Person-Centered Therapy for the Recovery of Social Alienation in a Student with Internalized Conditions of Worth: A Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64420/ijcp.v3i1.509Keywords:
Person-Centered Therapy, Social Alienation, Student, Internalized Conditions of WorthAbstract
Background: Academic pressure among students has become a significant psychological concern, particularly in cultures where academic success is closely linked to personal worth and social recognition. In such environments, strong parental expectations may be internalized as conditions of worth, leading individuals to believe they are valued only when they meet specific standards. This internalization can create incongruence between the real self and the ideal self, which often manifests as anxiety, perfectionism, low self-esteem, and social withdrawal. Objective: This study aims to examine the formation of internalised conditions of worth and to analyze how Person-Centred Therapy (PCT) facilitates psychological recovery and self-concept reconstruction. Method: The study employed a qualitative, single-case study design with a high school student experiencing social alienation and achievement-contingent self-worth. Data were collected through semi-structured counseling interviews, classroom observations, and psychological assessments, and analysed using thematic analysis to identify patterns related to self-concept and family expectations. Result: The findings revealed that conditional acceptance related to academic achievement contributed to a fragile self-concept and social withdrawal. Through empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard, PCT supported emotional openness and reduced self-criticism. Conclusion: Person-Centred Therapy effectively facilitated self-acceptance and reduced social alienation. Contribution: This study provides practical insight for school counseling interventions addressing conditional self-worth among students.
References
Alchin, C. E., Machin, T. M., Martin, N., & Burton, L. J. (2024). Authenticity and inauthenticity in adolescents: A scoping review. Adolescent Research Review, 9(2), 279-315. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s40894-023-00218-8
Amiot, C. E., Lizzio‐Wilson, M., Thomas, E. F., & Louis, W. R. (2020). Bringing together humanistic and intergroup perspectives to build a model of internalisation of normative social harmdoing. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(3), 485-504. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2659
Antonietti, C., Camerini, A. L., & Marciano, L. (2020). The impact of self-esteem, family and peer cohesion on social appearance anxiety in adolescence: examination of the mediating role of coping. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 1089-1102. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2020.1858888
Bolton, M., & Ault, L. (2025). Preliminary Validation and Correlation of New Self-Report Scales of Rogerian Conditions of Worth and Initial Evidence Autistic People Experience Heightened Conditional Regard. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/NUCQ6
Bozkurt, M. (2022). Self-esteem and fear of negative evaluation as predictors of self-handicapping among university students (Master's thesis, Middle East Technical University (Turkey)). https://open.metu.edu.tr/handle/11511/98162
Cashman, M., Strandh, M., & Högberg, B. (2023). Have performance-based educational reforms increased adolescent school-pressure in Sweden? A synthetic control approach. International Journal of Educational Development, 103, 102922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102922
Chen, D. R., & Lu, H. H. (2022). Social alienation of adolescents with obesity in classrooms: A multilevel approach. Journal of Adolescence, 94(1), 81-91. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12001
de Carvalho, N. A., & Veiga, F. H. (2022). Psychosocial development research in adolescence: A scoping review. Trends in Psychology, 30(4), 640-669. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s43076-022-00143-0
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. Handbook of theories of social psychology, 1(20), 416-436. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.4135/9781446249215.n21
Hu, Z., & Liu, Q. (2025). Peer exclusion as a mediator between shyness and academic alienation in early adolescents: A three-wave longitudinal study. Social Psychology of Education, 28(1), 201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-025-10150-5
Jiang, J., Kwok, S. Y., & Deng, X. (2025). Effects of social mistreatment, academic alienation, and developmental challenge on university students' well‐being through coping strategies: A longitudinal study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(2), 464-479. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12730
Joseph, S. (2021). How humanistic is positive psychology? Lessons in positive psychology from Carl Rogers' person-centered approach—It's the social environment that must change. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 709789. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8510647/
Khan, S., Gagné, M., Yang, L., & Shapka, J. (2016). Exploring the relationship between adolescents' self-concept and their offline and online social worlds. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 940-945. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.046
Li, Y., Wang, R., Liu, J., & Zhou, Y. (2025). Factors influencing the type of self-acceptance in drug addicts and the relationship with subthreshold depression: evidence based on latent profile analysis. BMC psychology, 13(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02346-3
Lin, H., & Zainudin, Z. (2024). Theorizing Holistic Framework of Family Emotional Support on Student Learning Motivation in Higher Education Institution. ICCCM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(5), 91-106. https://doi.org/10.53797/icccmjssh.v3i5.13.2024
Mahon, D. (2023). Evidence based relationships 4: Empathy, congruence, unconditional positive regard, and real relationship. In Evidence based counseling & psychotherapy for the 21st century practitioner (pp. 71-83). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-732-720231007
Medlock, G. (2014). Authenticity as a core virtue in the normative framework of a positive-humanistic psychology. International Journal of Existential Psychology & Psychotherapy, 5(1), 50-63. https://www.meaning.ca/web/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/202-13-401-2-10-20171212.pdf
Murphy, D., Joseph, S., Demetriou, E., & Karimi-Mofrad, P. (2020). Unconditional positive self-regard, intrinsic aspirations, and authenticity: Pathways to psychological well-being. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 60(2), 258-279. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/0022167816688314
Nedelcea, C., & Ciorbea, I. D. (2013). The Assimilative Integration with Humanistic-Experiential Basis in the Psychotherapy of Maladaptive Emotions. The Development of a Process-Systemic Oriented Working Model. Journal of Experiential Psychotherapy/Revista de PSIHOterapie Experientiala, 16(3). https://openurl.ebsco.com/EPDB%3Agcd%3A16%3A21025264/
Pang, T., Wang, H., Zhang, X., & Zhang, X. (2024). Self-concept clarity and loneliness among college students: The chain-mediating effect of fear of negative evaluation and self-disclosure. Behavioral Sciences, 14(3), 194. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14030194
Pinquart, M., & Ebeling, M. (2020). Parental educational expectations and academic achievement in children and adolescents—a meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 32(2), 463-480. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s10648-019-09506-z
Popov, S., Jakovljev, I., Radanović, J., & Biro, M. (2020). The effect of unconditional self-acceptance and explicit self-esteem on personal explanatory style. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 13(3), 271-286. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s41811-020-00082-7
Rodríguez-Nogueira, Ó., Morera Balaguer, J., Nogueira López, A., Roldán Merino, J., Botella-Rico, J. M., Del Rio-Medina, S., & Moreno Poyato, A. R. (2020). The psychometric properties of the person-centered therapeutic relationship in physiotherapy scale. PloS one, 15(11), e0241010. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241010
Rose, A. L., & Kocovski, N. L. (2021). The Social Self-Compassion Scale (SSCS): Development, validity, and associations with indices of well-being, distress, and social anxiety. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(6), 2091-2109. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s11469-020-00302-3
Spence, G. B., & Deci, E. L. (2016). Self-determination theory within coaching contexts: Supporting motives and goals that promote optimal functioning and well-being. In Beyond goals (pp. 85-108). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315569208-5/self-determination-theory-within-coaching-contexts-gordon-spence-edward-deci
Tang, M., Wang, D., & Guerrien, A. (2020). A systematic review and meta‐analysis on basic psychological need satisfaction, motivation, and well‐being in later life: Contributions of self‐determination theory. PsyCh journal, 9(1), 5-33. https://doi.org/10.1002/pchj.293
Vartanian, L. R., Hayward, L. E., & Carter, J. J. (2023). Incorporating physical appearance into one’s sense of self: Self-concept clarity, thin-ideal internalization, and appearance-self integration. Self and Identity, 22(2), 181-196. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/15298868.2022.2070538
Wałejko, M. (2025). The End of Self-Esteem. Self-Knowledge and Self-Evaluation in the Light of Unconditional Self-Acceptance. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 44(5), 557-576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-025-10000-z
Wang, W., Liu, J., Liu, Y., Wang, P., Guo, Z., Hong, D., & Jiang, S. (2023). Peer relationship and adolescents’ smartphone addiction: The mediating role of alienation and the moderating role of sex. Current psychology, 42(26), 22976-22988. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.6.2017.079
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dona Fitri Annisa, Reza Pahlevi, Yusi Riksa, Nur Sholehah Dian Saputri
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: (1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal; (2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal; (3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
