🥸intro to psychology review

key term - Incongruence

Definition

Incongruence refers to a lack of agreement, harmony, or compatibility between different elements or aspects of an individual's experience, behavior, or self-concept. It is a central concept in humanistic psychology, particularly in the context of self-actualization and personal growth.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. Incongruence occurs when there is a discrepancy between an individual's ideal self and their actual self-concept.
  2. It can lead to feelings of anxiety, low self-esteem, and a lack of authenticity in one's behavior and relationships.
  3. Humanistic psychologists, such as Carl Rogers, believed that reducing incongruence and achieving congruence is essential for personal growth and self-actualization.
  4. Incongruence can be reduced through self-awareness, honest self-reflection, and the development of a more accurate and integrated self-concept.
  5. Counseling and psychotherapy techniques, such as person-centered therapy, aim to help individuals reduce incongruence and become more congruent in their lives.

Review Questions

  • Explain how incongruence relates to the humanistic approach and the concept of self-actualization.
    • Incongruence is a central concept in humanistic psychology, as it represents the discrepancy between an individual's ideal self and their actual self-concept. Humanistic psychologists, such as Carl Rogers, believed that reducing this incongruence and achieving congruence, or alignment between one's self-concept and behavior, is essential for personal growth and self-actualization. When an individual experiences incongruence, it can lead to feelings of anxiety, low self-esteem, and a lack of authenticity, which can hinder their ability to fully realize their potential and become the best version of themselves.
  • Describe the role of self-awareness and self-reflection in addressing incongruence.
    • Developing self-awareness and engaging in honest self-reflection are crucial for addressing incongruence. By gaining a deeper understanding of their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, individuals can identify the discrepancies between their ideal self and their actual self-concept. This self-examination allows them to work towards aligning their self-concept with their outward behavior, which is essential for achieving congruence and facilitating personal growth. Through self-reflection, individuals can also uncover the root causes of their incongruence, such as past experiences, social influences, or limiting beliefs, and then take steps to address these underlying issues.
  • Analyze how counseling and psychotherapy techniques, such as person-centered therapy, can help individuals reduce incongruence.
    • Counseling and psychotherapy approaches, like person-centered therapy, aim to help individuals reduce incongruence and achieve greater congruence between their self-concept and their behavior. These techniques focus on creating a supportive, non-judgmental environment where clients can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences openly and honestly. By fostering self-acceptance and unconditional positive regard, therapists can help clients develop a more accurate and integrated self-concept, which in turn reduces the discrepancy between their ideal and actual selves. Additionally, through guided self-reflection and the exploration of underlying issues, clients can gain a deeper understanding of the sources of their incongruence and work towards resolving them, ultimately leading to greater personal growth and self-actualization.