Carl Rogers: Personality Theory and Client-Centered Therapy

Introduction

Carl Rogers belongs to the small group of visionary individuals who stand as giants in the field of psychology. Because of the theories he developed — in both psychology and education — he is considered, as Constance Holden writes, "one of the grand old men of American psychology and a leading figure in the postwar development of humanistic psychology" (Holden, 1997, p. 31). This paper reviews his theory of personality, his approach to therapy, and the contributions he made to the field of psychology as a whole.

Rogers' Theory of Personality

Rogers' theory of personality was, at its core, a theory that embraces providing the client with a "roadway toward self-actualization… as an unfolding process of self-discovery and self-awareness," according to Jeffrey S. Nevid (Nevid, 2011, p. 403). Rogers believed that personality is expressed through "conscious experience of directing ourselves toward fulfilling our unique potentials" as human beings (Nevid, 403). The self is the center of the human experience, Rogers posited, and while that idea may not seem entirely original, he went on to explain that the "self is the executive part of your personality" (Nevid, 403). That is, the executive part of the personality — much like the executive of a corporation — organizes things. In this case, it sifts out how the person relates to the world as "I" or "me": that individual who looks back at you in the mirror (Nevid, 403).

The self determines one's likes, dislikes, values, and needs. It also includes the "impressions you have of yourself, impressions that constitute your self-concept," Nevid continues in explaining Rogers' theory of personality.

Rogers was adamant in his assertion that a primary function of the self is to develop self-esteem, or at least "a degree of liking for ourselves." This self-regard, he argued, should not always mirror how others value — or fail to value — us. Accordingly, he believed it is "crucial for parents to bestow unconditional positive regard on their children" regardless of whether the child's behavior is pleasing (Nevid, 403).

The problem that many individuals encounter later in life is a lack of self-respect or self-esteem, Nevid continues (404). Rogers tried to intervene before children became adults by pointing out that too many parents show only "conditional positive regard" toward their offspring. That is, positive feedback is given when the child behaves according to the parents' dictates — and only when the child is behaving in socially and parentally approved ways. Later in life, the individual who has received only conditional positive regard may find his or her self-esteem becoming quite "shaky" (Nevid, 404).

In order to maintain some semblance of self-esteem, the individual may deny feelings and desires or learn to wear a mask and put on "social facades to please others" (Nevid, 404). Rogers, ever the optimist, believed in the "essential worth and goodness of human nature" and held that people become "hurtful toward each other" only during those times when "their own pathways toward self-actualization are blocked or stymied by obstacles" (Nevid, 404).

Works Cited

Dryden, Windy, and Jill Mytton. Four Approaches to Counseling and Psychotherapy. East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press, 1999.

Goodman, Geoff. "Feeling Our Way into Empathy: Carl Rogers, Heinz Kohut, and Jesus." Journal of Religion and Health 30, no. 3 (1991): 191–204.

Holden, Constance. "Carl Rogers: Giving People Permission to Be Themselves." Science 198, no. 4312 (1977): 31–35.

Nevid, Jeffrey S. Essentials of Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning, 2011.

Rogers, Carl Ransom, Howard Kirschenbaum, and Valerie Land Henderson. The Carl Rogers Reader. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1989.