The Psychology Book (42 page)

134 CARL ROGERS

range of options as wrong or

inappropriate. The defensive

feelings and thoughts that rise

up in us when reality conflicts

with our preconceptions create

a limited, artificial interpretation

Self and personality

of experience. In order to really

emerge from experience,

participate in what Rogers calls

rather than experience

the “ongoing process of organismic

being translated… to fit

experience,” we need to be fully

preconceived self-structure.

open to new experience, and be

Carl Rogers

completely without defensiveness.

A full range of emotions

By tuning in to our full range of

emotions, Rogers argues, we

allow ourselves a deeper, richer

Spending time working
in a

experience in every part of our

developing country can be a rewarding

lives. We may think we can

more comfortable with our

way to open up to new experiences,

selectively block emotion, and

emotions, including those we have

challenge fixed ideas about the world,

dampen down disturbing or

deemed to be negative, the flow

and find out more about ourselves.

uncomfortable feelings, but when

of positive feelings emerges more

we repress some of our emotions,

strongly; it is as if by permitting

is for experience to be the starting

we inevitably turn down the

ourselves to feel pain, we allow for

point for the construction of our

volume of all our emotions,

a more intense experience of joy.

personalities, rather than trying

denying ourselves access to the

By always remaining open to

to fit our experiences into a

whole of our nature. If on the other

everything that occurs, Rogers

preconceived notion of our sense

hand, we allow ourselves to be

says that we allow our fullest

of self. If we hold on to our ideas of

how things should be, rather than

A fixed view
of the world

accepting how they really are, we

often leads to unhappiness;

are likely to perceive our needs as

we can feel like “a square peg

“incongruent” or mismatched to

in a round hole,” constantly

what is available.

frustrated that our life is not

how we expected it to be.

When the world does not “do

Rogers urges us to abandon

what we want,” and we feel unable

our preconceived ideas and

to change our ideas, conflict arises

see the world as it really is.

in the form of defensiveness.

Rogers explains defensiveness

as the tendency to unconsciously

apply strategies to prevent a

troubling stimulus from entering

consciousness. We either deny

(block out) or distort (reinterpret)

what is really happening,

essentially refusing to accept

reality in order to stick with our

preconceived ideas. In so doing,

we deny ourselves the full range

of potential reactions, feelings,

and ideas, and we dismiss a wide

PSYCHOTHERAPY 135

abilities to function, and in turn

we can get the greatest satisfaction

from our experiences. We have not

raised our defenses to shut off any

part of the self, so we are able to

experience everything fully. Once

we escape from the rut of the

preconceptions of the mind, we can

allow ourselves to soar. Rather than

organizing our experience to suit

our idea of the world, we “discover

structure
in
experience.”

This openness is not for the

faint-hearted, Rogers states; it

requires a level of bravery on the

part of the individual. We don’t

need to fear any type of feeling, he

says—we need only to allow the

full flow of cognition and

individual, is famously termed

Love that is conditional
on an action

experience. With true access to a

“unconditional positive regard.”

or situation—for example, on achieving

fuller range of processing

Rogers believed that all people,

A grades at school or eating the right

foods—can leave children feeling

experience, each of us is more able

not just his patients, needed to be

unworthy and unaccepted.

to find the path that truly suits our

able to view themselves in this

authentic self—this is the fully

way, as well as those around them

functioning individual that Rogers

and their environment.

self-worth and regard for others

urges us to become. We are always

Unconditional self-acceptance

on achievements or appearance,

growing, and Rogers emphasizes

and unconditional acceptance of

rather than accepting people

that the direction in which people

others are vital, and when these

as they are.

move—when there is freedom to

are lacking, people fail to remain

Parents may inadvertently

move in any direction—is generally

open to experience. Rogers

teach children that they are

the direction they are best suited

maintained that many of

worthy of affection only if certain

for, and that is best suited for them.

us have very strong, strident,

requirements are met, offering

specific conditions that must be

them rewards and praise when

Unconditional acceptance

met before we will grant approval

they eat their vegetables or get

In contrast to the views of many

or acceptance. We also base

an A grade in physics, but fail

of his predecessors in the field of

to love them openly just for

psychotherapy, Rogers believed

themselves. Rogers calls these

that people are, in their essence,

requirements “conditions of worth,”

healthy and good; and that mental

believing that the tendency of

and emotional well-being is the

humankind to demand that

natural progression for human

people and things match our

nature. These beliefs are the

No other person’s ideas,

arbitrary expectations does

foundation of an approach that

and none of my own ideas,

all of us a great disservice.

regards patients in an entirely

are as authoritative

Achievements are to be

positive light, one of absolute,

as my experience.

respected, he says, but they are

unconditional acceptance. Rogers

Carl Rogers

both separate and secondary

asked that his patients learn to do

to acceptance, which is a basic

the same for themselves and for

human need, and does not have

others. This perspective, grounded

to be “earned” through deeds

in compassion and the recognition

or action. Rogers says that the

of the potential of each and every

value of an individual is ❯❯

136 CARL ROGERS

realize that each of us is a continual

needs. No longer at the mercy of

work-in-progress; that we are in a

what he thinks he should be doing,

process of change, as Rogers says

nor of what society or parents may

in his seminal work,
On Becoming

have conditioned him to think he

A Person
—we are all in a constant

wants, he can much more easily

“state of becoming.” The irony

simply exist in the moment and

The subjective human

is that with greater self-

be truly aware of what he actually

being has an important

acceptance, and with less

wants. And now he can trust

value… that no matter

unhealthy pressure and constant

himself, “not because he is

how he may be labeled

criticism, we can actually become

infallible, but because he can be

and evaluated he is a

much more productive.

fully open to the consequences of

human person first of all.

each of his actions and correct

Carl Rogers

Trusting oneself

them if they prove to be less than

To live “the good life,” as Rogers

satisfying,” Rogers explains.

sees it, is to learn to trust ourselves.

In living “the good life” we also

As an individual moves toward

have a sense of owning our lives

openness, he finds that he

and taking responsibility for

simultaneously makes progress in

ourselves—this is another tenet of

his ability to trust himself and his

Rogers’ philosophy and comes from

inherently granted merely by the

instincts, and begins to rely more

an existential viewpoint. What we

miracle of existence. Acceptance

comfortably on his decision-making

choose to think or do is down to

must never be thought of as

capabilities. With no need to

us; there can be no residual

conditional; unconditional positive

repress any part of himself, he has

resentments when we have truly

regard is key to how we might all

a greater ability to tune in to all the

identified for ourselves what we

live “the good life.”

parts of himself. This gives him

want and need, and taken the steps

As people become more

access to a variety of perspectives

to create it. At the same time, there

accepting of themselves, they

and feelings, and in turn he is

is greater accountability and an

also become more patient with

better able to evaluate choices that

increased tendency to truly invest

themselves. Acceptance alleviates

will truly realize his potential. He

in our lives. It is not uncommon to

the pressure to do, see, and acquire,

is able to see more clearly what

hear about a doctor who hates

which builds when we live with the

direction his authentic self wishes

medicine but practices because his

mistaken idea that these activities

to take, and can make choices that

parents said that being a doctor

define our worth. We can begin to

are truly in congruence with his

was the way to earn respect and

Carl Rogers

Carl Rogers was born in Oak

Organizations (USO), offering

Park, Illinois, to a strictly

therapy to returning army

Protestant family, and apparently

personnel during World War II.

had few friends outside the family

In 1964, he was awarded

before going to college. Initially,

“Humanist of the Year” by the

Rogers majored in agriculture,

American Humanist Association,

but after marrying his childhood

and devoted the last ten years

sweetheart, Helen Elliott, in

of his life to working for world

1924, he enrolled at a theological

peace. He was nominated for

seminary, before withdrawing

a Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.

to pursue a course in psychology.

Rogers worked at the universities

Key works

of Ohio, Chicago, and Wisconsin,

developing his client-centered