What is carl rogers theory

Unconditional positive regard is where parents, significant others and the humanist therapist accepts and loves the person for what he or she is.

Positive regard is not withdrawn if the person does something wrong or makes a mistake. The consequences of unconditional positive regard are that the person feels free to try things out and make mistakes, even though this may lead to getting it worse at times. People who are able to self-actualize are more likely to have received unconditional positive regard from others, especially their parents in childhood.

Conditional positive regard is where positive regard, praise, and approval, depend upon the child, for example, behaving in ways that the parents think correct. Hence the child is not loved for the person he or she is, but on condition that he or she behaves only in ways approved by the parent s.

At the extreme, a person who constantly seeks approval from other people is likely only to have experienced conditional positive regard as a child. This is called incongruence. Rarely, if ever, does a total state of congruence exist; all people experience a certain amount of incongruence.

The development of congruence is dependent on unconditional positive regard. According to Rogers, we want to feel, experience and behave in ways which are consistent with our self-image and which reflect what we would like to be like, our ideal-self. Incongruence is "a discrepancy between the actual experience of the organism and the self-picture of the individual insofar as it represents that experience.

As we prefer to see ourselves in ways that are consistent with our self-image, we may use defense mechanisms like denial or repression in order to feel less threatened by some of what we consider to be our undesirable feelings. A person whose self-concept is incongruent with her or his real feelings and experiences will defend because the truth hurts.

Rogers, , p. It seems to me that the good life is not any fixed state. It is not, in my estimation, a state of virtue, or contentment, or nirvana, or happiness. It is not a condition in which the individual is adjusted or fulfilled or actualized. To use psychological terms, it is not a state of drive-reduction, or tension-reduction, or homeostasis". It is a direction not a destination". McLeod, S. Carl Rogers. Simply Psychology. Rogers, C. Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications and theory.

By sharing their knowledge and wisdom, the hope is that changes can begin to occur within the client. In the person-centered model, it is the therapist which must begin to learn, and then trust, the power of human potential.

To create change, they must offer empathy and a lack of judgment instead of what they learned while earning an advanced degree in their field. Instead of knowledge, therapists offer guidance, support, and structure when following the recommendations that Carl Rogers proposed in the s.

By taking this approach, it becomes possible for a client to look for personalized solutions. They become invested in their therapy because they are participating in it.

That, in return, offers the greatest potential for success. The Carl Rogers person-centered theory also places some responsibility on the client. They must direct the therapist in the direction they wish to go to improve their circumstances. The client must become the navigator. The therapist must then take on the task of following the lead that is set forth by the client. It is an approach that is effective in many contexts, from education to mediation to encounter groups.

He published the results of that research in the books Client-Centered Therapy in and Psychotherapy and Personality Change in It was during this time that his ideas started gaining influence in the field. Then, in while he was at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he wrote one of his most well-known works, On Becoming a Person. A few years later, in , he and some other staff members from the Institute opened the Center for Studies of the Person, where Rogers remained until his death in Just weeks after his 85 th birthday and shortly after he died, Rogers was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

When Rogers started working as a psychologist, psychoanalysis and behaviorism were the reigning theories in the field. Psychoanalysis attributed behavior to unconscious drives, while behaviorism pointed to biological drives and environmental reinforcement as the motivations for behavior.

Starting in the s, psychologists, including Rogers, responded to this view of human behavior with the humanistic approach to psychology, which offered a less pessimistic perspective. Humanists championed the idea that people are motivated by higher-order needs. Specifically, they argued that the overarching human motivation is to actualize the self.

The following are some of his most important theories. Like his fellow humanist Abraham Maslow , Rogers believed humans are primarily driven by the motivation to self-actualize , or achieve their full potential. However, people are constrained by their environments so they will only be able to self-actualize if their environment supports them.

Unconditional positive regard is offered in a social situation when an individual is supported and not judged regardless of what the individual does or says. In client-centered therapy, the therapist must offer the client unconditional positive regard.

Rogers distinguished between unconditional positive regard and conditional positive regard. People who are offered unconditional positive regard are accepted no matter what, instilling the person with the confidence needed to experiment with what life has to offer and make mistakes.

The visible signs include; obesity, labored breathing, mood swings, or chronic illness. Physiological signs include; irritability, insomnia, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, malaise, or increased resting heart rate. Regular exercise and physical activity promotes strong muscles and bones. It improves respiratory, cardiovascular health, and overall health.

Staying active can also help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and reduce your risk for some cancers. You can consider yourself physically fit when your body is able to do what you ask it to do. This comes from flexibility, endurance and strength. Do you exercise or do you just fool yourself with the ideas that being active is all the exercise you need. You need to exercise at least three to four times a week. If you are unfit, your body is not in good condition because you have not been taking regular exercise.

Many children are so unfit they are unable to do even basic exercises. If someone is unfit for something, he or she is unable to do it because of injury or illness. When you cease exercising, you will undoubtedly notice changes in your muscles. They will become smaller and weaker.