Rogers' Self Theory

Rogers Self Theory

• Human's most innate tendancy is a drive toward self-actualization

Personal Experience and Reality

• If two students get the same test score but one thinks "I did great!" and the other "I failed!", their feelings about the outcome shape their reality
• Even with the same score, feelings determine their perception of the result

Self-Experience and Personality

• A child praised for being kind internalizes a caring self-concept and continues acting kindly
• Conversely, constant criticism can lead a child to believe they're not good enough, shaping their personality

Self Development through Interaction

• A shy individual who joins a supportive group may develop confidence and feel more comfortable socially
• Interactions contribute to building a more positive self-image

Self-Actualisation

• Rogers posited humans are born wanting to be their best possible selves
• Self-actualization is the motivating force for achieving one's full potential
• For infants, having basic needs met (e.g., being fed) is the initial goal of self-actualization

Actualization Tendency

• People are motivated by an innate drive to actualize, maintain, and enhance themselves
• This drive constitutes a larger actualization tendency encompassing all physiological and psychological needs
• The actualization tendency provides sustenance and survival by attending to basic needs like food, water, and safety
• Actualization Tendency = The natural force driving all beings to survive and grow

Self-Actualization Definition

• Self-Actualization = The highest level of human development, where a person fully realizes their potential, creativity, and purpose

Organismic Valuing Process

• Experiences are judged based on their value in fostering or hindering self-actualization and growth
• Experiences promoting actualization are deemed good and desirable, receiving a positive value
• Experiences hindering actualization are deemed undesirable, receiving a negative value
• Perceptions influence behavior through avoidance of undesirable experiences and repetition of desirable ones
• Individuals make value judgments by relying on their own senses
• This contrasts a fixed system where values are introjected and manifested through "oughts" and "shoulds" and what is "supposed to be"

Ideal Self Development

• Conditions of worth develop as individuals grow, where parents, teachers, peers, and media only provide what one needs when they show "worthiness"
• Conditional positive regard involves acceptance and esteem dependent on meeting specific standards or expectations
• Conditional positive self-regard involves liking and accepting only the parts of ourselves that others like and accept

Self-Concept

• Self-concept is an individual's perception of self, making each person unique
• Self-assessments, both positive and negative, in physical, emotional, intellectual, and functional dimensions change over time
• Self-concept affects the ability to function and greatly influences health status
• Self-perception is shaped by how others see them based on life experiences, social evaluation, and the attitude of significant others
• Conditional positive regard from parents leads to developing their values and conditions of worth, which can cause incongruence between self and experience if self-concept relies on others' values

Real Self

• The real self is defined as the underlying organismic self
• It reflects what a person is capable of becoming in an ideal world
• This involves an environment of unconditional positive regard
• Acceptance and love from parents as they are
• Psychologically healthy individuals possess positive self-regard and the potential for self-actualization; however, such environments are rare leading to conditions of worth

Rogers Self Theory

• Self-actualization occurs when one's actual self, self-concept, and ideal self align (congruence)
• Discrepancies between the actual self, self-concept, and ideal self lead to confusion, tension, and maladaptive behavior (incongruence)
• Growing up with acceptance, prizing, and love for who we are (unconditional positive regard) fosters congruence

Congruence and Incongruence

• Congruence arises when symbolized experiences reflect actual experiences
• Incongruence arises when symbolized experiences do not reflect actual experiences, resulting in denial or distortion in symbolization

Congruent Definition

• Congruence is open, authentic communication where one's presentation to the world aligns with their inner thoughts and feelings

Fully Functioning Person

• A fully functioning person relies almost exclusively on organismic valuing processes

Development of Creativity

• Statements typically made by parents of preschool children who later became creative include:
  • “I respect my child’s opinions and encourage him to express them.”
  • “I encourage my child to be curious, to explore and question things.”
• Statements that the parents disagreed with:
  • “I do not allow my child to get angry with me.”
  • “I feel my child is a bit of a disappointment to me.”

Parental Characteristics for Healthy Self-Structure Formulation

• Accepting the child’s feelings and strivings
• Accept our own feelings about undesirable behaviors
• Communication of acceptance of the child as a person
• Avoid conditions of worth

Therapy

• Client-Centered Therapy is a therapeutic approach
• This includes research and specific stages of therapeautic processes

Incongruence and therapy

• Incongruence = Therapist can facilitate congruence if six conditions are met

Three Core Conditions in Therapy

• Empathy: Being listened to and understood
• Unconditional Positive Regard: Acceptance (being seen with unconditional positive regard)
• Congruence: Genuineness (openness and self-disclosure)

Personal Growth

• Clients shift away from facades and pleasing others, moving towards authenticity and self-direction
• Clients positively value themselves and their own feelings
• There is a preference for the excitement of being a dynamic process rather than fixed and static
• Openness to inner and outer experiences, sensitivity to others, acceptance, and the development of close relationships, are all valued