Carl Rogers

1
Carl Rogers

• 1902 - 1987

2
Biography

• Born near Chicago in 1902
• Fourth of six children
• Family atmosphere valued hard work and
  fundamental Christianity
• Both parents were hard workers, convinced that
  there was no virtue higher than hard work, and no
  problem that could not be solved by even harder
  work

3
Biography

• Believed it best for family to not interact much
  with other people so moved to a farrm
• Believed most typical enjoyments were faintly
  sinful
• I remember my slight feeling of wickedness when
  I had my first bottle of pop
• Interested in scientific agriculture so enrolled
  in agriculture program at University of
  Wisconsin.
• Eventually lost interest and graduated with a
  degree in history in 1924

4
Biography

• Active in religious work and activities all
  through college.
• Elected to go to a student conference in Peking,
  China
• Began to rethink his conservative religious views
  to the point he rejected the deity of Jesus
  Christ
• Was sending journal to future wife and family
• Declared his independence from his family at this
  time

5
Biography

• Married the summer after graduation
• Entered Union Theological Seminary to go into the
  ministry, took a class called Why am I entering
  the ministry, and as many others did, left the
  pursuit of the ministry.
• Entered the field of psychology receiving his
  doctorate from Teachers College at Columbia
  University

6
Biography

• Headed the Rochester guidance center when it
  first opened in 1938.
• Found himself more comfortable with social
  workers than animal research psychology
• From 1945 to 1957, worked at University of
  Chicago teaching and developing their counseling
  center

7
Biography

• Nominated for the Nobel Peace prize in 1987
• Died in 1987 of a heart attack

8
Theory

• Came to realize that ones level of self insight
  was the single most predictor of behavior over
  family environment and social interactions.
• Personality can only be understood from an
  individuals own viewpoint based on his / her
  subjective experiences
• Clinical diagnoses have no other purpose that to
  make the therapist feel secure
• As a result, the self (the sum total of the
  organisms experiences) became the core of his
  theory of personality (as well as his counseling
  method)

9
Theory

• Self actualization is one of the master motives
  of self
• Self actualization is part of a larger process
  called the actualization tendency
• The built in motivation present in every
  life-form to develop its potentials to the
  fullest extent possible
• Starts at birth.
• Encompasses all physiological and psychological
  needs and development

10
Theory

• Chose the word self-actualizing rather than
  self-actualized to signify that development of
  self is on going and always in progress.

11
Theory

• Our personal experiences are evaluated by how
  well they serve the actualization tendency
  through the process called the organismic valuing
  process
• Those that hinder the self actualization process
  are assigned a negative value
• Those that enhance actualization are evaluated as
  good and desirable and given a positive value
• This influences behavior because most of us
  attempt to avoid negative things
• It also allows us to be able to trust our feelings

12
Theory

• The development of the self is a major
  manifestation of the actualizing tendency
• Development of self involves the need for
  positive regard
• Universal and persistent need for acceptance,
  love and approval from others (especially mother)
• At first this is external from others, but
  becomes internal
• Positive self regard self esteem, self worth,
  and a positive self image

13
Theory

• Ultimately, Rogers felt everyone should be
  treated with unconditional positive regard (which
  promotes the actualization tendency)
• Regard that is granted freely and fully
• Not dependent on behavior
• Should also be able to offer this to others and
  to ourselves

14
Theory

• Society interferes though by offering conditional
  positive regard (introjection)
• Regard is given under certain conditions
• Can lead to conditional positive self-regard
• Both override the organismic valuing process

15
Theory

• The part of our being that is founded in the
  actualizing tendency, follows organismic valuing,
  and needs and receives positive regard and
  positive self regard is called the real self (I
  am).
• Under conditional regard and conditional self
  regard we develop an ideal self (I should)

16
Theory

• The gap between these two is called incongruity.
• The more incongruent, the more neurotic
• Stop using our organismic valuing process

17
Qualities of a Fully Functioning Person

• Openness to experience
• Fully aware and accepting of ones experiences in
  the world, including ones feelings
• No experience is distorted or denied
• Existential living
• Capacity to experience life fully and richly, in
  the here and now as opposed to the past and
  future

18
Qualities of a Fully Functioning Person

• Organismic trusting
• Allow ourselves to be guided by the organismic
  valuing process and trust ourselves to do what
  feels right and comes natural.
• Trust their own reactions rather than be guided
  by the opinions of others or by a social code
• Assumes one is in contact with the actualizing
  tendency
• Experiential freedom
• We acknowledge our feeling of freedom in taking
  responsibility for our choices

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Qualities of a Fully Functioning Person

• Creativity
• We contribute to the actualization of others
  through creativity in arts, sciences, social
  concern, etc. (generativity)
• Also do not require predictability
• Live in harmony with others
• Practice reciprocal unconditional positive regard

20
Emerging Persons

• Open and honest
• Indifferent to material comforts and rewards
• Caring
• Deep distrust of cognitively based science and a
  technology that uses science to exploit and harm
  nature and people
• Trust in their own experience and have a profound
  distrust of external authority

21

• Why are you in psychology?
• How will you survive in psychology?

22
Survival skills

• Be open to knowing yourself.
• Set good boundaries.
• Develop a support system.
• Develop coping skills.