authenticity

actualising tendency = all living organisms have the innate tendency to survive and grow, given the right conditions we can reach our full potential

• can be reduced by conditions around us but cannot be destroyed - always present

• inner compass guides us to our true authentic nature

• recognises that all of us experience unfavourable conditions

need for self worth = human beings have an innate need for self worth from significant people

• we gain a lot of this from how others evaluate us so positive regard becomes conditional

• we will seek to show what is acceptable and valued in us by others and hold back what is not acceptable

• this becomes reinforced and become conditions of worth and introjected values

• denial and distortion - we do this to cope with things about us which dion’t meet our conditions of worth

  • i’m not angry just disappointed

• locus of evaluation = the stronger our conditions of worth are the more our self concept will be formed around an external locus of evaluation

• rely on others to determine who we are and what we do

organismic experiences - we begin life as fully congruent human beings and respond genuinely to the people around us

• real self - organic, unfiltered thoughts/feelings/experiences

  • not moderated or changed to fit social expectations or external influences

  • unconditional acceptance from others leads to the ability to trust in our organismic self to tell us what we need to flourish

• organismic valuing process = our ability to evaluate our experiences in relation to the real self

  • trusting in own thoughts/feelings

  • making decisions with accordance in own wishes

  • driven by actualising tendency

• growing away from authentic selves - desire for positive regard becomes more important than personal ovp

  • conditions of worth are further internalised

  • denial and distortion begin to happen

  • self concept develops

self concept = idea of ourself we develop in response to external expectations/pressures

• becomes more fixed over time

• organised set of characteristics/beliefs we identify as unique and belonging to us

• replaces ovp as central system governs attitudes/behaviours/feelings

• favourable conditions - self concept develops in line with ovp

• unfavourable conditions are more likely

  • causes conflict/incongruence

  • more common than not

incongruence = denial/distortion of true desires/thoughts/feelings

• tension between self concept/organismic self

• mismatch between self concept and here and now experiences

• mismatch between self concept and ideal seld