1 / 18

Carl Rogers

Carl Rogers . Person-Centered Theory. Carl Rogers - 1902-1987 . Born in Oak Park, IL, 4th of 6 children. Family Background. Family valued hard work, fundamentalist Christianity, following strict rules of behavior

annis
Download Presentation

Carl Rogers

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Carl Rogers Person-Centered Theory

  2. Carl Rogers - 1902-1987 • Born in Oak Park, IL, 4th of 6 children

  3. Family Background • Family valued hard work, fundamentalist Christianity, following strict rules of behavior • Family moved to farm to prevent children having close contact with others in city, suburbs

  4. Carl Rogers - 1902-1987 • Enrolled in ag program at UW, spent 6 months in China with YMCA program • In China Rogers grew more tolerant of different customs • B.A. History 1924, only one psych class

  5. Education and Early Adulthood • Married Helen, a commercial artist, over objections of parents who recommended waiting until postgrad studies were finished • Moved to NYC for grad school - entered Union Theological Seminary • Took courses at Teachers College, Columbia; decided on grad work in psychology

  6. Person-Centered Theory - The Actualizing Tendency • Called all motivation the actualizing tendency--the urge to expand, extend, develop, mature, to express and activate all the capacities of the organism • Very humanistic view

  7. The Actualizing Tendency • We do not behave irrationally, as psychoanalysis assumed--we move with ordered complexity toward our goals • This tendency leads to complexity, independence, and social responsibility • The motivation intrinsic to each person is basically good and healthy

  8. Person-Centered Theory - The Actualizing Tendency • A self-actualizing person is in touch with the inner experience that is inherently growth producing, the organismic valuing process--a subconscious guide that evaluates experience for its growth potential • It draws people toward experiences that are growth producing and away from those that would inhibit growth

  9. Person-Centered Theory - The Actualizing Tendency • A person who pays attention to the organismic valuing process is self-actualizing or fully functioning • A person who is fully functioning has several characteristics: openness to experience, existential living, organismic trusting, experiential freedom, and creativity

  10. Person-Centered Theory - The Self • Many people experience discrepancy between the ideal self and the real self • The real self contains a person’s true or real qualities, including the actualizing tendency • Incongruence - the experience of conflict between the real self and the ideal self

  11. Person-Centered Theory - The Self • When a person is incongruent - experiences the real self as threatening • To prevent this, defense mechanisms distort, deny experience • Real self may be suppressed

  12. Person-Centered Theory -Development • Adults tell children to “be good” - e.g., be good, be respectful, be hard-working, etc. - “bad” behavior is punished or ignored • Rogers called this conditional positive regard • As a result, children come to think of themselves as having only the “good” qualities, disown the “bad”

  13. Person-Centered Theory - Development • Rogers thought better alternative would be to give child unconditional positive regard - loving the child regardless of behavior • This allows child to explore all potentials • Since he viewed people as essentially good, the outcome is the development of a fully functioning person

  14. Person-Centered Theory - Therapy • Therapy could help a person reconnect with his/her organismic valuing process • Direction comes from the client rather than from the therapist’s insights, so referred to as nondirective therapy, later client-centered therapy

  15. Therapy • Unconditional Positive Regard • Congruence • Empathic understanding

  16. Marriage • Mutual trust, tolerance of separate and shared interests, focus on uniqueness of each partner rather than roles • Greater mutuality, equality, honest communication result

  17. Relationships • Research - H.S. and college students have higher self-esteem if romantic partners, friends possess characteristics of unconditional acceptance, empathy, and congruence

  18. Carl Rogers - Summary • People actively seek higher development • Motivated by the actualizing tendency • A healthy person is a fully functioning person • Factors that contribute to successful therapy, relationships - unconditional positive regard, congruence, empathic understanding

More Related