ROGERS PERSON CENTERED APPROACH:Client Centered Therapy,

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Personality Psychology PSY 405

Lesson 23

ROGERS PERSON CENTERED APPROACH

Client Centered Approach

Client Centered Therapy

Self Theory of Personality

1- Phenomenological theory of personality is that a person's behavior is obtained through observation of

his internal frame of reference. why an individual thinks, feels, and behaves in a given way, it is necessary

to know how that person perceives and interprets the world.

2- Humanistic

Humanistic view puts the emphasis on the positive aspects of life, free choices and personal growth

experiences.

Example:

In order to understand the personality of my Pakistani students I have to study their frame of reference and

see how they think , feel and behave.

So I have to put myself in their position and understand their personality

(empathy).

3- Actualizing tendency is an innate need to survive, grow and enhance one's self.

4- Fully functioning person is Rogers' view of the good life

It is a term used by Rogers to designate individuals who are using their capacities and talents, realizing

their potentials.

1-Biographical Sketch

2-Actualizing Tendency

3-Rogers Phenomenological Position

4-Concept of Self

5-Need for Positive Regard

6-Conditions of Worth

7-Unconditional Positive Regard

8-Experience of Threat and Process of Defense

Threat

Anxiety

9-Defense Mechanisms

10-Fully Functioning Person

Five characteristics:

1-Openness to experience

ii)

2-Experiential living

iii)

3-Organismic trusting

iv)

4-Experiential freedom

5-Creativity or psychological maturity

Personality Psychology PSY 405

11-Rogers view of science and research

12-Measuring self concept

13-Personality organization

14-Client centered therapy

15-Psychotherapy and gardening

16-Student centered teaching

17- Summary

18- Evaluation

Personality Disorganization and Psychopathology

Thus, personality disorganization and psychopathology occur when the self is unable to defend against

threatening experiences. Persons undergoing such disorganization are commonly tagged "psychotic." They

manifest behaviors which are to an objective observer bizarre, irrational, or "crazy." Rogers posits that

psychotic behavior is often congruent with the denied aspects of experience, rather than with the self-

concept. For example, a person who has kept his sexual impulses under rigid control, denying that they

were a part of his self-image, may make obvious sexual moves toward those whom he encounters.

Rogers' person-centered therapy attempts to reestablish a more harmonious relationship between the self-

concept and the total organism and to facilitate a greater degree of congruence between the self-concept

and the phenomenal field of experience.

Evolution of Rogerian-- Therapy : From Techniques to Relationships

With the publication in 1951 of his book Client-Centered Therapy, Rogers' approach progressed further

and came to be known primarily by this label, as it still is today in some circles. While still retaining his

nondirective techniques, Rogers at this time was emphasizing the importance of the clients' perceptions, of

therapeutically entering the clients' world of subjective experience and focusing upon the clients'

perceptions of themselves, their lives, and their problems. Hence, the term "client-centered". Since that

time, however, Rogers' approach has evolved to still another level. He has become more concerned with

the issue of precisely what conditions must be met before the client can begin to resolve his or her

problems. As stated earlier, he discovered that the relationship between therapist and client is the most

important aspect underlying personality change; consequently, he funneled all his efforts on this in the late

1950s (Rogers, 1957b, 1958, 1959) and continues to do so today. again, it shou1d be stressed that Rogers'

changes in thinking in this regard represent a progressive evolution to a more comprehensive and

meaningful level rather than an abandonment of old, outmoded concepts. At present, the "label" which best

captures the essence of the newer developments is "person-centered therapy (Rogers, 1977). This newer

term more accurately reflects the evolution of Rogers' thought-from techniques to relationships.

Rogers ideas related to personality came from his clinical practice just like that of Freud's and Kelly's.

So for Rogers therapy has always been very important to him and his personality theory developed as he

tried to understand the principles that were operating during the therapeutic process and secondly as tried to

be an effective therapist and counselor.

Roger's description of the therapeutic process has changed throughout his clinical practice.

First, he referred to it as the nondirective approach which focused on clients' ability to solve their own

problems if they were given the proper atmosphere for doing so.

The next, label that he gave to therapy was Client Centered Therapy. Now instead of providing an

atmosphere where client can solve his problems. Now, therapy was a joint venture where the client and the

therapist were both involved.

In this stage the therapist actively tried to understand the client's phenomenological field or the internal

frame of reference of the client. It was labeled as the experiential phase.

currently the Rogers thinking has labeled as the person centered approach, the emphasis is on the total

Personality Psychology PSY 405

person rather than looking at person as merely as a student or as client.

Conditions that Rogers feels are necessary for therapy:

1-The client and the therapist are in a psychological contact.

2- The client is in state of incongruence so he is anxious.

3- The therapist must show empathetic understanding of the client using client's frame of

reference.

4- The therapist must give unconditional positive regard to the client.

5-The client must perceive that the therapist is giving him unconditional positive regard.

If therapy moves in right direction then following changes in the client can be observed.

1- Clients will express their feelings related to life with freedom.

2- Clients become accurate in description of their experiences.

3- Clients detect the incongruity of their concept of self and experiences.

4- Unconditional positive regard will allow them to experience incongruity without distorting or

denying them.

5-Clients will be aware of the feeling which have been denied or distorted in past.

6-Clients concepts of self become reorganized and are able to include experiences previously

denied.

7-Clients are less threatened by experiences which were they are less defensive.

8- Clients experience themselves more and more.

9- Therapy is successful when clients do not take into account the conditions of worth.

10-Clients perceive therapist's unconditional positive regard

Skinner and Rogers Debate

On September 4th 1955, the members of American Psychological Association saw at their annual meeting

in Chicago, a debate between Rogers and Skinner.

Rogers representing the subjective approach and belief that humans are innately good, free to choose their

destiny in life.

Skinner representing the objective approach and behavior could be explained in terms of stimulus and

response.

Both men agreed that behavioral science was growing as field which was a good sign.

Skinner emphasized on control of behavior from outside where as Rogers was of the opinion that such an

environment should be created where humans feel free to self actualize.

Audio and Video Recording of therapy sessions was by Rogers started so that students and trainees can

benefit in training.

Psychotherapy and Gardening

So Rogers' person-centered therapy (supported by empirical research) reflects his image of human nature

in general and the role of the therapist in particular. Upon reflection, one is tempted to draw an analogy

between person-centered therapy and gardening. When one recalls Rogers' background in agriculture, the

analogy becomes even more compelling. Concluding his acceptance speech for the 1973 APA

Distinguished Professional Contribution Award, Rogers drew the analogy for us:

And then I garden. Those mornings when I cannot find time to inspect my flowers, water the young shoots

I am propagating, pull a few weeds, spray some destructive insects, and pour just the proper fertilizer on

some budding plants, I feel cheated. My garden supplies the same intriguing question I have been trying to

Personality Psychology PSY 405

meet all my professional life: What are the effective conditions for growth? But in my garden, though the

frustrations are just as immediate, the results, whether success or failure, are more quickly evident. And

when, through patient, intelligent, and understanding care I have provided the conditions that result in the

production of a rare or glorious bloom, I feel the same kind of satisfaction that I have felt in the facilitation

of growth in a person or in a group of persons.

Student Centered Teaching

Rogers feels that education system is in a poor shape and he criticized the American education system

harshly.

It treats the student as an object and the teacher as an authority figure.

All information is to given to the student in a highly structured environment.

All students are eager to learn and they can learn and will learn when they are placed in a non threatening

environment which is characterized by unconditional positive regard.

Learning will become faster and will be retained better if the material to be learned has personal relevance

and significance for the student.

Teacher is a facilitator of education who creates an atmosphere conducive to learning.

Rogers is of the view that education system is based on faulty assumptions

about the learner:

1- who must be given huge information,

2- without any active participation on part of the learner

Summary

Reflecting a close affinity with humanistic psychology, Rogers holds that the inner-most core of human

nature is essentially benevolent, purposive and trustworthy. These basic attributes of human nature will

surface if the proper conditions encourage the fulfillment of the individual's innate potential. In Rogers'

system, all human motives are subsumed under a single master motive-the actualizing tendency-the innate

tendency of the individual to actualize, maintain, and enhance himself or herself. .

Within the broad context of the humanistic movement, Rogers' particular theoretical position is

phenomenological. He holds that the only reality, from the person's perceptual vantage point, is subjective

reality-the person's private world of experience. And central to that subjective world is the concept of self,

Rogers' most important personological construct. In his system, elements important in self-concept

development are the need for positive regard, conditions of worth, and unconditional positive regard.

Rogers argues that most ways of behaving that an individual adopts are consistent with her self-concept.

Threat exists when a person senses an incongruity between her self-concept and total organismic

experience; she then attempts to defend herself by means of perceptual distortion and denial. When the

incongruence between self-concept and actual experience becomes too great, personality disorganization

and psychopathology result. In sharp contrast, persons who are open to their experience, fully trust it, and

are freely moving in the direction of actualizing themselves are termed "fully functioning" in Rogers'

system.

Rogers' phenomenological theory, particularly its psychotherapeutic aspects, has stimulated an enormous

amount of research. In this chapter, a primary method of studying the self-concept, the Q sort, was

discussed along with illustrative research bearing upon aspects of the self-concept. Brief attention was also

given to Rogers' view of science.

In the concluding section, Rogers' unique and widely employed approach to psychotherapy, person-

centered therapy, was described as it has evolved over the years. Emphasizing the critical importance of the

relationship between therapist and client, Rogers' five conditions for positive personality change were

listed and discussed.

Personality Psychology PSY 405

Evaluation

1-It is phenomenological and humanistic.

2- The focus is on unconditional positive regard.

3- Person Centered Therapy.

4-Student Centered Teaching Approach.

a- Freedom to learn

b- Teacher as a Facilitator.

Application

His theory can be applied to education, marriage and family.

Recap

Rogers Person Centered Approach

Client Centered Approach

Client Centered Therapy

Self Theory of Personality

1-Phenomenological theory of personality is that a person's behavior is obtained through observation of his

internal frame of reference. why an individual thinks, feels, and behaves in a given way, it is necessary to

know how that person perceives and interprets the world.

2- Humanistic

Humanistic view puts the emphasis on the positive aspects of life, free choices and personal growth

experiences.

Example

In order to understand the personality of my Pakistani students I have to study their frame of reference and

see how they think , feel and behave.

So I have to put myself in their position and understand their personality

(empathy).

3-Actualizing tendency

An innate need to survive, grow and enhance one's self.

4-Fully functioning person is Rogers' view of the good life

It is a term used by Rogers to designate individuals who are using their capacities and talents, realizing

their potentials.

1-Biographical Sketch

2-Actualizing tendency

3-Rogers phenomenological position

4-Concept of self

5-Need for positive regard

6-Conditions of worth

7-Unconditional positive regard

8-Experience of threat and process of defense

Personality Psychology PSY 405

Threat

Anxiety

9-Defense mechanisms

10-Fully functioning person

Five characteristics

1-Openness to experience

2-Experiential living

3-Organismic trusting

4-Experiential freedom

5-Creativity or psychological maturity

11-Rogers view of science and research

12-Measuring self concept

13-Personality organization

14-Client centered therapy

15-Psychotherapy and gardening

16-Student centered teaching

17-Summary

18-Evaluation

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