Rogers' Humanistic Theory of Personality

Carl Rogers' humanistic personality theory emphasizes what?

the importance of the self-actualizing tendency in forming a self-concept.

Carl Rogers was an influential humanistic psychologist who developed a personality theory that emphasized the importance of

the self-actualizing tendency in shaping human personalities.

Rogers believed what about humans?

they are constantly reacting to stimuli with their subjective reality ( phenomenal field ), which changes continuously. Over time, a person develops a self- concept based on the feedback from this field of reality.

In the development of self-concept, what is key?

positive regard

Unconditional positive regard is an environment that is free of what?

preconceived notions of value. Conditional positive regard is full of conditions of worth that must be achieved to be considered successful.

Human beings develop what types of self?

ideal self and a real self based on the conditional status of positive regard. How closely one's real self matches up with their ideal self is called congruity.

Rogers believed that fully functioning people could achieve what?

"the good life," in which they constantly aim to fulfill their potential and allow their personalities to emanate from their experiences.

Like Maslow's theories, Rogers' were criticized for

the lack of empirical evidence in research.

holistic

Relating to the whole instead of separation into parts.

humanistic psychology

A psychological perspective which rose to prominence in the mid-20th century in response to psychoanalytic theory and behaviorism; this approach emphasizes an individual's inherent drive towards self-actualization and creativity.

congruity

An instance or point of agreement or correspondence between the ideal self and the real self in Rogers' humanistic personality theory.

phenomenal field

Our subjective reality, all that we are aware of, including objects and people as well as our behaviors, thoughts, images, and ideas.

Rogers described life how?

in terms of principles rather than stages of development. These principles exist in fluid processes rather than static states. He claimed that a fully functioning person would continually aim to fulfill his or her potential in each of these processes, achieving what he called "the good life." These people would allow personality and self-concept to emanate from experience.

Rogers found that fully functioning individuals had several traits or tendencies in common: A growing openness to experience, An increasingly existential lifestyle, Increasing organismic trust, Freedom of choice, Higher levels of creativity, Reliability and constructiveness, A rich full life

A growing openness to experience

they move away from defensiveness.

An increasingly existential lifestyle

living each moment fully, rather than distorting the moment to fit personality or self-concept.

Increasing organismic trust

they trust their own judgment and their ability to choose behavior that is appropriate for each moment.

Freedom of choice

they are not restricted by incongruence and are able to make a wide range of choices more fluently. They believe that they play a role in determining their own behavior and so feel responsible for their own behavior.

Higher levels of creativity

they will be more creative in the way they adapt to their own circumstances without feeling a need to conform.

Reliability and constructiveness

they can be trusted to act constructively. Even aggressive needs will be matched and balanced by intrinsic goodness in congruent individuals.

A rich full life

they will experience joy and pain, love and heartbreak, fear and courage more intensely.