Executive Summary
The Gloria Films, which feature Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls, and Albert Ellis conducting psychotherapy with their client Gloria in 1965, is still widely used as a reference for psychotherapy training and research. The film represents the three major therapeutic schools: client-centered, Gestalt, and rational emotive.
This is particularly valuable because it allows viewers to observe how different therapists interact with the same client. There are now films showing numerous therapists working with different clients, but films showing multiple therapists working with the same client are still difficult to find. The essay demonstrates how the three theorists interacted with Gloria using their unique approaches and how they responded to each approach.
Theorists and Their Theories
Gestalt Approach
Fritz Periz pioneered Gestalt theory, a humanistic, universal, and person-centered psychotherapy approach that primarily considers the client and their current difficult life situation. The approach emphasizes the benefits of self-awareness and the resulting desire to take responsibility for one’s actions rather than pointing fingers. The philosophical underpinnings of counseling place a premium on how individuals make sense of and respond to their experiences (Dianti, 2021).
Many ideas originated from this premise, such as the notion that familiarity influences perception and that no two things can ever be fully disconnected. The method also emphasizes the here and now; in Gloria’s session, the client’s sense of safety and confidence was greatly aided by the two of them having a good connection. One tactic is to push through the discomfort; all of one’s energy should be focused on getting through the terrible times.
The Gestalt approach allows those suffering enough freedom to talk about their lives without fear of judgment. The victim can open up to the counselor about how they are feeling and what has happened to them, and the counselor can ask questions and probe deeper into the issues at hand. Therapy can help individuals feel more in charge of their lives by improving their mindfulness, emotional awareness, ability to cope with adversity, understanding their needs, and understanding and managing mental health issues.
Person-Centered Theory
Carl Rogers pioneered the person-centered theory, which emphasizes the counselor’s ability to remain directive even as the client(s) take on an equal role in the counseling process. No matter how hard the client begs, the therapist cannot offer advice or opinions on the client’s thoughts and movies. Given that everyone has first-hand knowledge of their own lives and experiences, Roger is the most respected psychotherapist. Individuals act more self-actualizing and show a stronger desire to grow into their full potential. Rogers agrees that victims can change their perspectives and make permanent changes through therapy connections and communication.
The mental analyst used several methods to provide the optimal environment for those who have a mental illness (Joseph, 2021). The methods called for a supportive and encouraging setting, nonjudgmental actions, and empathy. Also, the established standards achieved individual comprehension, universal approval, authenticity, and congruence. The victims’ mental health, self-awareness, and behavioral autonomy were prioritized in these methods.
In this approach, the counselor shows unconditional positive regard when they accept and believe the client for who they are and stick with them through tough times. The therapist’s capacity for compassion depends on his or her ability to understand the patient fully. They should also understand the terrible occurrences and empathize with the victim’s point of view. The objective is to make that connection while clearly understanding the facts. Counseling may help patients with dementia-related psychosis, depression, or other mood problems.
Rational Emotional Behavior Approach
This approach makes use of coherent emotive conduct, which helps clients overcome irrational beliefs and develops more effective strategies for dealing with and processing their feelings, thoughts, and behavioral codes, which are at the heart of behavior theory’s action-oriented methodology. The theory’s fundamental tenet is to have clients recognize and demonstrate their innate capacity to think differently about the world and solve problems more constructively. It takes a therapist who can help clients manage the interplay between their rational and emotional selves. The approach also considers how victims are affected by the circumstances they experience.
The theory applied several methods, with ABC formulae being the main one. The model clarifies why individuals place the blame on the world around them. First, A represents an initiating activity likely to bring about emotional suffering and catastrophic events.
Second, B represents the theory that gives context to the victim’s mind and life (Takasugi, 2022). Lastly, C represents the certain repercussions on the victim. The first stage of the paradigm recognizes and names the beliefs that cause mental outcomes. Regular perspectives include things like feeling let down by the mistakes of others and the notion of perfection and success in all activities.
Ellis demonstrates the flexibility of one’s beliefs and the necessity of application in many situations, including argumentation. In this approach, the counselor directly tries to confront the client’s unreasonable certainties. Another technique for bringing about change is evaluating the client’s emotions and teaching them how to respond healthily. Victims are taught to be proud of themselves no matter how difficult their lives have been and have no reason to feel guilty. The bottom line of the theory is that negative events are inevitable and should be met head-on with optimism.
Summary of Sessions
Rogers
Rogers’ session with Gloria advocates for positive change through informal conversation. Their conversation demonstrates empathy, respect, and honesty. Gloria’s dependable reactions had to provide a deeper dive into the underlying causes for the problems to be solved. At first, Gloria did not consider it a problem to have men in the house at any time and frequently moved to new places, even though it impacted her children.
However, she started to shift her perspective towards a more positive mindset of self-acceptance and comprehension, making it possible for her to develop self-confidence. Rogers supported Gloria by tapping into the fundamentals that allowed her to recover dormant abilities and recognize her inherent worth. When Gloria unconditionally accepts her daughter’s approval and lets her make errors so that she can grow from them, she demonstrates conditional positive regard.
Perls
During Perls’ session with Gloria, he encourages her to examine her motivations and assumptions, as well as her body language and other nonverbal indicators. Perls is comfortable with the therapist-client relationship, and psychoanalytic philosophy must remain fixed on problem-solving. The victim is given experimental opportunities, but not thorough interpretation, to learn about concerns about their lives. Perls labels Gloria’s persona as false since she initially seems confused and then plays up the apparent anger.
Perls takes action by not responding to her, but Gloria appears to share his viewpoint. Perls waits until Gloria is finished before passing judgment on her work. Gloria acknowledges that the Perls session was the most helpful for her. Gloria fails to acknowledge her moving leg, but Perls catches it and incorporates it into the conversation, assisting Gloria in making sense of what she is doing.
Ellis
Ellis can have a serious conversation with Gloria about the key tenets of reasonable thinking and how they might be applied to alleviate the stresses associated with dating and pursuing a life partner. It appears that Gloria has taken to heart the notion that she is only contributing to their worsening by exaggerating the severity of negative events. For instance, according to Fritz’s logic, you should not beat yourself up over it or convince yourself that you are a failure if you do not achieve the likelihood.
The illustration shows how Ellis recognized Gloria’s inability to feel content with her accomplishments and her tendency to blame herself. Because of the explanation, Gloria is now able to see how the mistakes of others can be used as teaching tools. Instead of staying in her comfort zone, Gloria could branch out and try her hand at a few simple but potentially rewarding chores. Gloria says the session is helpful and that she learns a lot.
Connection with the Theorists
Although Gloria ultimately decided that the Perls were the best theorists, she had a good rapport with Carl Rogers. It is clear that Rogers delivered a flawless performance and showed much compassion. After the session with Rogers was complete, Gloria said that she felt she had gotten what she needed and that Carl had helped her learn more about herself. The fact that Gloria wished Rogers could replace a parent proves that she received the needed help.
Despite being selected, Perls did not have a good rapport with Gloria. It is clear that the session they had had a bad impact on her life. Most of their conversations likely affected Gloria’s attitude, prompting her to behave unpredictably. In many of Perls’ interventions, the victims worsened to increase their awareness and get their attention; however, for Gloria, this had a reverse impact and interfered with her mood, making her angry. Even if the discourse took an unexpected turn, the underlying character remained unchanged: harsh and unsettling.
Gloria was worried by Perls due to the fact that, in addition to naming him as the best theorist, she acknowledged that his attempts to understand the issues had a detrimental, long-lasting impact on the rest of her life and led to unfavorable developments. Gloria became irate, and her mood shifted as a result of most of what Perl did to discover the truth. Because Gloria served as Perls’ human ashtray, she was terrible.
I strongly reacted to Pearl’s theory since his Gestalt techniques seemed too confrontational to Gloria. Therapy should never inflict pain on the client, and any discomfort or challenge should be done in a supportive and respectful way. The theorist must review his approach and determine whether some parts of the therapeutic process are necessary.
As a future counselor, I would prefer Roger’s humanistic approach. It is an experimental approach to learning that considers the unique dynamics of each person’s development. The theory stresses the significance of learning to analyze and make sound decisions. Carl’s approach to Gloria helps to pull her out of her mental misery. Clients can feel safe enough to reveal their complete histories following the criteria. Because it facilitates the rewriting of negative memories into more positive ones, the theory cannot help but be advocated.
References
Dianti, T. M. (2021). Analysis of the Gestalt Approach in Group Counseling. Literasi Nusantara, 2(1), 94-108. Web.
Joseph, S. (2021). How Humanistic Is Positive Psychology? Lessons in Positive Psychology from Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Approach—It’s the Social Environment That Must Change. Frontiers in Psychology, p. 12, 709789. Web.
Takasugi, H. (2022). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Japan. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a Global Context (pp. 327–342). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Web.