Dibs in Search of Self (Axline) - Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dibs in Search of Self (Axline) - Review - Essay ExampleHer insight, comprehension of character, patience, and counseling expertise ar apparent throughout, and the book could serve as a manual of clinical counseling strategies.It seems to me that four key themes run through Dr. Axlines approach 1. The individualism of each person, 2. The necessity of possessing an optimistic attitude that the individual can be helped, 3. Respect for the individual as a prerequisite for facilitating mental growth, 4. Allowing the individual sooner than the counselor to lead.Possibly, however, those four themes could be collapsed into one the all-abiding belief that the human individual is unique, that he has potential and that, when listened to and unconditionally accepted, this potential may flourish. Axline, therefore, seems to be a humanistically-oriented psychologist (of the Rogerian condition of counseling), even though play therapy is, undoubtedly, behaviorally inclined. Noting her approach , Leonard Carmichel, in his introduction, has this to sayNo one who reads this book with understanding can ever again think that human mental growth, success in a schoolroom, or the acquisition of a complex skill can be achieved merely by overt repetition or by the reinforcement of simple patterns of response. (p. viii)1. Acknowledging the unequivocal individuality of each person In a somewhat Leibnizian stance, Axline posits that each person is an individual unto herself, shut off as a Leibnizian monad in his induce world, and therefore the therapist (or another) could attempt to empathize with him or gain some conformation of understanding of the workings of his personality, but could never fully enter the clients experience. When first meeting Dibs, Dr. Axline reminisces on the many children she had encountered each of whom had dealt with their challenges in their own way some had surmounted their difficulties, others had been overcome, but the Doctor realized there was no pat explanation