Carl Rogers: Person-Centered Theory

A humanistic theory of personality, developed from Rogers's experience as a therapist.

A therapy approach emphasizing empathy and unconditional acceptance.

Emphasis on helping people grow and develop through empathetic listening and acceptance.

Rogers built his theory on his experiences as a therapist; he was more focused on helping people.

Rogers was a therapist first; Freud was more of a theorist first.

Rogers focused more on helping patients, rather than analyzing them.

Rogers's theory stemmed from his experiences working as a therapist.

Rogers's theory is built upon experiences from his therapeutic work, not a complex theoretical framework.

A prestigious award given by the APA to Rogers in recognition of his significant contributions to psychotherapy research.

Rogers consistently advocated for the use of empirical research to back up his personality theory and therapeutic methods.

A theory of personality created by Carl Rogers. He thought of it as rigorous and internally consistent.

Rogers felt theories made things too detached from reality and felt that his theory should not be viewed as fixed.

A name used to describe Rogers's early therapeutic approach that is considered unfortunate.

Rogers's approach later became known also as "client-centered".

Rogers promoted a balance between tender-minded and hardheaded studies that focused on how humans feel and think.

Carl Rogers's psychological work spanned education and international politics, emphasizing psychological growth through genuine relationships.

Different levels of how people experience events; some events are consciously recognized, while others are ignored or denied.

Events are experienced below the awareness threshold and ignored or denied.

A person's image of themselves and their characteristics.

Experiences that conflict with a person's self-concept and are often denied or distorted.

Encourages change by reducing anxiety and allowing ownership of previously rejected experiences.

Experiences are accurately processed and perceived by the self.

Experiences are consistent with a person's self-concept, and cause no conflict or discomfort.

The process of fully understanding and accepting every part of oneself; a concept discussed by Rogers (1959).

A state of self-worth that is independent of external validation, like compliments or approval from others.

The internalized values and standards of others that dictate self-worth.

A state of mismatch between one's real self and the perceived self based on others' expectations.

Compliments that are ignored or rejected because they are viewed suspiciously or are not perceived as deserved.

One's genuine, authentic self.

Positive self-regard that builds upon itself, making it more resilient.

A theory that need satisfaction, like love/belonging, must come before esteem needs.

Accepting the values of others resulting in a disconnect from one's true self.

A protective mechanism used to maintain a consistent self-concept by denying or distorting experiences that contradict it.

The total subjective experience of a person, including thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

When an experience clashes with the self-concept, creating anxiety or discomfort.

Defense mechanisms that alter or reject experiences to maintain a consistent self-concept.

When defenses fail, resulting in chaotic behavior or even psychotic experiences.

Disorganized behavior stems from a significant gap between organismic experience and self-concept.

Defenses can falter when experiences significantly contradict the self-concept, overwhelming the protection mechanism.

Rogerian theory has spurred significant research in psychotherapy and classroom learning, with moderate research in general personality.

Although Rogerian theory is generally economical, concepts like "organismic experiencing" and "fully functioning" are broad and imprecise, affecting its parsimony.

Rogerian theory's if-then framework allows for testing, making it highly falsifiable. Research on the therapeutic approach has tested its validity.

Rogers believed humans have free will and can direct themselves, though acknowledging some behaviors are predictable.

Rogers held a realistic optimism, acknowledging human capacity for evil but emphasizing an innate tendency towards growth.

Rogerian theory organizes knowledge about human personality, extending beyond interpersonal relations.

Rogers believed in an innate growth tendency in humans, suggesting that people are naturally inclined towards becoming fully functioning.

While much of the research on Rogerian theory centers on interpersonal relations, its concepts apply to diverse aspects of human personality.