gives physical appearance and health to a human. Physical characteristics are determined by specific genes that are present in each human cell. The nature theory moves a step further and implies that the abstract things like intelligence, cognition, sexual orientation and personality are also encoded in one's DNA and each individual inherits these features as well.
Nurture on the other hand it is environment influencing creation of a complete human being. There are several environments from the early childhood to the latest years that are largely influencing one's behavior: from home and school at the early childhood, through formal and informal peers' groups during adolescence, coworkers, family or church throughout the adulthood (Carl, 1995).
Adulthood
The definition of "youth" within this volume refers to the period of transition from childhood to adulthood, which typically occurs between the ages of 16 and 25 within Western contexts. While this age category may be a relatively recent phenomenon, it is increasingly significant to the lives of individuals in industrialized societies. This period of transition differs between societies according to their respective cultural traditions, education, employment, and welfare systems. Sociological research on entering adulthood has typically focused on educational attainment, entering the full-time labor force, marriage, and childbearing. More recent studies, however, have shown that while the majority of Americans still see completing school, establishing an independent household, and being employed full-time as important markers of becoming an adult, many young people no longer see marriage and parenthood as prerequisites for adulthood.
However during early to middle stage of adulthood we reach pick of our full psycho-physical health potential, but many psychological aspects adult is confronting during this period are factors we are facing through the life are truly how to handle these often stress related factors, even as a seemingly positive events they bear .
- Work - professional career
- Family, marriage, children, divorce
- How an adult builds social relations - can refer to the education but also a parenting style, which has been subjected, and who formed a specific style to relate)
- Menopause, the second part of adulthood, preparing for old age and ultimately death
Adulthood problems
Each of these factors listed above may contribute to the internal conflict of individual. It may become a breaking point of otherwise healthy person.
As an adult human development (further part of the education and environment) is a lifelong process - counseling should be treated as an aid in the further implementation of the self or learning mechanisms to cope with problems.
Humanists
There have been many varieties of humanism, both religious and secular, although contemporary humanism is more frequently associated with atheism than with any particular form of religious belief. Debates about humanism in the twentieth century have caused, and continue to cause, much controversy, particularly in Marxist thought and European philosophy more broadly conceived. Although the term humanism has dropped out of favor for the most part, many thinkers continue to hold humanist ideas, regardless of whether they describe them as such. These ideas include believing in the moral worth of every human being, being committed to the idea that human beings can solve environmental crises through the application of science and technology, and demanding equality through the enforcement of human rights.
Carl Rogers
He indicates the necessity of resigning from the old therapeutic roles; he rather believes in creating a "safe" environment in this artificially created relationship: patient - psychotherapist. To allow patient build relation, without such ubiquitous judgmental attitude open up piece by piece. The only therapeutic goal is to create unconditional sense of security, safety and lack of evaluation. "Patient" should understand that there is neither good nor bad emotion that should put him into any state of shame. His only duty is to be honest and fair to himself. "Patient" treated with unconditional acceptance, and full trust into his al best actions and judgments would eventually bring his best capabilities. Safe environment would allow breaking all grounds of his internal conflict of auto-scrutiny which are regulated by external opinions mistaken as his own and taken as who he really is.
Maslow hierarchy of needs
Maslow's most renowned work in motivational theory is his development of a hierarchy of needs and information that culminated in the most fully human construct of self-actualization. Maslow's hierarchy plays a significant role in teachings in management and educational leadership. At the lowest rung of his hierarchy were the most basic physiological needs such as food, water, sex, and sleep; these needs were not distinctly human insofar as they were shared with all living creatures.
The third rung of Maslow's hierarchy was the need for love and a sense of belongingness; the lack of satisfaction at this level of need would inevitably result in isolation and alienation of one's self from both family and society. The need for love and belongingness could be fulfilled by a combination of close friends, strong identification with group affiliations, intimate relationships, and a supportive family.
The fourth rung of Maslow's hierarchy was the need for esteem, which has been closely aligned with Erik Erikson's need for generatively and the desire to engage in creative and useful activities Lack of fulfillment at this level would negatively impact one's self-concept as a responsible citizen and a productive member of society. Each of these four categories of needs was essential in order to achieve the highest level of human development, which Maslow called self-actualization.
Conclusion
Although adolescence is often portrayed as a period of storm and stress, as well as rebellion against parental authority, the vast majority of adolescent's remains closely connected with their parents, and continue to be influenced by their parents about life goals and values. On the other hand, by late adolescence (age 17-18), teenagers spend the majority of their non-classroom time with same-age peers rather than with family members. This social independence, coupled with financial independence, defines adulthood in most western societies.
References
Carl Rogers. 1995. On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy. Mariner Books; 1 edition. Pp. 45-46.