CARL ROGERS, a
fulfillment theory, actualization version. Fulfillment comes from releasing
one’s inner potentials and becoming one’s self.
CORE
ORGANISM, the total
individual
PHENOMENAL FIELD, a portion of
the organism that is the totality of experience of the individual.
SELF, that portion
of the conscious part of the phenomenal field that represents experiences
labeled “I”, “mine”, “me”, etc.
Experiences in the phenomenal field can be either
conscious or unconscious. Experiences become conscious when they have been
symbolized (labeled).
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.
PERIPHERY
There are 3 possible conditions:
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 characterize 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
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT
The measurement of a person’s congruence/ incongruence
is measured by a Q-SORT. A q-sort is a series of cards, each containing a
personal statement.
For example, “needs recognition from others” or “is
self-defeating” or “is personally charming”. The person sorts this statement
into a forced distribution under two sets of conditions: A) to describe their
“real self”, and B) to describe their “ideal self”. The distributions
is usually:
1. MOST CHARACTERISTIC OF ME
2.
3.
4.
5. NEUTRAL
6
7
8
9. LEAST CHARACTERISTIC OF ME
The higher the correlation between the “real self
sort” and the “ideal self sort”, the greater the degree of congruence.
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.”