summary
Summary
Ke Ju Liu
Sep 27, 2014
In the essay “Communication: Its Blocking and Its Facilitation”, Carl R. Rogers, a famous psychotherapist, explains the importance of fully understanding people and looking at things in their perspective. He points out that the interrupt in communication arises mainly from our instinct to judge or to evaluate our opponents’ opinion, as well as from our emotional response. The way to overcome the barriers is to listen with understanding, which means “to see the expressed idea and attitude from the other person’s point of view, to sense how it feels to him, to achieve his frame of reference in regard to the thing he is talking about” (Carl R Rogers, p396). Sounds simple but not easy to do, this approach is the key leading to successful communication.
To the neurotic individual who suffers from lost communications within himself and with others, listening with understanding is overwhelmingly useful in reforming his distorted personality and bridging his disturbed interpersonal relationships. In small face-to-face groups, this procedure is also proved to be easily initiated, omnipotent, leading to good communication, and finally resulting in problem-solving; while, in lager areas which involve classes, groups, and nations, it is yet to be tested. Rogers predicates that this method would bring some benefits in larger areas, but mentions that there are several obstacles hindering its being widely used: firstly, people may be worried about being changed, which is especially dangerous when confronted with psychotic patients; secondly, personal emotions affect people’s stands—but from Rogers’ experience, a neutral, understanding third party is able to overcome this obstacle in a small group.; thirdly, the extension of the successful experience to larger areas requires more human, material, and financial input; and finally, it need more time to adopt scientific findings in social sciences realm. Difficult although it is, Rogers still
Ke Ju Liu
Sep 27, 2014
In the essay “Communication: Its Blocking and Its Facilitation”, Carl R. Rogers, a famous psychotherapist, explains the importance of fully understanding people and looking at things in their perspective. He points out that the interrupt in communication arises mainly from our instinct to judge or to evaluate our opponents’ opinion, as well as from our emotional response. The way to overcome the barriers is to listen with understanding, which means “to see the expressed idea and attitude from the other person’s point of view, to sense how it feels to him, to achieve his frame of reference in regard to the thing he is talking about” (Carl R Rogers, p396). Sounds simple but not easy to do, this approach is the key leading to successful communication.
To the neurotic individual who suffers from lost communications within himself and with others, listening with understanding is overwhelmingly useful in reforming his distorted personality and bridging his disturbed interpersonal relationships. In small face-to-face groups, this procedure is also proved to be easily initiated, omnipotent, leading to good communication, and finally resulting in problem-solving; while, in lager areas which involve classes, groups, and nations, it is yet to be tested. Rogers predicates that this method would bring some benefits in larger areas, but mentions that there are several obstacles hindering its being widely used: firstly, people may be worried about being changed, which is especially dangerous when confronted with psychotic patients; secondly, personal emotions affect people’s stands—but from Rogers’ experience, a neutral, understanding third party is able to overcome this obstacle in a small group.; thirdly, the extension of the successful experience to larger areas requires more human, material, and financial input; and finally, it need more time to adopt scientific findings in social sciences realm. Difficult although it is, Rogers still