4/9/2018 Carl Rogers - Theory

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Carl Rogers's Theory of Personality

Table of Contents
Carl Rogers's Theory of Personality
A Theory of Personality
The Development of Incongruence between Self and Experience
Summary

Carl Rogers was a humanist and psychotherapist. He believed if an individual attained self-
actualisation they would be a fully functioning person living "the good life". By this, he
means that the individual would have a positive healthy psychological outlook, trust their
own feelings and have congruence in their lives between self and experience (Rogers
2004).

On Becoming a Person - Carl Rogers

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Carl Roger's theory is phenomenological and idiographic. He believed that human nature is
"exquisitely rational" (Rogers, 2004 p 194). His theory came from his work as a
psychotherapist. The aim of the therapy is to facilitate a reintegration of the self-concept.
Rogers believed that people know what is causing the psychological imbalance in their lives
and that deep down they know what they need to do to regain their balance or self-
actualisation to become "Fully Functioning" persons (Rogers 2004). Psychotherapy is the
change agent that assists individuals in making personal changes to regain balance and
achieve their potential or self-actualisation.

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A Theory of Personality
Self-Actualisation: Rogers believed humans are born with a desire to be the best they can.
Self-actualisation is the motivating force to achieving their full potential. As infants the main
goal towards self-actualisation is to have needs met e.g. to be fed.

Real Self: Defined as the underlying organismic self: What a person is capable of becoming
if they lived in an ideal world. An individual would have lived in an environment of
unconditional positive regard. Their parents would have accepted and loved them just as
they are. Such individuals would be psychologically healthy with a positive unconditional
self-regard and the potential to attain self-actualisation. Unfortunately, such environments
are rare and as result people develop
conditions of worth.

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Self-Concept: A person's perception of themselves is shaped by how others see them. The
self is the central construct in this theory. It is based largely on life experiences, social
evaluation and the attitude of the individual's significant other. If the individual experiences
conditional positive regard from their parents, the individual develops their parent's values
and conditions of worth. If self-concept is based on the values of the significant other this
can give rise to incongruence between self and experience.

Self-concept and conditions of worth are linked together and are important. They are
guidelines as to how people behave towards others because people value their opinion of
themselves above their own. This affects their decision making and can result in them doing
things to please others rather than satisfying their own needs. Conditions of worth reduce
people's self-confidence, trust in their own feelings and can affect their potential towards
self-actualisation (Rogers 1986).

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The Development of Incongruence between Self and

Experience

The need for self-regard or approval is enormous. Children are influenced by their parents
and strive for their approval by doing things to please them which make them feel more
loved. However, if their behaviour does not meet with their approval they feel less loved.
They may then experience incongruence between self and experience and this may lead to
psychological maladjustment hindering personal growth towards self-actualisation (Rogers
as cited in Patterson 1977).

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Positive Regard: "To feel that one is understood is to feel that one has made some kind of a
positive difference in the experience of another" (Rogers, 2004 p 343). If the individual
experiences unconditional love and does not develop conditions of worth there is
congruence between self and experience.

The process of reintegration: In order for this to be successful, the individual must
experience the feelings of empathy, understanding and unconditional positive regard from a
significant other. These feelings reduce conditions of worth and encourage unconditional
positive regard for others. They increase self-regard and re-establishe congruence between
self and experience (Maltby, Day and Macaskill, 2010).

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Summary

As a result of his work as a psychotherapist,

Carl Rogers developed his theory of
personality and that is for individuals to
become "Fully Functioning" persons. The
"Fully Functioning" person according to
Rogers is psychologically healthy, open to
new experiences and aware of their own
feelings and those of others. They live in the
now, fully immersed in their experience and
not restricted by conditions of worth or self-
concepts. They are not afraid to make decisions based on their own experiences, and they
trust their own feelings of doing what is right and will accept the consequences. They
accept that life changes and they welcome the opportunity to use their creativity in adapting
to the new changes.

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