1. Principles for living: In his 1961 book, Rogers included a chapter called “This is me.” Pretty cool idea.

a. The first principle

listed in the textbook is “In my relationships with persons, I have found that it does not help, in the long run, to act as though I
were something that I were not.” What does Rogers mean by that? Give an example from your own life. Do you agree?
Disagree? Do you have a name for this principle?
He probably means that it’s important to acknowledge who you are and be open about it because there will be a perpetual
constant conflict between the inner self and outer self and you subject yourself to an endless cycle of incongruity. Hr means
you should just be honest with yourself and those around you. I guess you can call this authenticity.
2. Theoretical orientation: What is the phenomenological approach? Does it assume, like Freud, that humans are animals
driven by sex and aggression? Does it focus on unconscious processes? Describe, in your own words, some major elements in your
own phenomenological field.
Focuses on the phenomena in the person's mind, and how people view and experience themselves and the world.
According to this theory the self is consciously accessible, and it doesn’t concern itself with the subconscious
process. Each person has a phenomenological field which consists of the self, objects, roles, institutions, and
events. A mother for example is an object in the Ph.f. while one’s job is representative of a role.
3. Structure: What are the two main structural elements in Rogers’ theory? Name, describe, and discuss their relationship.
Specifically, what happens when they are incongruent?
The two main structural elements are the self and the Ideal Self. The self is who the individual is presently. The
ideal self is who an individual would like to be. discrepancies between the self and ideal self serves as motivation
for growth development.
4. Measurement: Name and briefly describe two ways that Rogers measured his concepts.
Q-sort: describing oneself by how much they identify phrases
Adjective Checklist: having individuals check adjectives that describe them.
5. Motivation. What is the central human motive in Rogers’ theory? What does it mean, how does it work, what elements are
required?
The central human motivation is one’s values because they usually represent desirable goals. Two necessary elements are the
self and ideal self. The ideal self can be said to be when an individual is fully living by the things they value, the current self
strives to achieve this.
6. Maintaining congruence: Do people behave in ways to maintain and confirm the perceptions they have of themselves? Is
there any evidence?
Incongruity is perceived difference between the inner self and outer self .Usually perceived as a threat, and individuals use
distortion and denial to maintain their perception.
7. Development: Rogers argued that humans need warmth, liking, respect, and acceptance from others. What is this need
called? Why is it important? Why is it important that it is unconditional? What happens when it is conditional? In terms of
parenting, what do parents of well-adjusted kids do?
This need is called self esteem.Unconditional positive regard. This must be unconditional because a conditional positive
regard can lead to a denial of experience.

Review: According to Rogers, persons (or “organisms”) have a fundamental tendency to maintain, express, and enhance
themselves and to fulfill their potential. What is that tendency called? What else do you know about it? Can you list 2 research
findings?
It’s called self-actualization. In maslow’s model it is at the top of the hierarchy of needs. Jones & Crandall (1986)
is one study that explored this. Ryff & Singer(1998, 2000) additionally were able to connect aspects of
self-actualization to positive mental health.