Psychology Essay: Discuss at least two contributions of Rogers to Psychology

Discuss at least two contributions of Rogers to Psychology

(10 marks)

4 A01 marks = describe / name the contributions
6 A02 marks = criticise Rogers

Note: the more assumptions you name, the more AO2 marks you can achieve by criticising.

Rogers main contribution to psychology is client-centred therapy (A01).

Rogers other contribution is the idea that people have free will to make their own decisions in life. This is called personal agency (A01). Skinner disagrees with Rogers as he believes that people don’t have free will and that the environment determines a person’s behaviour through operant conditioning (A02).

Rogers also contributed the idea that human beings are motivated to self-actualise and achieve their potential in life. This is what makes us human (A01). Darwin disagrees with this view as he believes that people are motivated to reproduce and pass on their genes to their offspring (A02). Also Skinner does not believe in the idea of self-actualisation as it cannot be scientifically measured, as it cannot be seen (A02).

Rogers also contributed the idea the people are unique. This is called an idiographic approach, as Rogers studies the individual (A01). Behaviourism disagree with the idiographic approach as Skinner believes that people as a group are very similar and that psychology must study the group instead of the individual person. This is called a nomothetic approach (A02).

Roger’s emphasised the value of qualitative research methods, like case studies an interviews (you cannot get any more A01 marks – the maximum is 4 AO1 marks). Rogers rejected scientific research methods like experiments as they have low ecological validity. Skinner and behaviourism disagree with Roger and prefer to use experiments to study behaviour and it is possible to control variables and establish and cause and effect relationship (A02).

Freud criticises Roger’s humanistic psychology, as it is only concerned with those thoughts of which we have conscious awareness, and ignores the importance of the unconscious mind (A02).

Roger claims a fully functioning person is a person who is congruent. Freud disagrees, and states it is someone who has a balance between the 3 parts of the personality -id, ego and superego (A02).

There is little empirical (scientific) evidence to support the ideas of Rogers.