1. Reply to these discussions agree or disagree and explain the answer.
1.1 According to Marcia’s definition, I am a “growing adult,” and that’s exactly where I am right now. Discovering and building my own unique identity is now underway for me. At this point in my life, I’m still attempting to figure out my personal goals. At the same time, To some extent, my idea of who I am is entwined with my quest to discover my identity. What I believe in is still up in the air, and I’m still trying to figure out what I want from life. I’m not quite an adult, but I’m not exactly a child either. In the midst of it all, I’m still absorbing new information and growing. Even though I’m an adult, I’m not quite where I want to be. In the process of identifying and building my own particular identity, I’m still in the beginning stages. What I want to accomplish with my life is still a mystery to me, and I’m continuously searching for clarity in this regard. In summary, James Marcia discovered that a person’s identity is not “set,” but rather changing. Individuals go through a process to decide their identity, whether it is forced on them or not before they choose their identity. Individual commitments form the basis of a person’s identity. These commitments are decisions made during a person’s life that shape “who” that person will be.
1.2 I believe our identities are constantly shape-shifting and evolving. The more we try to describe and categorize our personality the harder it becomes to move past these notions and narratives; they become self-fulfilling prophecies. As Claudia Tavora (2004) so eloquently puts in her paper on the theory of self in Gestalt therapy, “to think of the self as associated only with individual identity is to assume a fixed and pathologized form of the individual-so- cial field”, she goes on to elaborate, “identity is not a priori—it is not a thing forever specified as itself or situated anywhere in space; rather, it is an important temporal construction, an ongoing confirming, denying, and transforming definition of what someone is like”. Our identities are formed very early in life and more often than not, are made up of the stories our caregivers and people around us told us about who we were. I have found more value in trying to discern the ways I have defined my identity than in trying to define it. That being said, I am a firm believer in actively formulating a set of values and goals through which we may strive for self-improvement and self-actualization. These too, are not fixed entities, they are an important component of our identity but are ultimately more abstract and deal more with morality. This brings us to James Marcia.
The final identity status in Marcia’s theory is identity achievement, a stage characterized by a high degree of exploration and a high degree of commitment, “youth are said to have achieved their identity by a process of active exploration and strong commitment to a particular set of values, beliefs, and life goals that has emerged from this active exploration and examination. At this identity status youth will have decided what values and goals are most important to them, and what purpose, or mission will direct their life” (GracePoint). I have a high degree of exploration and commitment but must admit I, like those in the moratorium (third) stage, often find myself grappling with identity crises “exploring and experimenting with different values, beliefs, and goals” (GracePoint) so I’d say I’m somewhere in between the two.
References:
https://www.gracepointwellness.org/1310-child-development-theory-adolescence-12-24/article/41164-james-marcia-and-self-identity (Links to an external site.)
https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/gestalt-review/article/8/2/229/276949/The-Theory-of-Self-in-Gestalt-Therapy-Re
1.3 In his client-centered therapy, Rogers emphasized that in order for a patient to grow psychologically they must be surrounded by an accepting and empathetic environment created by the therapist. In order to bring about such a nurturing atmosphere, Rogers argued that therapist must be equipped with these three conditions: counselor congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathic listening. Counselor congruence is the condition in which the therapist is able to be herself/himself within the client-therapist relationship. Moreover, they have the ability to accurately bring to awareness their own experiences and be real with who they are. I do agree that this condition is sufficient and necessary because how can we expect for the client to be open and genuine with themselves if the therapist can’t do it themselves. Unconditional positive regard, offers the client a warm and positive atmosphere without judgement, evaluations and possessiveness. This, alongside counselor congruence, is necessary to embed within the client-therapist relationship so that the patient feels more willing to communicate with the therapist. The third condition is empathic listening. This condition involved the therapist entering the world of feelings of the patient without projecting any prejudice or evaluation. It involves the sensing of another’s feelings and communicating the perceptions. This allows the client to feel like someone else, outside themselves, has a clear understanding of what they are feeling or going through.
Each and everyone of these conditions are equally important and necessary to put into practice. We may believe that these are easy to acquire but according to Rogers, these are conditions that are not easy for a counselor to attain. These qualities must be obtained through consistent intentionality from the therapist. Whether these qualities are rehearsed in the therapy, is strictly dependent on the therapist. I do not believe that the client plays a role in whether these are sufficient and necessary. Though individual differences do exist, there’s no doubt that everyone in this world desires to be heard. When these clients approach therapy as a means of being heard it is the therapists responsibility to exercise these conditions in order to help the patient grow psychologically.
1.4Roger explains that client-centered therapy allows for vulnerable or anxious individuals to grow psychologically with the help of a therapist or counselor who is congruent, accepting, and empathetic (Feist et al., 2020). In order for client-centered therapy to be effective, the therapist or counselor must be congruent which means that they are aware of and openly express their feelings and experiences (Feist et al., 2020). These congruent individuals are not worried about a façade, instead, they are true to themselves, their feelings, and others as they express their real emotions and experiences to their clients (Feist et al., 2020). He explained that congruence is necessary for successful therapy but that therapists did not have to be congruent in all relationships; however, the therapy would be more successful as the clients perceived more honesty and truth from therapists (Feist et al., 2020). A therapist must have unconditional positive regard to benefit their clients. This condition represents a genuinely close relationship between the therapist and client where their behaviors and experiences do not define the relationship they have (Feist et al., 2020). Lastly, Roger explains that the therapeutic process must include empathetic listening. Rogers explains empathetic listening as fully listening and processing what each experience means to allow for one to become their own therapist (Feist et al., 2020). Through this type of listening, the therapist is able to convey a sense of understanding to the client.
I do agree with Roger’s premise that these three conditions are sufficient and necessary because they are all important to building a healthy relationship between a therapist and client. A client confides in a therapist to help them understand and resolve any issues that they experience and in order to do so, the therapist must be congruent. A therapist must be truthful and honest with themselves to then be genuine with their client. Unconditional positive regard is needed to create an authentic relationship to then allow for proper guidance. Empathetic listening is also very important because it is needed for the therapist to be sincere with their client. While this process focuses on the therapist, the client also plays a crucial role in whether these are sufficient and necessary. A client must also be willing to be truthful with themselves to then be honest with their therapist; additionally, they must fully comprehend and accept the help, emotions, and experiences that the therapist shares with them. This relationship is 50/50 where they both must put forth 100% effort to enable to most effective therapy possible.
References
Feist, G. J., Roberts, T.-A., & Feist, J. (2020). Theories of personality (10th ed.). McGraw Hill Education.
1.5 Being a good teammate requires multiple things, first of all is citizenship. They first require encouragement from young adolescents to form a group. In this experiment it suggests that a good teammate requires “doing more than you share”, “volunteering without being promoted”, “spreading praise”, “not whining or being disruptive or feeling jealous”, and “showing up literally and metaphorically”. “Good teammates dissent or disagree when appropriate, although they do so as a good group member. An extraordinary teammate reliably shows a positive and energetic attitude. Consistency is critical. A good teammate is positive, ready to go and excited, paying little heed to the circumstance. I applied this exercise on my group that we have a project with my classmates. I tried to be show great excitement and praised them every time I saw them doing something great. One of my group members had trouble understanding her part of the project so I decided to meet up with her to explain and show her what she had to do. Sometimes we see other classmate struggle but if we practice all the suggestions that the book mentions we can be a great teammate. Sometime when working in a group setting you see other individuals working more than others. I think it’s important to have a strong leader that spreads the work for every group member fairly so that there is not one teammate working more than the other. Once you’ve established the work of every individual and do what each teammate is supposed to do you will have a successful group. The results from this exercise is that each one of your group members will have learned what it is to work with other classmates and will help in their future group project how to be the best teammate they can be.
References:
Peterson, C. (2006). A Primer in positive psychology. Oxford Univ. Press.
1.6As college students, we are familiar with group assignments as working with a team becomes more and more implemented in courses. So, by getting more opportunities to work with groups, we learn to be good teammates through our experiences. Despite evidence that well-developed social interest benefits both the group and the individual, our society is more likely to work alone than work together for a common cause (Peterson, 2006). I am not surprised by this as I often find many people dislike group activities or projects, and I must admit I am also reluctant about group assignments. These views on group work may stem from past experiences when a group member does not contribute or helps the group, so not relying on someone else to get the work done seems more promising. In other words, not having a good teammate can hinder the group’s performance and attitudes. Loyalty and teamwork may be marked as unity or compliance and, as a result, marginalized if not reprimanded. So how can we change our views on working as a group and learn how to be a good teammate? Citizenship and teamwork go hand-in-hand when it comes to being a good teammate. We can show citizenship by demonstrating good character, such as being honest, dependable, and helping your group.
Teamwork depends on listening to the group leader and group members to work as a unit and contribute to your role in the team. But it is also essential to find that balance between the two and voice concerns or disagreements respectfully so that everyone is treated fairly and equally. Good teammates disagree when appropriate (Peterson, 2006). Our textbook asked us to choose an existing group we belong to but are not the leader of and determine to be the best group member or teammate. As I currently have three ongoing group projects this semester, I had a few groups to choose from. But when I look back at a specific group’s progress thus far, I believe I have been a good teammate for my group. I have been there whenever a concern has come up.
I do not complain about my work or the amount of work I may have. I do my part in the group and more, I volunteer to do tasks even when I am not asked to, and I remind my group members that they are going a great job. Most importantly, I am there to help my group and leader to accomplish our goal. My group members were appreciative of all the work I put in, and it was nice to be recognized. Work that people feel called to do is usually seen as socially valuable, including activities that may or may not be pleasurable (Wrzesniewski et al., 1997). However, I’ve had group members that haven’t said anything about my efforts, but that’s okay. Seeing my group’s overall success through our efforts combined makes me happy. Most students have said that it does not matter that their efforts had been overlooked because the payoff for them is in the form of group success, solidarity, and morale (Wrzesniewski et al., 1997). We can learn what it is to be a good teammate through group assignments. But by being there for your group, our group members can also learn how to be good teammates.
References:
Peterson, C. (2006). A Primer in Positive Psychology (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.
Wrzesniewski, A., McCauley, C., Rozin, P., & Schwartz, B. (1997). Jobs, careers, and callings: People’s relations to their work. Journal of Research in Personality, 31(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1997.2162
2.What values are important to you?
How can apply these values to the Jobs or Graduate studies you chose in the previous
journal entry?
My graduate studies I chose were Neuropsychology and Neuroscience.
