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Difference Between Psychodynamic Theory And Humanistic Theory

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In order to practice effectively, social workers implement various theories in practice. Theories play an important role in providing knowledge for generalist social workers. There is a total of four different types of practice theories: psychodynamic theories, cognitive-behavioral theories, humanistic theories, and postmodern theories. Each theory implements important ideas that are applicable when meeting with a client. Two of the theories that have many similarities and differences are psychodynamic theories and humanistic theories. To begin with, the psychodynamic theory was first started by Sigmund Freud, a psychologist. He based the theory that traumas and childhood experiences link to current issues. This theory has a strong emphasis …show more content…

This theory was first presented by Carl Rogers. Rogers believed that every person has the ability to be good and be the best person within them. This theory focuses on therapeutic relationships, in which the therapist shows unconditional positive regard for the client. An unconditional positive regard involves the unwavering supporting the client, despite whether the therapist is approving of the client’s past (Cummins and Sevel, 2017). One of the most popular types of humanistic therapies is person-centered counseling which focuses on the client leading the discussions and allowing the client to have say in the treatment …show more content…

For example, the psychodynamic theory likes to look at defense mechanisms to see how people behave. Defense mechanisms are the impulse reactions people have to stressful events that occur in their life (Engard, 2017). In contrast, the humanistic theory researches the personality as a whole. The theory does this by providing the what would make one achieve greatness, no matter the good or bad a person has. For example, a humanistic therapy approach would be the therapist pointing out the strengths and the positive qualities in a

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