UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

Person
Theory
Carl rogers:

Centered

Advanced theories of personality

 Carl Rogers
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

ADvanced theories of personality

★ Born January 8, 1902 in Oak Hill, Illinois.

★ Enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in 1919

as an agriculture major.

★ Graduated in 1924 and enrolled at Union

Theological Seminary before transferring to
Teachers College of Columbia University in 1926
to finish his masters degree.

★ Considered psychology a way to study life’s

many questions without having to subscribe in
any specific doctrine.
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

Overview

Advanced theories of personality

Person-centered theory is focused on the
client and entails a humanistic approach
associated with the various ways in which an
individual may consciously see themselves.
● Originally called “client-centered theory”, it
was later changed to “person-centered
theory”, as this name better conveyed that
the “patient” is indeed a person with their
own mannerisms, fears, hopes, etc.
● During Rogers’ early years, therapists would
conduct their sessions without seeing their
client’s face, whereas Rogers believed that it
was important to see and be with his client
(Holosko, Skinner, & Robinson, 2008).
Basic Assumptions
● The Formative & Actualizing Tendency
○ Formative: Tendency for all matter to
evolve from simple forms to more
complex forms.
○ Actualizing: Tendency within people to
move towards completion or
fulfillment of potentials
■ ye Tendencies to maintain and
enhance.
 The Self and Self-actualization
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

ADvanced theories of personality

Self-Actualization is the tendency to actualize the self
as perceived.
○ Actualization tendency: whole person
○ Self-actualization tendency: actualizing self as
perceived in awareness

Self-Concept is a central theme in Roger’s humanistic

theme of psychology.
It looks at:
○ The self image (how you look at yourself)
○ Self esteem (how much you value yourself)
○ The ideal self (who you aspire to be)
Within self-concept, there is also the Organismic Self
which is the total sum of a person's experiences and
predispositions on all levels.

According to Rogers (1959) when we are closer to

our ideal self, we are more consistent or congruent
and have a higher sense of self worth.
 CArl rogers’ Person of Tomorrow
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

Advanced theories of personality

If a person had unconditional positive regard,
congruence, and empathy, they would:

● Be more adaptive
● Be open to their experience
● Have more trust in their organismic self
● Have the tendency to fully live in the moment
● Be able to remain confident in their own ability
to experience harmonious relations with
others
● Be more integrated and whole
● Have basic trust of human nature
● Enjoy richness of life
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

CRITIQUES

ADvanced theories of personality

UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory
Strengths
01.
Effective
When used in Person Centered
Therapy, it can be effective in
helping an individual emotionally
adjust and enhance their self image.
03.
Respect for Client
Respects the individuality of the
client and and also their inherent
potential and necessity for
noninvasive, non directive therapy.
Advanced theories of personality
02.
Flexible
Can be applicable to all
cultures, since it focuses
on the individual.
04.
Non-Defensive
Open to experience, which is an
aspect of Roger’s concept of
congruence, genuineness, or
authority.
 Limitations
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

ADvanced theories of personality

01. 02.
generalizability Non-Directiveness
In therapy, the therapist may be
The theory was overly supportive, but not
predominately based on challenging, which is necessary for
clients to change.
college students.

03. 04.
The unconscious View on HUman nature
It does not touch upon It is very subjective and can be
seen as “narcissistic”.
the unconscious and Somewhat naive when it comes
transference too deeply. to matters of human nature.
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

Ability to Generate Research Guide to Action

Advanced theories of personality

MODERATE VERY HIGH

Falsifiability Internal Consistency

HIGH
Criteria VERY HIGH
for a
useful
Organizing knowledge theory Parsimony
HIGH MODERATE
 Concept of HUmanity
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

ADvanced theories of personality

DETERMINISM — FREE CHOICE
OPTIMISM — PESSIMISM
CAUSALITY — TELEOLOGY
UNCONSCIOUS — CONSCIOUS
SOCIAL — BIOLOGICAL
UNIQUENESS — SIMILARITY
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory
CONCEPTS OF HUMANITY explained
Free choice
Central to the hypotheses of PCT is
the inherent, intrinsic, and
fundamental organismic drive of
the human being to live up to their
fullest potential (Holosko, Skinner,
& Robinson, 2008).
Conscious
As mentioned in the limitations,
person-centered theory
focuses more on the conscious
thoughts and does not touch
upon the unconscious all too
much.
Optimism
“According to Rogers, people are
essentially trustworthy. They have
the potential for understanding
themselves and resolving their own
problems without direct intervention
from the therapist” (Holosko, Skinner, &
Robinson, 2008).
social
“Rogers did not believe that the
self existed at birth, but rather,
developed over time as the
human being experienced life
and challenges” (Holosko,
Skinner, & Robinson, 2008).
Advanced theories of personality
teleology
The human is “exquisitely
rational, moving with subtle
and ordered complexity toward
the goals the organism is
endeavoring to achieve”
(Rogers, 1961).
Uniqueness
Since it is called person
centered theory, one would
postulate that it is based on
the uniqueness of each
individual person instead of
focusing on the similarities.
 Related Research
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory
Self discrepancy theory
● States that individuals compare
their “actual self” to their “ideal
self”.
● Higgins (1987) posed the theory that
individuals possess different types
of self-guides or “standards”
against which they compare their
current self.
○ Proximity to ideal standards
yield happiness while
discrepancy from ideal
standards yield depression and
sadness.
ADvanced theories of personality
MOtivation and pursuing one’s goals
● Sheldon et al. (2003) supports Rogers’
theory that people have an Organismic
Valuing Process (OVP).
○ Intrinsically fulfilling goals
become more important over time
while materialistic goals become
less important.
● Schwartz & Waterman (2013) also
states that the OVP directs us towards
fulfilling pursuits.
 Practical Applications
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

Advanced theories of personality

Therapy Education medicine

Sommers-Flanagan (2007) Motschnig-Pitrik & Santos Kusurkar et al. (2020) state

explains how Natalie (2006) talk about “Student how using “Person
Rogers, Carl Rogers’ Centered Learning” and Centered Analysis” in
daughter, extended her how it can impart new health professions
father’s work into the elements, knowledge, or education can help in
creative and expressive insights onto a learner’s generating a more
arts using “Person own resources so that nuanced interpretation of
Centered Expressive Art they may “move onto an data on the variables
Therapy” and how it is an advanced constellation of involved in teaching and
alternative to traditional meaning and learning.
verbal counseling resourcefulness”.
approaches.
 Use In the Philippines
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

ADvanced theories of personality

A Client-centered Approach to family planning: the davao Project
In a study by Costello, Lacuesta, RamaRao, and Jain (2001), they describe
the reproductive health approach to family planning and how it “shifts the focus of
service provision to macro-level demographic objectives to meeting clients’ needs”.

An intervention was designed to “address clients’ self-defined reproductive needs by

providing them relevant and accurate information and services of good quality”.
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

Thank you!

Advanced theories of personality

 References
UNIT 15: Carl Rogers: Person Centered Theory

ADvanced theories of personality

Costello M, Lacuesta M, RamaRao S, Jain A. A client-centered approach to family planning: the Davao project.
Stud Fam Plann. 2001 Dec;32(4):302-14. doi: 10.1111/j.1728-4465.2001.00302.x. PMID: 11831049.
Holosko, M. J., Skinner, J., & Robinson, R. S. (2008). Person-centered theory. In B. A. Thyer, K. M. Sowers, & C. N.
Dulmus (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of social work and social welfare, Vol. 2. Human behavior in the
social environment (pp. 297–325). John Wiley & Sons Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470373705.chsw002013
Kusurkar, R. A., Mak-van der Vossen, M., Kors, J., Grijpma, J. W., van der Burgt, S. M., Koster, A. S., & de la Croix, A.
(2021). ‘One size does not fit all’: The value of person-centred analysis in health professions education
research. Perspectives on medical education, 10(4), 245-251.
Motschnig-Pitrik, R., & Santos, A. M. (2006). The person centered approach to teaching and learning as
exemplified in a course in organizational development. Zeitschrift für Hochschuldidaktik (ZHD), 4(1).
Rogers, C. R. (1959). A Theory of Therapy, Personality, and Interpersonal Relationships: As Developed in the
Client-Centered Framework. In S. Koch (Ed.), Psychology: A Study of a Science. Formulations of the
Person and the Social Context (Vol. 3, pp. 184-256). New York: McGraw Hill
Sommers‐Flanagan, J. (2007). The development and evolution of person‐centered expressive art therapy: A
conversation with Natalie Rogers. Journal of counseling & development, 85(1), 120-1
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/criticisms-of-carl-roger-s-theory
https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html
https://www.studocu.com/en-us/document/eastern-washington-university/theories-of-personality/10-rogers-pers
on-centered-theory/6473670