Chapter 5: A Phenomenological Theory

phenomenal field

the individual's way of perceiving and experiencing his or her world

phenomenology

the study of human experience; in personality psychology, an approach to personality theory that focuses on how the person perceives and experiences the self and the world

self-concept

the perceptions and meaning associated with the self, me, or I

ideal self

the self-concept the individual would most like to possess; key in Roger's theory

q-sort technique

an assessment device in which the subjects sorts statements into categories following a normal distribution; used by Rogers as a measure of statements regarding the self and the ideal self

self-actualization

the fundamental tendency of the organism to actualize, maintain, enhance itself, and fulfill its potential; emphasized by Rogers and other members of the human potential movement

self-consistency

Rogers's concept expressing an absence of conflict among perceptions of the self

congruence

Rogers's concept expressing an absence of conflict between the perceived self and experience; one of three conditions suggested as essential for growth and therapeutic progress

incongruence

Roger's concept of the existence of a discrepancy or conflict between the perceived self and experience

subception

a process emphasized by Rogers in which a stimulus is experienced without being brought into awareness

distortion

according to Rogers, a defensive process in which experience is changed so as to be brought into awareness in a form that is consistent with the self

denial

a defense mechanism in which threatening feelings are not allowed into awareness

need for positive regard

Rogers's concept expressing the need for warmth, liking, respect, and acceptance from other

conditions of worth

standards of evaluation that are not based on one's own feelings, preferences, and inclinations but instead on others' judgments about what constitutes desirable forms of action

self-esteem

the person's overall evaluative regard for the self or personal judgment of worthiness

d

The concept of the phenomenal field refers to all of the following except which one?
a) the space of perceptions that makes up our experience
b) a subjective construction of us and the world around us
c) ones' inner world of personal needs, goals, and bel

a

According to Rogers, feelings of inauthenticity result from our need to _____________.
a) please others
b) try new things
c) explore
d) make mistakes

d

A phenomenological approach is one that investigates ___________ experiences.
a) unconscious
b) abnormal
c) surprising
d) conscious

b

In Rogers's phenomenological theory, the key structural concept is that of the ___________
a) ego
b) self
c) Q-sort
d) Conscience

b

If you were to ask someone what she hoped to do with her psychology degree once she graduated, you would, in a sense, be measuring the Rogerian concept of the ______.
a) possible self
b) ideal self
c) future self
d) real self

d

As Rogers would have predicted, recent brain scan data reveals that patterns of brain activation differ for thinking that:
a) is intuitive vs. noninuitive
b) reflects on present- vs. future-oriented self
c) is more state- vs. trait-like
d) a and b

b

The Q-sort can be described as a measure that is fixed _________ flexible.
a) and not
b) but also
c) and never
d) but not

b

The semantic differential can be described as a measure that is fixed _________ flexible.
a) and not
b) but also
c) and never
d) but not

a

The concept of ___________ refers, among other things, to an organism's tendency to grow from a simple entity to a complex one.
a) self-actualization
b) ideal self
c) actual self
d) phenomenology

a

According to Rogers, individuals seek _________ between self and experience.
a) congruence
b) conflict
c) incongruence
d) happiness

d

According to Rogers, anxiety is the result of inconsistency between
a) self and experience
b) what we say and what we feel
c) our thoughts and our actions
d) all of the above

b

Rogers's subception is most similar to Freud's concept of ______.
a) anxiety
b) defense
c) ego
d) conscious

a

Research by Aronson and Mettee (1968) was supportive of the Rogerian notion that _________.
a) individuals are driven by consistency needs
b) individuals are driven by inconsistency needs
c) individuals are driven by the need to find pleasure
d) individua

c

Heimpel, Wood, Marshall, and Brown's (2002) findings indicated that when given the choice, individuals prefer _________ over __________.
a) positive mood; consistency
b) positive mood; inconsistency
c) consistency; positive mood
d) consistency; self-estee

a

Rogers noted that individuals can become so consumed with the need for ___________that they can lose touch with their own values
a) positive regard
b) conditions of worth
c) consistency
d) congruence

b

To Rogers, the major developmental concern is whether the child is free to self-actualize, or whether __________cause(s) the child to become defensive.
a) positive regard
b) conditions of worth
c) consistency
d) congruence

b

In Coopersmith's (1967) research on the origins of self-esteem that three factors influenced a child sense of self-worth. Which of the following was not one of them?
a) degree of acceptance, interest, affection, and warmth expressed toward the child
b) wh