
What is Carl Rogers best known for?
Carl Rogers (1902-1987) is considered one of the most influential psychologists of the 20 th century. He is best known for developing the psychotherapy method called client-centered therapy and as one of the founders of humanistic psychology. Full Name: Carl Ransom Rogers.
What is Carl Rogers theory?
Carl Rogers Theory By Dr. Saul McLeod, updated 2014 Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was a humanistic psychologist who agreed with the main assumptions of Abraham Maslow.
Why is Roger Rogers important to psychology?
Rogers was one of the founding figures of humanistic psychology and widely regarded as one of the most eminent thinkers in psychology. In one survey of professional psychologists, Rogers was ranked as the sixth most eminent psychologist of the 20th-century.
Does Carl Rogers make sense in 2011?
Carl Rogers made a lot of sense in 1967, and he still makes sense in 2011. Like many students in psychology in the 1970s and 80s, my wish was to become a psychotherapist. Rogers’s client-centered therapy fit me and countless others like a glove.
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What did Carl Rogers theory?
Rogers believed that all people possess an inherent need to grow and achieve their potential. This need to achieve self-actualization, he believed, was one of the primary motives driving behavior.
When did Carl Rogers develop his theory?
Rogers published his views in Counseling and Psychotherapy, in 1942, outlining his theory that a person could gain the awareness necessary to transform his or her life by developing a respectful, nonjudgmental, and accepting relationship with a therapist.
What did Carl Rogers teach?
psychologyIn 1956, Rogers became the first President of the American Academy of Psychotherapists. He taught psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1957–63), during which time he wrote one of his best-known books, On Becoming a Person (1961).
What was Carl Rogers main philosophy?
Carl Rogers believed that for a person to achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence. According to Rogers, we want to feel, experience and behave in ways which are consistent with our self-image and which reflect what we would like to be like, our ideal-self.
What are the 3 parts of Carl Rogers personality theory?
His theory of personality involves a self-concept, which subsumes three components: self-worth, self-image and ideal self. Rogers developed an approach of client-centered therapy to help people self-actualize, or reach their full and unique potential.
Who created the humanistic theory?
The humanistic learning theory was developed by Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and James F. T. Bugental in the early 1900's. Humanism was a response to the common educational theories at the time, which were behaviorism and psychoanalysis.
What was Carl Rogers theory called?
humanistic psychologyCarl R. Rogers (1902–1987) is esteemed as one of the founders of humanistic psychology. He developed the person-centered, also known as client-centered, approach to psychotherapy and developed the concept of unconditional positive regard while pioneering the field of clinical psychological research.
What is Rogers self theory?
Rogers believed that people must be fully honest with themselves. Inaddition, he thought that a fundamental function of the counselor was tofacilitate the personal discovery of the client; hence resulting in Rogers'conception of the self (aka self-concept) - a triangle.
What influenced Carl Rogers theory?
Carl Rogers was influenced by strong religious experiences (both in America and in China) and his early clinical career in a children's hospital. Consequently, he developed his therapeutic techniques and the accompanying theory in accordance with a positive and hopeful perspective.
When was person-Centred therapy developed?
1950sPerson-Centred therapy is a humanistic approach developed by Carl Rogers in the 1950s. Human beings have an innate tendency to develop themselves and often this can become distorted.
What influenced Carl Rogers theory?
Carl Rogers was influenced by strong religious experiences (both in America and in China) and his early clinical career in a children's hospital. Consequently, he developed his therapeutic techniques and the accompanying theory in accordance with a positive and hopeful perspective.
How did person-Centred therapy developed?
Person-centered therapy was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940s. This type of therapy diverged from the traditional model of the therapist as expert and moved instead toward a nondirective, empathic approach that empowers and motivates the client in the therapeutic process.
Who influenced Carl Rogers work?
It was during his tenure at Rochester that Rogers became strongly influenced by a social-worker colleague who had studied under the psychotherapist Otto Rank. Rogers also came across the work of Jessie Taft, one of the key female voices in the development of person-centred therapy.
Who is Carl Rogers?
Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8, 1902 – February 4, 1987) was an American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach (and client-centered approach) in psychology. Rogers is widely considered to be one of the founding fathers of psychotherapy research and was honored for his pioneering research with the Award for Distinguished ...
What did Rogers do in his career?
in 1931. While completing his doctoral work, he engaged in child study. In 1930, Rogers served as director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Rochester, New York. From 1935 to 1940 he lectured at the University of Rochester and wrote The Clinical Treatment of the Problem Child (1939), based on his experience in working with troubled children. He was strongly influenced in constructing his client-centered approach by the post-Freudian psychotherapeutic practice of Otto Rank, especially as embodied in the work of Rank's disciple, noted clinician and social work educator Jessie Taft. In 1940 Rogers became professor of clinical psychology at Ohio State University, where he wrote his second book, Counseling and Psychotherapy (1942). In it, Rogers suggested that the client, by establishing a relationship with an understanding, accepting therapist, can resolve difficulties and gain the insight necessary to restructure their life.
Why did Carl Rogers leave the WBSI?
Rogers left the WBSI to help found the Center for Studies of the Person in 1968. His later books include Carl Rogers on Personal Power (1977) and Freedom to Learn for the 80's (1983). He remained a resident of La Jolla for the rest of his life, doing therapy, giving speeches and writing.
How did Rogers die?
In 1987, Rogers suffered a fall that resulted in a fractured pelvis: he had life alert and was able to contact paramedics. He had a successful operation, but his pancreas failed the next night and he died a few days later after a heart attack.
What did Rogers suggest about therapists?
In it, Rogers suggested that the client, by establishing a relationship with an understanding, accepting therapist, can resolve difficulties and gain the insight necessary to restructure their life. In 1945, he was invited to set up a counselling center at the University of Chicago.
What is Rogers' theory of self?
Rogers' theory of the self is considered to be humanistic, existential, and phenomenological. His theory is based directly on the " phenomenal field " personality theory of Combs and Snygg (1949). Rogers' elaboration of his own theory is extensive. He wrote 16 books and many more journal articles describing it.
When did Rogers start using the person centered approach?
Even before the publication of Client-Centered Therapy in 1951, Rogers believed that the principles he was describing could be applied in a variety of contexts and not just in the therapy situation. As a result, he started to use the term person-centered approach later in his life to describe his overall theory.
Who is Carl Rogers?
Carl Rogers (1902-1987) is considered one of the most influential psychologists of the 20 th century. He is best known for developing the psychotherapy method called client-centered therapy and as one of the founders of humanistic psychology.
Where was Carl Rogers born?
Early Life. Carl Rogers was born in 1902 in Oak Park, Illinois , a suburb of Chicago. He was the fourth of six children and grew up in a deeply religious household. He went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he planned to study agriculture. However, he soon changed his focus to history and religion.
What did Rogers' theory of behaviorism and psychoanalysis have in common?
While psychoanalysis and behaviorism were different in many ways, one thing the two perspectives had in common was their emphasis on a human’s lack of control over their motivations.
What is Rogers legacy?
Legacy. Rogers remains one of the most influential figures in psychology today . A study found that since his death in 1987, publications on his client-centered approach have increased and research has confirmed the importance of many of his ideas, including unconditional positive regard.
What did Rogers believe about humans?
Like his fellow humanist Abraham Maslow, Rogers believed humans are primarily driven by the motivation to self-actualize, or achieve their full potential. However, people are constrained by their environments so they will only be able to self-actualize if their environment supports them.
What did Rogers do while he was at the University of Chicago?
While he was at the University of Chicago, Rogers established a counseling center to study his therapy methods. He published the results of that research in the books Client-Centered Therapy in 1951 and Psychotherapy and Personality Change in 1954.
What is the self concept of Rogers?
He referred to who an individual really is as the "self" or "self-concept" and identified three components of the self-concept: Self-image or how individuals see themselves.
Who is Carl Rogers?
Biographies. Carl Rogers is widely regarded as one of the most eminent thinkers in psychology. He is best known for developing the psychotherapy method called client-centered therapy and for being one of the founders of humanistic psychology.
Where did Rogers work?
After receiving his Ph.D., Rogers spent a number of years working in academia, holding positions at Ohio State University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin.
What does Rogers say about ideal self?
When our self-image does not line up with our ideal self, we are in a state of incongruence.
What did Rogers believe about self-actualization?
Rogers believed that all people possess an inherent need to grow and achieve their potential. This need to achieve self-actualization, he believed, was one of the primary motives driving behavior.
What did Rogers consider psychology?
Rogers considered psychology to be a way to continue studying life's many questions without having to subscribe to a specific doctrine. He decided to enroll in the clinical psychology program at Columbia and completed his doctorate in 1931.
What major did Rogers go to?
When he was 12, his family moved from the suburbs to a rural farm area. He enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in 1919 as an agriculture major . However, after attending a 1922 Christian conference in China, Rogers began to question his career choice. He later changed his major to History with plans to become a minister.
What was Rogers' most famous work?
Among his best-known works are Client-Centered Therapy (1951), On Becoming a Person (1961), and A Way of Being (1980).
Who was Carl Rogers?
By Dr. Saul McLeod, updated 2014. Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was a humanistic psychologist who agreed with the main assumptions of Abraham Maslow. However, Rogers (1959) added that for a person to "grow", they need an environment that provides them with genuineness (openness and self-disclosure), acceptance ...
What did Carl Rogers believe?
Rogers believed that every person could achieve their goals, wishes, and desires in life. When, or rather if they did so, self actualization took place. This was one of Carl Rogers most important contributions to psychology, and for a person to reach their potential a number of factors must be satisfied.
How did Rogers believe in self worth?
Rogers believed feelings of self-worth developed in early childhood and were formed from the interaction of the child with the mother and father. As a child grows older, interactions with significant others will affect feelings of self-worth.
What did Rogers think of the fully functioning person?
In many ways, Rogers regarded the fully functioning person as an ideal and one that people do not ultimately achieve. It is wrong to think of this as an end or completion of life’s journey; rather it is a process of always becoming and changing.
What did Rogers believe about the human condition?
Rogers believed that every person could achieve their goal. This means that the person is in touch with the here and now, his or her subjective experiences and feelings, continually growing and changing.
What did Rogers believe about people?
Rogers believed that people are inherently good and creative. They become destructive only when a poor self-concept or external constraints override the valuing process.
Who believed that humans have one basic motive?
Carl Rogers (1959) believed that humans have one basic motive, that is the tendency to self-actualize - i.e., to fulfill one's potential and achieve the highest level of 'human-beingness' we can.

Overview
Theory
Rogers' theory of the self is considered to be humanistic, existential, and phenomenological. His theory is based directly on the "phenomenal field" personality theory of Combs and Snygg (1949). Rogers' elaboration of his own theory is extensive. He wrote 16 books and many more journal articles describing it. Prochaska and Norcross (2003) states Rogers "consistently stood for an empirical evaluation of psychotherapy. He and his followers have demonstrated a humanistic ap…
Biography
Rogers was born on January 8, 1902, in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His father, Walter A. Rogers, was a civil engineer, a Congregationalist by denomination. His mother, Julia M. Cushing, was a homemaker and devout Baptist. Carl was the fourth of their six children.
Rogers was intelligent and could read well before kindergarten. Following an education in a strict religious and ethical environment as an altar boy at the vicarage of Jimpley, he became a rather is…
Applications
Rogers originally developed his theory to be the foundation for a system of therapy. He initially called this "non-directive therapy" but later replaced the term "non-directive" with the term "client-centered" and then later used the term "person-centered". Even before the publication of Client-Centered Therapy in 1951, Rogers believed that the principles he was describing could be applied in a variety of contexts and not just in the therapy situation. As a result, he started to use the ter…
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Carl Rogers served on the board of the Human Ecology Fund from the late 50s into the 60s, which was a CIA-funded organization that provided grants to researchers looking into personality. In addition, he and other people in the field of personality and psychotherapy were given a lot of information about Khrushchev. "We were asked to figure out what we thought of him and what would be the best way of dealing with him. And that seemed to be an entirely principled and legit…
Selected works by Carl Rogers
• Rogers, Carl, and Carmichael, Leonard (1939). The Clinical Treatment of the Problem Child. Boston; New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
• Rogers, Carl. (1942). Counseling and Psychotherapy: Newer Concepts in Practice. Boston; New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
• Rogers, Carl. (1951). Client-Centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory. London: Constable. ISBN 1-84119-840-4.
See also
• Hidden personality
Sources
• Cornelius-White, J. H. D. (2007). Learner-centered teacher-student relationships are effective: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 77 (1), 113–143.
• Raskin, N. (2004). Contributions to Client-Centered Therapy and the Person-Centered Approach. Herefordshire, Ross-on-the-Rye, UK: PCCS Books.
Early Life
Psychological Career
- While he was still earning his Ph.D. in 1930, Rogers became the director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Rochester, New York. He then spent several years in academia. He lectured at the University of Rochester from 1935 to 1940 and became a professor of clinical psychology at Ohio State University in 1940. In 1945 he moved to the University of Chi…
Important Theories
- When Rogers started working as a psychologist, psychoanalysis and behaviorism were the reigning theories in the field. While psychoanalysis and behaviorism were different in many ways, one thing the two perspectives had in common was their emphasis on a human’s lack of control over their motivations. Psychoanalysis attributed behavior to unconscious drives, while behavior…
Legacy
- Rogers remains one of the most influential figures in psychology today. A study found that since his death in 1987, publications on his client-centered approach have increased and research has confirmed the importance of many of his ideas, including unconditional positive regard. Rogers' ideas about acceptance and support have also become the corne...
Sources
- Cherry, Kendra. “Carl Rogers Psychologist Biography.” Verywell Mind, 14 November 2018. https://www.verywellmind.com/carl-rogers-biography-1902-1987-2795542
- GoodTherapy. “Carl Rogers (1902-1987).” 6 July 2015. https://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/carl-rogers.html
- Kirschenbaum, H. and April Jourdan. “The Current Status of Carl Rogers and the Person-Cent…
- Cherry, Kendra. “Carl Rogers Psychologist Biography.” Verywell Mind, 14 November 2018. https://www.verywellmind.com/carl-rogers-biography-1902-1987-2795542
- GoodTherapy. “Carl Rogers (1902-1987).” 6 July 2015. https://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/carl-rogers.html
- Kirschenbaum, H. and April Jourdan. “The Current Status of Carl Rogers and the Person-Centered Approach.” Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, vol. 42, no. 1, 2005, pp.37-51, http:/...
- McAdams, Dan. The Person: An Introduction to the Science of Personality Psychology. 5thed., Wiley, 2008.
Early Life
Career
- After receiving his Ph.D., Rogers spent a number of years working in academia, holding positions at Ohio State University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin. It was during this time that Rogers developed his approach to therapy, which he initially termed "nondirective therapy." This approach, which involves the therapist acting as a facilitator rather than a director …
Important Theories
- Self-Actualization
Rogers believed that all people possess an inherent need to grow and achieve their potential. This need to achieve self-actualization, he believed, was one of the primary motives driving behavior. - Unconditional Positive Regard
For psychotherapy to be successful, Rogers suggested, it was imperative for the therapist to provide unconditional positive regardto the client. This means that the therapist accepts the client as they are and allows them to express both positive and negative feelings without judgment or …
Contributions to Psychology
- With his emphasis on human potential, Carl Rogers had an enormous influence on both psychology and education. Beyond that, he is considered by many to be one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. More therapists cite Rogers as their primary influence than any other psychologist. As described by his daughter Natalie Rogers, he was "a m…
in His Own Words
- "Experience is, for me, the highest authority. The touchstone of validity is my own experience. No other person's ideas and none of my own ideas are as authoritative as my experience. It is to experience that I must return again and again, to discover a closer approximation to truth as it is in the process of becoming in me." – Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person, 1954
Selected Publications
- Rogers, C. (1951) Client-Centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications, and Theory.Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Rogers, C. (1961) On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Rogers, C. (1980) A Way of Being.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Biographies
- Cohen, D. (1997) Carl Rogers. A Critical Biography.London: Constable. Thorne, B. (1992) Carl Rogers.London: Sage.