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).

Rogers' Approach to Therapy

Constance Holden introduces readers to Rogers by describing what happened at the American Psychological Association convention in San Francisco in October 1977 — a convention arranged to honor Rogers on his 75th birthday. Rogers was there with his psychologist daughter Natalie, and instead of sitting behind a table on the stage, the two had their chairs moved down to the floor next to the audience of approximately 800 people. Rather than presenting the research papers they had planned to share, they announced they were simply going to talk, mainly about a "person-centered" workshop they had recently given.

Rogers believed in "communities, not conventions — and not institutions," according to Holden's piece in the journal Science (Holden, 31). Institutions use "frozen ideas," Holden continues, and Rogers avoided them, emphasizing instead the fact that "people are basically good" and that their natural tendency, like plants, is to "grow and express their potential" (31).

The difference between Sigmund Freud and Rogers is significant and is an important point in any examination of Rogers' theory. Freud viewed the psyche as "a battleground of conflicting drives, including infantile and aggressive ones" (Holden, 31). Those conflicting drives needed to be "sublimated for a maturely functioning ego," Freud believed, and he asserted that the psychotherapist must "dig into the patient's past" through analysis and must fully understand the patient's "repressed urges" before the patient can recover (31).

Rogers, by contrast, was far more interested in the patient's feelings and effectively turned Freud's model around: if anyone is truly the "analyst" in the therapy session, it is the patient — not the therapist — because "only the client possesses the wisdom for his or her own growth" (Holden, 31).

As for B. F. Skinner's behaviorist approach, Skinner is quoted as saying, "Rogers wants to change things inside people, and I want to change the world in which people live" (Holden, 31). Skinner believed his theory was the "all-embracing one" and insisted that "people don't act because of states they feel" but rather "from conditions that produce those states" (31). In Skinner's framework, the patient's behavior must change for healing to occur, and once behavior changes, it leads to a "permanent positive" transformation (31).

Rogers' approach, on the other hand, was to "concentrate on supplying an empathetic environment" in which the client would be "free to express his feelings" (Holden, 31). The assumption is that the patient will change his own behavior as a result of the "increased self-acceptance and self-knowledge" that the empathic environment has allowed and fostered (Holden, 31).

Rogers identified three conditions the therapist must fashion within the therapy session. The first is "the ability to listen" — specifically, "empathic listening," which involves getting "inside the world of the client" to see things as they appear to the client (Holden, 31). The second condition, "authenticity," means the therapist must fully behave as "a person" with the client — not as an all-knowing professional — which allows the therapist to engage deeply with both the client's feelings and intellect (Holden, 31). The third condition is "unconditional positive regard": the facilitator remains "non-judgmental" and ensures the client knows "he is accepted," which Rogers believed is the only way the client will "begin to accept himself" (Holden, 31).

Conclusion

Carl Rogers' strategies and viewpoints — especially regarding client-centered therapy — have not only survived but have thrived in the psychological milieu. He set out to make a difference, and by carefully and intelligently redefining personality on his own terms, moving away from Freud and discovering that empathy was pivotal in helping people psychologically, he succeeded. His legacy endures as one of the most humane and influential frameworks in the history of the discipline.

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.