Carl Rogers' humanistic perspective of personality emphasizes the importance of self-actualization, self-concept, and congruence between an individual's self-concept and their actual experiences. In Marley's situation, the humanistic perspective can help explain their feelings of sadness and irritability due to the discrepancy between their current job and their artistic aspirations.
1. Incongruence between self-concept and experiences: Marley sees themselves as a relaxed and cheerful person, but their current job as an insurance salesperson is not allowing them to engage in their desired artistic activities. This creates a discrepancy between how they perceive themselves and their actual experiences, leading to emotional distress. According to Rogers, individuals are motivated to reduce this incongruence and achieve greater congruence between their self-concept and their experiences.
2. Hindered self-actualization: From a humanistic perspective, individuals have an innate drive to self-actualize, which means realizing their full potential and expressing their true selves. In Marley's case, their potential as an artist is not being fully realized due to their current job, which may prevent them from achieving self-actualization. This could contribute to their feelings of sadness and irritability.
If Marley were to engage in humanistic therapy, the therapist would likely focus on helping them explore their feelings and self-concept, as well as identifying ways to align their experiences with their desired self-image and ultimately work towards self-actualization.