Carl Rogers: Self

Actualization
Theory
Tehseen
Fatima Qamar 7239
Ghazala Rauf 7249
Ghazala Rauf
7249
Fatima Qamar
7239
Development of the
Autonomous Self

● Early research of Rogers emphasized the importance

of self development in the formation of personality.

● In 1930, he devised a method to determine child’s

behavior.

● The method helped decide wheather the behaviour of

the child is healthy and constructive or unhealthy and
destructive.
Rogers investigated child’s background and had the child rated
in the factors he believed would influence behaviour. He
believed that external factors were of greater influence.

External Factors: Internal Factors:

Level of education Self insight

Cultural and social influences Self understanding
Economic circumstances
Intellectual development
Family Environment
 Self Insight:
“Self insight is acceptance of self in
reality and a sense of reality for self.”
William Kell:
• 10 years later he attempted to
predict the behaviour of
delinquent children.
• Rogers predicted external
factors to be more influential
but self insight was the most
influential.
• Roger refused to accept the
results.
Helen McNeil:
• Two years later, he replicated
the studies with a different
group of delinquents.
• He got the same results and it
proved the importance of self
Insight.
• This time Rogers accepted the
results.
“The experience helped me decide to
focus my career on the development of
psychotherapy that would bring about
greater awareness of self understanding,
self direction, and personal responsibility
rather than focusing on changes in the
social environment. It led me to place
greater emphasis on the study of the self
and how it changes.”

—Carl Rogers
Actualization Tendency:
“The basic human motivation to
actualize, maintain and enhance
the self.”

● The drive to word actualization is

part of a larger actualization
tendency.
● It includes physiological and
psychological needs.
● It is a strive towards survival and
sustenance.
 Actualization Tendency:

● The process begins in the womb where organs start to

form.
● It is also responsible for maturation; development
from fetus to the appearance of secondary sex
characters at puberty.
● Rogers said that these characters are genetically
determined but are bought into fruitation by
actualization.
● Nothing is automatic, every process demands pain
and struggle.
 Organismic Valuing
Process:

“The process by which we judge experiences in

terms of their value for fasting or hindering power
actualization and growth.”

• The governing process throughout the lifespan

is the organismic valuing process.
• We evaluated all life experiences by how well
the sirf actualization tendency.
• Experiences promoting actualization are
considered good desirable and positive.
• Experiences hindering actualization are
undesirable and negative.
 The Experimental World:

The world we grow in provides a frame of reference that influences our growth.
● There are countless sources of stimulation. They can be trivial, important,
threatening or rewarding.
● Rigers wanted to know how we perceive and react to multifaceted world of
experiences to which we are expose.
● Reality of our environment depends on our perception of it. It may or may not allign
with the actual reality. Everyone reacts differently. It changes with time and
circumstances.
● Infants tendency to grow, develop and experience the world provides more sources
of stimulation. The response is subjectively perceived.
● Experience is the only basis for judgement and behavior.
● Higher levels of development sharpens existential world and leads to development of
self.
“Experience is, for me, the
highest authority. The
touchstone of validity is
my own experience.”

—Carl Rogers
 The Development of the
Self in Childhood
“The self concept is is our image of what we
are, what we should be and what we would
like to be.”
The formation of the self concept involves
distinguishing what is directly and immediately
a part of the self from the people, objects and
events that are external to the self.
Positive Regard 01 02 Conditions of Worth

Congruence and
Incongruence 03 04 Emotional Health
Positive Regard:
“Acceptance, love and approval from others is positive
regard.”

Infant develops a need for positive regard as the self

emerges. It is universal and persistent.
They are satisfied when they receive it and frustrated when
they don’t.
● It is crucial to personality as behavior is guided by
amount of affection and love bestowed.
● Innate tendency twords self actualizatio and self
concept development Is hampered without positive
regard.
● If it happens frequently, he’ll act in a way that brings
positive regard from others.
 Unconditional Positive
Self Regard:
“Approval granted regardless of a person’s behaviour.”

● Positive regard persists, despite unfavorable behaviors.

● Mother’s love for child is free and unconditional, it doesn’t
depend on behaviors.
● It is of reciprocal nature. It rewards both parties.
● To satisfy the need of positive regard, especially in infancy,
we become sensitive to how other people are behaving and of
their attitude.
● Because of this we interpret their feedback in terms of
approval and disapproval and refine out self concept
accordingly. We internalize the attitude of others.
 Positive Self Regard:
“The condition under which we grant ourselves
acceptance and approval.”

● It is from within us.

● It gets stronger like our need for postive regrad
from others.
● We learn to reward ourselves.
● It is feeling of contentment with one’s self.
● It is reciprocal; when they develop positive self
regard, they may provide it to others.
Conditions of Worth:
“ A belief we are worthy of
approval only when we
express desirable behavior
and attitude and refrain
from expressing those that
bring disapproval from
others.”
 Conditional Positive
Regard:
“Approval, love or acceptance granted only when a person
expresses desirable behaviours and attitudes.”
It is the pposite of unconditional positive regard.
Parents don’t react to everything the infant does with positive
regard. Some behaviors annoy, frighten or bore them.
Is shows that parental affection has a price and is conditional.
Children develop conditions of worth. They are worthy only
under certain circumstances.
● They view themselves as worthy or unworthy, good or bad
according to their parents’ reaction.
 Adolescent and Academic
Achievement:
Research:
A study of adolescents found that when the mother used
conditional positive regard to reward them for academic
achievement, and punish them for non-achievement their
feelings of self worth become erratic.

Results:
Children learn to avoid certain behaviours and no longer
function freely because the feel the need to evaluate their
behaviours and attitudes. They inhibit their development
by living within the confines of the conditions of worth.
 Incongruence and
Congruence:
Incongruence:
“A discrepancy between a person’s self
concept and aspects of his or her
experience.”
• They hold inaccurate perception of
the experiential world.
• Risk becoming estranged from
their true self.
• They evaluate experiences not in
terms of actualization tendency but
in terms of positive regard from
others.
Congruence and Emotional Health:
“The compatibility between our self
concept and our experiences.”
• They are psychologically healthy.
• They perceive people and events as
they are
• Nothing threatens their self-concept.
• They feel worthy under all
conditions.
• Rogers called this “the good life.”
Tehseen Mukhtiyar
7248
Thank you for listening!