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Hit enter to return to the slide.SUBMIT ALLsubmit allQuestion ListMore infoSend an emailCloseBioExitperson centered theory person-centered theory introducing rogers introducing rogers image of carl rogers from www.oprf.com “i think the attitudes towards persons outside our large family could be summed up schematically in this way: other persons behave in dubious ways of which we do not approve in our family. many of them play cards, go to the movies, smoke, dance, dance, drink, and engage in other activities - some of the unmentionable.” photo of otto rank from www.peterfaur.com carl rogers: was influenced by otto rank’s approach to therapy spent nearly a dozen years working as a clinician worked at ohio state later moved to the university of chicago and then wisconsin was president of the american psychological association from 1946-1947 won the first apa distinguished scientific contribution award he applied his ideas to political situations led workshops on conflict resolution in south africa, australia, and the former soviet union was nominated for the nobel peace prize in 1987 image of carl rogers from www.corbisimages.com carl rogers: was born in chicago in 1902 was the fourth of six children of upper-middle class family had devoutly religious protestant parents spent a lot of his time studying attended the university of wisconsin briefly attended seminary school earned a phd in psychology (1931) at columbia university “i felt that questions as to the meaning of life, and the possibility of the constructive improvement of life for individuals, would probably always interest me, but i could not work in a field where i would be required to believe in some specified religious doctrine. my beliefs had already changed tremendously, and might continue to change. it seemed to me it would be a horrible thing to have to profess a set of beliefs in order to stay in a profession.” the actualizing tendency the actualizing tendency rogers developed his personality theory from seeing patients. rogers introduced the term “client.” he was impressed with his clients’ drive to grow and develop their potential. the most basic human motive is the actualizing tendency. actualizing tendency: the innate drive to maintain and enhance the human organism. people must first fulfill their basic needs before they can grow. the self-concept and the real self the self-concept and the real self self-concept: the self as perceived in awareness, or the set of perceptions and beliefs that you have about yourself, including your natural qualities and typical behavior. real self:the organismic self, represents the totality of one’s experience, not just want we incorporate into our self-concept. self-concept self-concept real-self experiences real-self experiences rogers was struck with how often similar doubts about the self emerged. ? ? ? incongruence incongruence self-concept self-concept real-self experiences real-self experiences incongruence: when the self-concept conflicts with actual experiences. conditions of worth: the criterion by which we accept or reject our real, organismic experiences. conditional positive regard: the sense that the child is valued and loved, as long as he or she behaves in a particular way. positive regard: the sense of being valued and loved by other people (especially parents). begins to evolve early. begins to take the form of an ideal self. congruence congruence self-concept real-self experiences self-concept real-self experiences unconditional positive regard: the message to a child that he or she is loved and valued even if they don’t conform to standards. congruence: a sense of self that is consistent with emotions and experiences. the organismic valuing process the organismic valuing process click the resources tab or this link kennon sheldon to review sheldon’s research findings on the organismic valuing principle. click the resources tab or this link self-determination theory to learn more about human motivation and personality. rogers’ theory assumes that we have an organismic valuing process. given the actualizing tendency is an inherent part of being human, rogers maintained that even under conditions of incongruence, the real or organismic self still exists. client-centered therapy client-centered therapy yes, they can. therapist really hears and cares about what the client is saying empathetic listening regard (communicating that a close relationship is important) positive (expressing warm and caring feelings) unconditional (is not dependent on specific behaviors nor continuously earned) unconditional positive regard therapist models congruence for their client, and treats them authentically counselor congruence the three requirements specified by rogers for effective therapy are: could a person benefit from these same qualities in a relationship with a non-therapist? ? rogers was a clinician first. he assumed that many people did not get unconditional positive regard as a child, and therefore seek therapy. incongruence can lead people to behave in ways that don’t make sense and awareness of this can cause anxiety. becoming one’s own therapist becoming one’s own therapist during client-centered therapeutic change, a person: experiences unconditional acceptance feels lovable develops unconditional positive self-regard begins to listen to self empathetically attends to personal organismic experiences becomes his or her own therapist click the resources tab or this link excerpt to read an excerpt from a person who applied client-centered therapy. client- centered therapy carl r. rogers the person of tomorrow the person of tomorrow note similarities between roger’s conceptualization and maslow’s self-actualizing person. ! psychologically healthy people: are adaptable (survive better) are open to experiences trust in themselves live fully in the moment (existential living) have harmonious relations with others have integrated ideal and real self trust human nature enjoy greater richness in life ““the fully functional person” is synonymous with optimal psychological adjustment, optimal psychological security, complete congruence, complete openness to experience … some of these terms sound somewhat static, as though such a person “had arrived,” it should be pointed out that all the characteristics of such persons are process characteristics. the fully functioning person would be a person in-process, a person continually changing.” carl rogers: person of tomorrow congruence enables a person to be fully functioning conclusion conclusion carl rogers and abraham maslow represent the humanistic approach to personality theory. rogers’ theory allowed for the possibility of a fully-functioning, or self-actualizing, person. rogers specified that people need unconditional positive regard. rogers was optimistic about the possibility of undoing congruence with therapy. rogers believed the most basic human motive is the actualizing tendency. therapy involves: counselor congruence unconditional positive regard empathetic listening have you ever said to yourself, “i just don’t even know who i am anymore?” ? the end add heading/subheading here use for quotes or small pieces of content that aren’t voiced use for quotes or small pieces of content that aren’t voiced definition: goes here consider this… think of this…/formative question… on screen instructions go here ! ? use as callout, add content here this is a tag x use this as a light box… use this type of shapes, colors (w/guidance from color palette) and effect to build diagrams, unless content requires something different. when using charts or graphs from ppt use the style selected for this example throughout the presentation unless the content requires something different. <html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>Carl Rogers was born in a suburb of Chicago in 1902. He was the fourth of six children of upper-middle class, devoutly religious Protestant parents. When Rogers was a teenager, his parents moved them to a farming community outside of Chicago for a more wholesome upbringing. Rogers said about his family “I think the attitudes toward persons outside our large family could be summed up … this way: Other persons behave in dubious ways of which we do not approve of in our family….” This may be notable in his later theorizing about conditions of worth. But for the most part, Rogers had fond feelings toward his family, and unlike his humanistic psychology counterpart, Abraham Maslow, Rogers by no means had a miserable childhood. He was somewhat shy, and spent a lot of his time on the farm studying the “necessary and sufficient” conditions for growth in farming. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>When he went to the University of Wisconsin for college, he was first an agriculture major; later he switched to religion. He briefly attended seminary intending to become a minister. But then he changed directions again; he came to the conclusion that though he would “always be interested in questions about the meaning of life” and improving it, that he couldn’t “work in a field where (he) would be required to believe in some specified religious doctrine.” His said his beliefs “had already changed tremendously, and might continue to change,” His theoretical ideas about healthy adjustment are consistent with these ideas; a fully functioning person is free to change paths. He turned to psychology and earned his PhD in 1931 from Columbia. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>He was influenced by Otto Rank’s approach to therapy, which put a lot of emphasis on an authentic relationship between the therapist and client. Rogers spent nearly a dozen years working as a clinician, and then took a position at Ohio State, where he elucidated his views on therapy. He later moved to the University of Chicago and then Wisconsin. He was president of the American Psychological Association from 1946-1947, and won the first APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>In the last decade of his life he applied his ideas to political situations and led workshops on conflict resolution in South Africa, Australia, and the former Soviet Union. On the day of his death, in 1987, a letter arrived notifying him that he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. How cool is that, that the letter didn't arrive one day later!?</textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>Like Freud, Rogers developed his personality theory from seeing patients (though Freud was a theorist first, and clinician second, Rogers was a clinician first and foremost). He introduced the term “client,” to replace “patient,” so as to emphasize their active and voluntary participation. Unlike Freud, he was impressed with his clients’ drive to grow and develop their potential. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>This convinced him that the most basic human motive is the actualizing tendency - the innate drive to maintain and enhance the human organism. He suggested that people have both a desire to maintain or preserve the status quo, and that they also have a need to become more, to develop, to achieve growth. He gives the example of a child learning to walk-children don’t need to walk, they can get where they need to go by crawling, and they don’t risk falling if they crawl, but they have a need to grow, and achieve full potential, therefore, they walk.</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>Similar to the needs outlined by Maslow-we need to first fulfill our basic needs, and then we can move beyond fulfilling our deficits and grow.</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>But, there are necessary and sufficient conditions for growth, just like Rogers observed from the plants on his farm.</textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>Understanding Rogers means understanding his ideas about the self-concept. This is the self as perceived in awareness, or the set of perceptions and beliefs that you have about yourself, including your natural qualities and typical behavior. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>This can be distinguished from the real self. The real self, or the organismic self, represents the totality of one’s experience, not just want we incorporate into our self-concept.</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>Rogers was struck by how often his clients said things like “I’m not really sure who I am anymore” or “I just don’t feel like myself.” This helped him to develop the cornerstone of his theory: The idea of the self-concept may be different from, or incongruent with, the experiences of the real self.” </textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>The self-concept begins to evolve early in life. Because we are motivated by the self-actualizing tendency, infants and children are drawn towards self-enhancing experiences. But as children develop a greater sense of self-awareness, there is an increasingly greater and greater need for positive regard, or the sense of being valued and loved by other people, especially from their parents. (This fits with Maslow’s need for love and belongingness, coming before esteem.) </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>Many parents provide their children with conditional positive regard, the sense that the child is valued and loved, as long as he or she behaves in a particular way, or according to specific conditions of worth. The problem is that this causes the child to deny or distort their true feelings for fear of losing the positive regard. So, if a little girl is scolded for expressing anger or a little boy for being sensitive, then they may begin to deny these feelings in themselves in order to get positive regard. Because of the fear of losing positive regard, they cut off their true feelings. And instead of a self-concept that’s consistent with the real self, which of course experiences anger and sensitive feelings, the self-concept takes the form of an ideal self, which doesn’t include any of these things. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>From Skinner’s perspective, which we’ll get to soon, the reinforcement of behavior that is consistent with desired conditions of worth should be a model for ideal personality development. From Roger’s perspective it causes a state of incongruence, where their self-concept conflicts with their actual experience.</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>And so later, perhaps in therapy, they say, “I just don’t know who I am anymore.” </textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>Rogers’ theory is very clear as to the necessary and sufficient conditions for preventing this incongruence. It’s quite simple really: unconditional positive regard, or the message to a child that he or she is loved and valued even if they don’t conform to standards. A parent can disapprove of a child’s behavior without disapproving of the child. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>In this case, rather than distorting and denying one’s own thoughts and feelings, a person experiences congruence-a sense of self that is consistent with emotions and experiences.</textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>To the extent that the actualizing tendency is an inherent part of being human, Rogers maintained that even under conditions of incongruence, the real or organismic self still exists-it’s just harder to access. But his theory assumes that we have an organismic valuing process, meaning that there is an intrinsic appreciation of that which is conducive to actualizing the self. That is, things that are good for you tend to feel good. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>There’s a theory called self-determination theory that has generated a huge amount of empirical research consistent with these findings. I’m a big fan of the theory. You might want to check out this link and learn more. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>You might also be interested in reading some of Ken Sheldon’s research specifically aimed at empirically demonstrating evidence of this organismic valuing principle. </textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>As I said, Rogers was a clinician first. He assumed that many people did not get unconditional positive regard as a child, and therefore seek therapy as a result of incongruence. Incongruence can lead people to behave in ways that don’t make a whole lot of sense to themselves, or others. And awareness of this incongruence can cause anxiety. Rogers’ client-centered therapy is aimed at addressing this incongruence, and just like his theory of personality development, it’s very clear and specific as to the necessary and sufficient conditions for producing therapeutic change. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>The three requirements specified by Rogers for effective therapy are:</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>1. Counselor congruence. The therapist needs to model congruence for their client, and treat them authentically. If the therapist is fake and insincere this will negate the whole therapeutic experience, and therefore this a basic requirement that underlies the two next requirements.</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'> </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>2. The therapist needs to treat the client with unconditional positive regard. So, breaking it down: regard refers to communicating that a close relationship with the client is important; and positive means it involves warm and caring feelings; and finally, unconditional means that it’s not dependent on specific behaviors and doesn’t have to be continuously earned. This doesn’t mean that every behavior is condoned or accepted, but the person is.</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>3. The last requirement is empathetic listening. This exists when the therapist really hears and cares about what the client is saying. Rogers, during therapy, would often try to simply rephrase what the client told him, conveying to the client that he heard him and understands. Without this understanding, the unconditional positive regard is not really meaningful. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'> </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>You might be thinking, why couldn’t a person benefit from these same qualities in a relationship with a person who is not their therapist. The answer is: they can.</textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>The explanation for therapeutic change is this:</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>When a person experiences unconditional acceptance, this communicates to them that they are lovable, and through this experience they can develop unconditional positive self-regard. As they perceive that they are empathetically understood, they begin to listen to themselves empathetically, and accurately. As a result they begin to attend to their organismic experiences. In effect, they become their own therapist.</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>I like this excerpt from a client of person-centered therapy. </textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>As I mentioned earlier, congruence is what enables a person to be fully functioning. Later he switched from talking about the fully functioning person and introduced the term, the person of tomorrow.</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>But in any case, he said:</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>““The fully functional person” is synonymous with optimal psychological adjustment, optimal psychological security, complete congruence, complete openness to experience … Some of these terms sound somewhat static, as though such a person “had arrived,” it should be pointed out that all the characteristics of such persons are process characteristics. The fully functioning person would be a person in-process, a person continually changing.” </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>You will note similarities between Roger’s conceptualization and Maslow’s self-actualizing person. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>From Roger’s perspective, psychologically healthy people are:</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='2' tabstops='[0, 24, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='24' indent='-24'>1. Adaptable. They adapt to a changing environment, so they survive better. </textformat><textformat leading='2' tabstops='[0, 24, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='24' indent='-24'>2a. They are open to their experiences. That is they accurately symbolize them rather than engage in distortion or denial. </textformat><textformat leading='2' tabstops='[0, 24, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='24' indent='-24'>2b. And they also can trust themselves. They don’t need other people to tell them what’s right. </textformat><textformat leading='2' tabstops='[0, 24, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='24' indent='-24'>3. They can live more fully in the moment. He called this existential living. They are open to their own organismic experience, so they’re constantly changing. Each moment is new and important.</textformat><textformat leading='2' tabstops='[0, 24, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='24' indent='-24'>If you are familiar with research on mindfulness, or want to get familiar with research on mindfulness, it fits well with this quality. </textformat><textformat leading='2' tabstops='[0, 24, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='24' indent='-24'> 4. They also don’t feel a need to be liked by everyone, but they themselves feel unconditionally prized by others, and they in turn are able care about others in a nonjudgmental way.</textformat><textformat leading='2' tabstops='[0, 24, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='24' indent='-24'>5. They bridge the gap between the ideal and real self because they have confidence in who they are</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>6. And they trust human nature</textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>7. All of which leads to a greater richness in life. They experience life more fully since they live in the moment and don’t have a need to distort emotions and experiences. </textformat></html><html><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>Have you ever said to yourself, “I just don’t even know who I am anymore” or needed to take some time to figure yourself out?” If so, then Rogers’ theory may resonate with you. </textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'></textformat><textformat leading='0' tabstops='[0, 48, 96, 144]' blockindent='0' indent='0'>His name is often mentioned in the same sentence as Abraham Maslow, because together they represent the humanistic approach to personality theory. Rogers’ theory, like Maslow’s, allowed for the possibility of a fully-functioning, or self-actualizing, person. In both cases, there are necessary and sufficient conditions to get there. Rogers specified that people need unconditional positive regard, that it’s the conditional acceptance that causes people to distort and deny their own experiences and create this sense of disconnect between who they think they are and their actual experiences. But Rogers, being a clinician first, was optimistic about the possibility of undoing this incongruence with therapy, and he offered clear instructions for how to do so.</textformat></html>