Contributions Of Martin Beuber And Carl Rogers

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Contributions of Martin Buber and Carl Rogers Judith Talarico July 30, 2011 Martin Buber and Carl Rogers were two great dialogical theorists who made significant contributions to our way of communication ethically with one another. Martin Buber's first contribution was the concept of I-It or I-Thou. The I-It style of communication was used in conversations where the person was viewed as an object to be used to achieve a specific goal. Martin Buber related the I-It communication style as setting ourselves apart from others. When we are in conversation with another person and we are focused on our own feelings and thoughts and not fully listening to what the other person is saying, we are engaging in an I-It manner. (Neher and Sandin, 2007). The I-Thou relationship was reserved for personal and intimate relationships. This is where we place significant value and meaning for our lives. In the I-Thou relationship we relate to the other person as an individual, not an object. When we engage in I-Thou communication we focus our full attention on the other person and listen to the person speaking. We would encourage the feelings and opinions of the other person instead of planning our response. (Neher and Sandin, 2007). This style of communication helps to build stronger relationships through the meaningful and ethical dialogue. Carl Rogers was a major contributor to communication ethics in the field of psychotherapy. He was credited with the introduction of revolutionary ways to practice therapy. He employed principles that were similar to Martin Buber's I-Thou style of communication. He was the first to refer to patients as clients and to declare that the client needed to give their permission to have their therapy sessions recorded. (Neher and Sandin, 2007). Carl Rogers allowed the client to express their feelings and deal with what they
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