4/25/2016

RevisitingCarlRogersTheoryofPersonality|JournalPsyche

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RevisitingCarlRogersTheoryofPersonality

ArecentstudycollectedinformationfromsurveysconductedamongthemembersoftheAssociationforPsychologicalScienceand
theAmericanPsychologicalAssociation.Thestudyidentifiedthetop100eminentpsychologistsofthe20thcentury.Not
surprisingly,Skinner,Piaget,andFreudarethetopthree.WhatmaybeofinterestisthatCarlRogersisrankednumber6.
AmongthereasonscitedisRogersgroundbreakingworkinthedevelopmentofhumanisticorclientcenteredtherapy.Whatmade
itgroundbreakingwashisinsistencethatthemodelbesubjecttoscientificinquiryandclinicaltrial.Oneresultofhisworkwasa
psychologicaltheory.InthatworkRogersadvancedacomplexsetof19propositionsdescribinghistheory.Inthisarticlewewill
makeanefforttoprovideabriefoverviewofit.
Toprovidetheoreticallegitimacytohisclinicalwork,Rogerswrote16booksandevenmorearticlesexplaininghowthese19
propositionsworkedonunderstandingthehumanpersonality.AmongthemostsignificantkeypointsofRogersapproachisits
redefiningofthetherapeuticrelationship.TraditionallythatrelationshipwasdefinedbythetheoriesofFreudandotherswherethe
therapistrolewasthatofaleaderandthepatientasthefollower.
Rogersarguedthatforthetherapist/patientrelationshiptobeeffective,itmustincludeanintentionalrelationshipbuiltonmutual
trustandrespect.InthelateryearsofhisworkRogersexpandedhismodeltoapplytootherapplicationsincludingatheoryof
personality,interpersonalrelations,education,nursing,crossculturalrelationsandotherhelpingprofessionsandsituations.

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RevisitingCarlRogersTheoryofPersonality|JournalPsyche

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FoundationsofRogersTheory

Thestudyofthehumanpersonalityhasgrowninincreasingcomplexity.WhatRogersviewedasamissinglinkinwhatwerethen
thetraditionalmethodsofclinicaltreatmentwaswhatheidentifiedaspersoncenteredtherapy.Amongtheprinciplesheespoused
wasthatwithinthetreatmentsofhisdaytherewasanincongruenceinthoserelationships.
EarlytheoriesandmethodologiessuchasFreudswereseenasobjectifyingthepatientthuscreatinganincongruentoroutofsynch
relationship.Rogerscalledintoquestionthepsychoanalyticalmodelreplacingitwithhishumanisticpsychology.
Again,itisimportanttoacknowledgehisgoalinthedevelopmentofRogerianpsychotherapy,validationthroughscientificstudy
andclinicalexperience.
WhiletherearemanyareaswithinRogeriantheory,oneworthnotingisknownasthePhenomenalField.Thisconsistsof
perceivedreality.Theeverchangingworldofexternalandinternalexperience.Priorityisgiventowhatapersonunderstandstobe
true(perceivedreality)ratherthanwhatactuallyistrue.Counselingbeginswiththephenomenalfield.

DevelopmentofthePersonality

NotunlikeFreudsreferencetothesoul,Rogersidentifiedonesselfconceptastheframeuponwhichpersonalityisdeveloped.Itis
thepurposeofeachpersontoseekcongruence(balance)inthreeareasoftheirlives.Thisbalanceisachievedwithself
actualization.Asillustratedbelow,selfactualizationdealswiththreeareassuchasselfworth,selfimage,andidealself.

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Selfactualizationisimpossibleiftheseimages(especiallyselfmageandidealself)dontoverlap.Thisissocalledincongruent
viewandtheroleoftherapististotransformthisviewtoacongruentone,bothbyadjustingpersonsperceptionofselfimageand
selfworthaswellasmakinganidealselfmorerealistic.Theselfactualizationprocesswillleadtoincreasingoverlapbetween
theseareasandwillcontributetopersonssatisfactionwithlife.WithinRogersschemaeachofthethreeareashasspecifictasks.
Untilapersonsucceedsinselfactualization,theywillhaveissuesandremainoutofbalanceinhowtheyrelatetotheirworld.
Rogersemphasizedthatwithregardtoselfactualizationthepersonalityofeachpersonisveryunique.Therearefewcookie
cutterpersonalities.Italsobringsintothetherapeuticdiscussiontheideaofaholisticviewoftheperson.

ThePrinciplesforGoodLife

Agoalthatmostpeopleseektoattain,thegoodlifeasdescribedbyRogersisachievedbythepersonfulfillingcertainprinciples.In
hisstudiesRogersfoundthattherearecommonalitiesamongthosepeoplewhoarefullyfunctional.Theseare:
1.Anacceptanceofallexperiencesincludingthosethatarenew.
2.Anexistentiallifestyle,inwhicheachmomentisappreciatedandlivedtoitsfullest.
3.Atrustlevelwithonesowndecisions.
4.Increasingfreedomofchoice
5.Creativityandadaptabilitywithoutnecessarilyconforming.
6.Reliabilityandconstructivenessintheirdealingswithothers.
7.Apreferenceforlivingarich,fulllife.
Thesetraitsarefluidintheirexpressionwiththepersonbeingcapableofselfactualizingthem.

TheLessonsofRogers

GivenCarlRogersownwealthofcontributionstohisscientificandclinicalworkthereismuchtostudyandlearn.Addtothat
otherprofessionalmaterialaddressingRogersworkandyouhavealifetimeofmaterialavailable.Thequestionhereisthevalueof
hisworkinthe21stcentury?
InthisarticleatPsychologyTodaysomeofhismostimportantandlastingcontributionsarediscussed.
Personcenteredtherapy
Unconditionalpositiveregard
Egalitariancounselingrelationships
Reflectionasatherapeutictechnique
Acounselingtheorytotrainon

MostrecentlytherehasbeenagrowinginterestintheadaptabilityofRogeriantheoryandpractice.Severalmodalitiesare
redefiningterminologyandpracticewiththeirapplicationbeingusedintodaysworldofpsychology.Includedinthismixare:
CognitiveBehavioralTherapy(CBT)
DialecticalBehavioralTherapy(DBT)
AcceptanceandCommitmentTherapy(ACT)
PositivePsychology

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Conclusion

Asstronglysuggestedinthisarticleprogressinthefieldofpsychologymaybebettermeasuredasadaptabilityratherthan
change.Withfewexceptionsmuchofthecurrentunderstandinginpsychologyofhumanpersonalityhasoccurredthroughadapting
previoustheories.Inparticular,thisadaptabilityisbestunderstoodthroughlinguistics.Specifically,themeaningordefinitiongiven
towordsandphrases.
Caseinpoint.Ifweweretotracetheetiologyofthewordconsciousanditsderivativeswewouldfindpre19thcenturyusage.With
Freudandothersthewordchangedtoencompasssuperego.Rogersredefinedandmodifiedsuperegotomeanself.Asmentioned,
todaysnewermodalitiescontinuethistraditionofredefiningandsubstitutingwordsandphrasestobetterexplaintheirownareas.
Thiscommentcomeswithoutcriticism,butrathertoencouragethethoughtfulstudyofwhatthefieldofpsychologyhastooffer.

CarlRogers,humanisticpsychology,perceivedreality,PhenomenalField,principlesforGoodLife,principlesforHappyLife,
Rogerstheoryofpersonality,selfactualization,selfworthselfimageandidealself,therapeuticrelationship

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