CARL ROGERS, a fulfillment theory, an version. ctualizatioFulfillment comes from releasing one’s inner potentials and becoming one’s self.

ORGANISM, the total individual

PHENOMENAL FIELD, a portion of the organism that is the totality of experience of the individual.

Experiences in the phenomenal field can be either conscious or unconscious. Experiences become conscious when they have been symbolized (labeled).

SELF, that portion of the conscious part of the phenomenal field that represents experiences labeled “I”, “mine”, “me”, etc.

NEED FOR SELF-ACTUALIZATION, an innate biological need to fulfill all our innate potentials.

DEVELOPMENT

At birth the NEED FOR POSITIVE REGARD exists. As the self develops the need for positive regard becomes transformed into the NEED FOR SELF REGARD, which sets the stage for the development of CONDITIONS OF WORTH. CONDITIONS OF WORTH are unfortunate. They are personal beliefs that there are certain conditions a person must fulfill in order to be a worthwhile individual. Rogers, however, believes that all individuals are worthwhile just because they are human beings.

Experiences congruent (consistent) with conditions of worth are accurately symbolized into a person’s conscious. Incongruent experiences are either DENIED conscious awareness, or they are DISTORTED (symbolized inaccurately) into conscious awareness. Denial and distortion are both defensive processes.

There are 3 possible modes of living for an adult:

1. Self-actualization—The Fully Functioning Person:the healthiest, where someone has no conditions of worth and all experiences are accurately symbolized (i.e., there is no unconscious).

Characteristics of self-actualization:

OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE, no defensiveness

EMOTIONALITY

REFLECTIVENESS

EXISTENTIAL LIVING

ORGANISMIC TRUSTING

2. Neuroses, which characterizes many people. Because people can never fulfill all conditions of worth, neurotic people feel anxious and less than worthwhile.

3. Psychosis, a rare condition following an experience in which a powerful incongruent experience becomes accurately symbolized. For example, a person who believes he/she must be a peaceful person in order to be worthwhile. If this person then hits someone else and the experience is accurately symbolized, it may shatter the self structure into psychosis. The person may now believe that “I am a crazy person, who has emotions that are out of control”.

A person can realize self actualization by having an experience of receiving UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD (UPR) from someone else. (This is what Rogers tries to provide in therapy.) UPR is a communication that, “I believe that you are worthwhile, regardless of what you do.” Upon receiving UPR a person has a decrease in conditions of worth to zero and an increase in unconditional self regard.

THERAPY, There are 6 necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic personality change.

1. 2 people in psychological contact.

2. One person (the therapist) is in a state of congruence.

3. The other person (the client) is in a state of incongruence.

4. The therapist expresses UPR for the client.

5. The therapist expresses accurate empathy for the client.

6. The client experiences and accepts 4 and 5 above.

“The essential ingredient of the well-lived life is the freedom to be.”