Carl Rogers

• Carl Rogers

  Born 1902, Chicago, USA. 4th of 6 children, warm and caring although very strict religious background. Went into seminary before enrolling in psychology. Trained in psychoanalytic approach. Informed by learning theorists and philosophy. Developed his own person centred therapy.
• Actualising Tendency

  • Innate tendency to constantly change and grow in a positive direction, realising our maximum potential (self actualised)
• Organismic Valuing Process (OVP)

  Guides us towards what we need for actualisation
• Fully Functioning Person

  • Result of self actualisation. Characteristics: Awareness of all experiences, Live fully in the moment, Trust own behaviour and experience, Creative, flexible to change, open to experience
• Unconditional Positive Regard

  Regard not love - as love is rarely unconditional. Unselfish love (like B-love). Want the best for them. Accepting and valuing a person for who they are.
• Conditions of Worth (COW)

  Rules from others used to judge adequacy/lovability that are internalised. Can distort direction of natural actualising tendencies.
• True/Real Self

  Organismic, Genetic blueprint, Our true potential selves, Leads to actualisation
• Self Concept

  Product of experiences, How others perceive us, How we perceive ourselves, Influences self regard
• Incongruence

  Mismatch between self concept and true self, Veers us away from our actualising instincts, Internalise others' opinions and lose sight of own innate wants/needs, Judge ourselves by standards set by others instead of OVP, Become a kind of 'false self'/people pleaser
• Congruence

  When our self concept aligns closely with our true self, Authenticity, harmony, Openness to experience, Conditions of worth do not rule behaviour, Potential to become fully functioning person
• Psychopathology

  Gap between self image and true self (incongruence) → psychological distress, Conditions of worth lead to development of ideal self – the person we think we should be, Judge the self against this ideal, self criticism, low self worth, Low self acceptance/denial of true self = defensive interpretations and distortions of situations to protect self-esteem
• Client-Centred Therapy


  • Strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship, Place clients in a supportive environment, Non-judgemental - accept clients' reality, Empathy (not sympathy), Unconditional positive regard - non-judgemental stance
• Therapists shouldn't challenge views or cognitive distortions - Limitations? Delusions may need to be challenged
• Contributions and Limitations


  • Ingredients of client centred therapy still central today, Person focussed, "Client" – power balance shift, Unconditional Positive Regard, Non-judgmental stance, Genuineness, Therapeutic alliance, Too positive/optimistic? e.g., infant food choices, No way of testing the 'perfect' upbringing, Simplistic explanation of psychopathology, Phenomenology and distortions of reality (whose reality?)
• Rogers' theory states that humans are future oriented, free, inherently good and motivated by an intrinsic need to self actualise
• Environmental factors lead an individual to develop conditions of worth and conditional positive self regard. These societal factors become incorporated as part of the self concept and serve to veer one away from one's true self.
• If one can live in accordance with the true self rather one can reach self actualisation and become fully functioning
• Incongruence between the true self and the self concept is cause of psychological problems
• Client centred therapy remains hugely influential to this day