The Development of the self Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Development of the self - Essay Example Inter-Relationships of Individuals and Surrounding Environment The first concept which is defined is with the inter-relationships of individuals and the surrounding environment. According to the theories of D.W. Winnicott, there is the sense of a true self and a false self. The false self works as a protective mechanism while the true self is out of feeling real or moving into the roots of one’s personality (Malcolm, 138). The mask that is created is one which is easily seen and pronounced when working in various scenarios. When a client first comes into a practice to see me, the same masks and sense of self are easily seen. The environment that is created is one which is professional and which instantly triggers a reaction from those who come in to behave in a professional way. Most clients will be soft spoken the first time that they see me and will avoid direct confrontations or contact. The body language becomes very subtle while trying to manage a straight posture and a b usiness like tone. Most often, the voice is also soft spoken and restricted with the first impressions. The surrounding environment is followed by the one on one interaction which occurs. In the first meeting it is difficult to get a client to speak of specific problems or to be associated with the right type of influence to open up. It is only after speaking with the client about my own relationship to the practice and other confrontations that the client begins to show a different side. The shoulders will also begin to lift when a confrontation occurs. However, as the client moves through a session, the shoulders will drop down, the arms will relax and they will sit more comfortably. At this point, the voice begins to get louder and the individual begins to open up. This creates a sense of the true self, as opposed to the initial false self that was portrayed. An example of a client that has the true and false self in a different scenario is with one who had been in an abusive sit uation. The client wasn’t interested in speaking at first and gave the impression that the only reason why they were in the counseling session was because of a mandate they had to receive assistance. The information presented was given in a soft tone, and the client often spoke slowly. The false self continued with the ideal that the relationship was perfect and they didn’t know why they were there. The interpersonal relationship shifted when I began to speak about other situations or circumstances and began to show the cycles of abuse. The client slowly changed, gathered interest in the conversation and then began to speak of the problems. The reality of the situation was then able to become a part of the counseling practice. This shows how the masks slowly have to come off, dependent on environment and interpersonal interactions. Psychodynamic Theory and Counseling Practice The psychodynamic theory is based on the concept of the unconscious motivation that an individ ual has to be a part of a group or discussion and to work within the counseling practice. To create this specific scenario, there is the need to create a response to allow the individual to participate, even if they are unaware. The behaviors and emotions are the main ways to build a response and create a dynamic