Application Of Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs And Rogers’ Client-centered Approach To The Character Dexter Morgan

In this paper I will discuss Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow’s theories. I will take a look at what both of these psychologists believed and discuss any similarities and any differences as well. I will then factor all of this information and test their theories on my character Dexter Morgan. Both Rogers and Maslow were more concerned with a person and how one can become a healthy individual. Maslow developed a hierarchical theory of human motivation and Rogers was interested in the significant aspects of client-centered therapy. They both focused on the humanistic approach in psychology. What is the humanistic approach? Humanistic, humanism and humanist are terms in psychology relating to an approach which studies the whole person, and the uniqueness of each individual. The humanistic approach in psychology developed as a rebellion against what some psychologists saw as the limitations of the behaviorist and psychodynamic psychology. Humanism rejected the assumptions of the behaviorist perspective which is characterized as deterministic, focused on reinforcement of stimulus-response behavior and heavily dependent on animal research. Humanistic psychology also rejected the psychodynamic approach because it is also deterministic, with unconscious irrational and instinctive forces determining human thought and behavior. Both behaviorism and psychoanalysis are regarded as dehumanizing by humanistic psychologists. Rogers believed that the motivation intrinsic to each person is basically good and healthy. A self-actualizing person is in touch with inner experience that is inherently growth producing, through the organismic valuing process. It is a subconscious guide that draws the person toward experiences that produce growth and away from those that inhibit it. Even activities that might seem fun or profitable to conscious experience will be avoided if they feel wrong to this inner guide (McLeod, 2015).

Carl Rogers, probably the best-known spokesperson for humanistic psychology, was one of the first members of the Association of Humanistic Psychology. Like other humanists, his ideas built on Alfred Adler's belief that people have a fundamental tendency to develop in healthy directions. Carl Rogers grew up in a strict but financially comfortable Midwestern family, choosing psychology after exploring agriculture and theology as possible career choices. Though these fields seem quite different, for Rogers the unifying theme was growth: the growth of a plant, of a spirit, and of a psychological self. Rogers believed that all motivation went through a process called actualizing tendency. This is the directional trend which is evident in all organic and human life, the urge to expand, extend, develop, mature, the tendency to express and activate all capacities of the organism, or the self. When people are unhealthy and immature, or even criminals, Rogers blamed social forces that cause them to lose touch with inner growth processes. Messages from parents, schools, and even psychoanalysts repeatedly warn that feelings are bad, and so people come to distrust their inner feelings. A person who pays attention to the organismic valuing process is self-actualizing or fully functioning (Cloninger, 2017). To be in that state, a person must tune out adverse socialization messages. A potentially creative person may lose touch with that capacity by being taught that idle drawing is a waste of time. Similarly, a potentially empathic person may lose touch with that capacity by being taught that showing feelings is a sign of weakness. Rogers thought that values were very important. He argued that values emerge in each individual, and for humankind as a whole, from the process of experiencing. Most scientists thought that science should be value free. Rogers approach challenges us to consider the role of subjectivity and values within a scientific framework, even in areas that seem to contradict science.

Rogers believed very much in a person getting to their real self. He felt that therapy was essential for a person to be healthy psychologically. He found that most people want to be like the ideal self, but the real self is different. It is the persons true or real qualities, and when we realize this, we can become a truly healthy person. Rogers described that adults tell children to “be good”. Parents put pressure on their children to be hardworking, be respectful, and so on. When a child’s behavior is considered bad, they are punished or ignored. This kind of socialization is called conditional positive regard. Parents will love (regard positively) children only to the extent that the children live up to their conditions of worth. So, a child will not take on these “bad” qualities, but sometimes the “bad” qualities are really healthy potentials. A growth-producing parenting style is to give the child unconditional positive regard, which means loving the child regardless of his or her behavior. This allows the child to explore all his or her potentials. Because Rogers viewed human beings as essentially good, the outcome is the development of a fully functioning person. Rogers also believed that creativity emerges from healthy development. Rogers considered therapy to be an experience that could help people reconnect with their organismic valuing process, which guides healthy development. He dropped theoretical formulas and listened to what his clients were telling him. He called this technique client-centered therapy. He believed that there were conditions that led to the therapeutic progress. These included unconditional positive regard, congruence, and empathetic understanding. His emphasis on the relationship between the client and the therapist was revolutionary (Cloninger, 2017). Besides therapy, Rogers applied his ideas to other areas, including education, marriage and relationships, business, and political conflict. Rogers believed that every person could achieve their goals, wishes, and desires in life. When, or rather if they did so, self-actualization took place. This was one of Carl Rogers most important contributions to psychology, and for a person to reach their potential a number of factors must be satisfied.

Abraham Harold Maslow was an American psychologist who was best known for creating Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health based on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization. He stressed the importance of focusing on the positive qualities in people, as opposed to treating them as a 'bag of symptoms' (Wikipedia, 2019). Maslow was a humanist psychologist who is often referred to as the father of the humanist movement within psychology. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory of human motivation that suggests people are driven to engage in behaviors by a hierarchy of increasingly complex needs. The hierarchy is usually depicted as a pyramid, with basic needs making up the base and complex needs found at the peak . The five level of the hierarchy of needs are: physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is most often depicted as a pyramid. This suggests that the base level needs must be met before an individual can move upwards in the hierarchy to higher-order needs. According to the hierarchy of needs: people are motivated to fulfill certain needs, some needs take precedence over others, basic needs need to be fulfilled first, lower level needs arise from deprivation, needs become increasingly complex as you move up the hierarchy, and higher-level needs arise from a need to grow as a person (Cherry, 2019). Maslow identified the first four levels of the hierarchy as deficiency needs, or d-needs. These needs arise due to deprivation. Not having food or water leads to a physiological urge to fulfill those unmet needs. At the base of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid are the physiological needs, which include such things as the need for food, water, air, homeostasis, and sex. Maslow placed these needs at the base of the pyramid because they are essential for survival. These foundational needs must be fulfilled in order to give something for the rest of the pyramid to be built upon. Once the physiological needs have been mostly fulfilled, the safety needs begin to take precedence. These safety needs include work security, protection from danger, health, and well-being. Once the needs at the first two levels of Maslow’s hierarchy have been fulfilled, the social needs begin to take greater precedence. These needs are centered on belongingness, or a need to form and maintain lasting social connections. These can include relationships with family members, romantic partners, friends, and acquaintances. After the social needs have been addressed, the need to gain esteem and recognition becomes more important. All people have a need to feel appreciated and respected. Maslow believed that there was a lower level and a higher level of esteem. Lower level esteem involves a need to receive applause, accolades, or awards from other people (Cherry, 2019). Higher level esteem is all about gaining inner self-respect. Maslow believed that self-actualization was at the peak of the hierarchy. Self-actualization involves the need to fulfill your total potential and to become the best that you can possibly be. It is important to realize that self-actualization is not a destination or end-point. You don’t become self-actualized and suddenly just stop growing and changing as a person. Instead, self-actualization is characterized by the actualizing tendency, or the need to continue becoming better and more self-aware.

The humanistic approach emphasizes the personal worth of the individual, the centrality of human values, and the creative, active nature of human beings. The approach is optimistic and focuses on noble human capacity to overcome hardship, pain, and despair. Both Rogers and Maslow regarded personal growth and fulfillment in life as a basic human motive. This means that each person, in different ways, seek to grow psychologically and continuously enhance themselves. However, Rogers and Maslow both describe different ways of how self-actualization can be achieved. Maslow fully acknowledges the self-actualization of individuals to their very self. Rogers does not credit the individual only for self-actualization but emphasize on the necessity of the environment especially through empathy, genuineness, and acceptance of others that result in a condition for growth. Rogers and Maslow placed little value on scientific psychology, especially the use of the psychology laboratory to investigate both human and animal behavior (McLeod, 2015). The way to really understand people is to sit down and talk with them, share their experiences and be open to their feelings.

Dexter Morgan is a very intriguing character. He has been very interesting to pick apart and try to really figure him out. What happens when we apply the humanistic approach and Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs to Dexter Morgan? I will start with the five characteristics that Rogers identified that a fully functioning person has. The first is open to experience where both positive and negative emotions are accepted. Negative feelings are not denied but worked through. I would say that Dexter is open to his negative emotions and he works through these feelings when he is killing someone. As far as positive feelings, I believe he is awkward when he has positive feelings if he really ever does have them; outside of killing. Next is existential living. Is Dexter in touch with different experiences as they occur? Is he able to live in the present not looking back? I would say he goes through the motions of everyday life. He does what is expected in his job, and his home life. He can’t stop looking back to his childhood trauma. He frequently has conversations with his adopted father who is dead. So, it would seem that he can’t stop looking back. Next is trust feelings. Does he pay attention to his gut feelings? I think in some ways yes, he does. Dexter is very aware that he has to keep up this “normal” life in order to maintain his dark side. He knows when he needs to wait. He knows when it’s safe to pursue his next victim. Does he make the right choices? For him he does. Next is creativity. This involves creative thinking and risk-taking as a feature of a person’s life. I would say that Dexter is very creative and certainly takes risks and these do make up his personal life. His life is really all about taking risks. He takes the risk everyday of being caught. This is a concern in his professional and personal life. In this stage there is also the ability to adjust and change and seek new experiences. I think that Dexter has managed to master the ability to adjust. He has to do this everyday when he is trying to be seen as a normal person. Does he seek new experiences? He did seek to start a relationship with a woman. He may have initially done this in an effort to seem like everyone else, but it would still be a new experience for Dexter. Lastly there is the fulfilled life. This is when a person is happy and satisfied with life, and always looking for new challenges and experiences. Rogers says a fully functioning person will be well adjusted, well balanced an interesting to know. Often such people are high achievers in society. Well, I would certainly say that Dexter Morgan is very interesting and I would say that he is a high achiever as well. He is a police officer, he is very good at his job as a blood splatter analyst, we could say that he is very good at being a serial killer as well. He is dedicated to both of his professions. This may not be exactly what Rogers had in mind. When we look at all of this it seems that Dexter might be a self-actualized person. As far as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs some may say that he is stuck on the second level of Maslow’s theory. That is safety, which is concerned with security of: body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, and property. It’s true that Dexter has never developed morality correctly. But if we look at the steps above safety does Dexter fit into any of these? The next step on Maslow’s pyramid is love/belonging. This has to do with friendship, family, and sexual intimacy. So, when it comes to this level Dexter does fit into this level in his way. He does have his sister who he does love and care for. He will protect her at all costs. He has sexual intimacy with his girlfriend Rita. It may not be how you or I would define it, but he does at least seem to know how to fake it. He started dating Rita to add to his act of being like everyone else. So, while he is with Rita, he must continue that as well. In order to accomplish this, he does need to somehow have sexual intimacy with Rita or she may become suspicious or unhappy. Next on the pyramid is esteem. Self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others. Dexter is confident in his abilities as a serial killer and in his achievement in both his workplace as a blood spatter analyst and in his work as a killer. Dexter does seem to respect his coworkers, and he seems to be respected by his coworkers. Although, his boss does have some suspicions about Dexter. He thinks that Dexter is odd and not in a quirky way. Dexter is aware of this and has to be very cautious when around him. Finally, we come to self-actualization on the pyramid. This pertains to morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts. We have already determined that Dexter has not developed morality correctly. I do believe he is creative, spontaneous, and can solve problems. He is constantly solving problems that pertain to him maintaining his mask. I don’t think that Dexter has any prejudices. I do believe he accepts the facts, especially when he is looking at his next victim. He goes by what the person has done. He doesn’t take into account that they have a family, or that they are well respected in the community. He only looks at what they have done and nothing else effects his decision to kill that person. This is a bad person, and he kills bad people.

In conclusion, the humanistic approach in psychology is all about the individual. Its about how we each master different obstacles and move on to the next. We can eventually get to the top and become self-actualized. We can be complete and fulfilled. That is everyone’s ultimate goal in life. We are always striving to do better and to become more. If we look outside of ourselves, we can gain a greater awareness and connection with human beings on a much wider level. In some weird way Dexter Morgan has achieved this.