Carl Rogers Essay

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Carl Rogers is an American humanistic psychologist. He enrolled in agriculture at the University of Wisconsin but switched to history. Rogers completed his PhD in psychology at the University of Columbia and spent twelve years as a clinical psychologist (Crowne, 2009). He wrote a book titled The Clinical Treatment of the Problem Child. He was president of the American Psychological Association and received its Distinguished Scientific Contribution award. Rogers became an eminent figure in psychology from his proposed theory called the person-centered theory. Person-centered theory puts its main emphases on humanistic values and respect for the individual. So much emphases that critics could say humanistic theories are visibly bias towards individualistic values. Arguably, the person-centered therapy has been proven to have moderate effectiveness and is widely used. The theory suggests we need to look at human beings as a totality and treat them as a whole. Rogers designated the word ‘organisms’ for individuals and suggested it tied to the notion of self-actualization assumption that is made up from various components that work together, like the human body is made up of different organs. Whole is seen more of a goal and a lifelong process. Even though Rogerian theory has exploded into numerous extensions, such as the fully functioning person, interpersonal relations, family life, education, group leadership, and conflict, I will be focusing on the following key concepts: self-concept, self-experience, positive regard and positive self-regard, conditions of worth, congruence and incongruence, threat and anxiety, organismic value process, empathic understanding, and self-actualization. In Roger’s view, self-concept is one of the most important features of personality. Self-concept includes all thoughts, feelings, and beliefs a person has about

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