The Men Behind The Therapies: Carl Rogers

Often called the father of the Humanistic approach, Carl Rogers offered an alternative approach to psychology which rejected the deterministic nature of both behaviourism and psychoanalysis. However before Rogers found his feet in the world of psychology, his previous career choices included agriculture, history and religion.

Rogers was greatly influenced by Abraham Maslow who created the hierarchy of needs concept. This states that certain basic requirements have to be met in order to reach self-actualisation (when one reaches their full potential). It is therefore up to the individual themselves to be in control of their own life.

Rogers declared that for a person to grow or self-actualise the need three things; a genuine environment, acceptance, and empathy. Without these healthy relationships it will limit how much a personality can grow, although every person has the potential to achieve their dreams. The great psychologist looked deeply into three factors which can affect self-actualisation:

Congruence - Humanists believe that for a person to fulfil self-actualisation they need to be in a state of congruence which means that their ideal and real self have to match up

Self-Worth - Rogers stated that children need a high level of self-worth which is established by their interaction with their parent as a child. A person who has a high level of self-worth are most likely to be a confident person with positive feelings. They are also able to face challenges in life and accept failure at times. On the other hand people who have a low self-worth tend to be defensive and guarded. They can also not accept painful and unhappy experiences

Positive Regard - The approach declares that we need to be regarded positively by others (which means we need to feel valued, loved and treated with affection). This is something which is extremely important in childhood as children who are shown unconditional positive regard, whereby their parents accept them for who they are which is not withdrawn when they make a mistake, means that the person is more likely to self-actualise. On the other hand if a parent only shows positive regard depending on their behavior this is an example of conditional positive regard.

Client-centered therapy

Client-centered therapy differs from other therapies. Firstly, it moved away from traditional therapies in the sense that it takes a non-directive approach. This means that instead of the therapist directing the sessions, asking questions, providing advice or interpretations, the client is responsible for improving their own life. They will decide for themselves what the problem is and what should be done about it. The therapist will only have to create an environment whereby the client feels comfortable enough to talk about their feelings. Secondly, the humanistic approach will always refer to the client as a 'client' and not a 'patient'. This is significant because it is an attempt by the humanistic approach to see the client and therapist equally instead of an expert treating a patient.

Client - centered therapy has helped many people take control of their own lives and fulfill their potential. This was all developed by a very intelligent man whom the psychology world could have lost to another subject area.