CARL ROGERS

Carl Rogers



Carl Rogers

In this paper I will discuss the theorist Carl Rogers, his contributions to the field of psychology, occurrences during his lifetime that have influenced his perspectives and how his theories can be applied. Carl Rogers (1961) was a Humanistic psychologist and assisted greatly to the development of psychology.

One of the influences is the fact that the idiographgic approach is used. Rogers emphasized on the uniqueness of a individual, that everyone is different in what they need and how they react to distinct things. Because of this psychology should aim more on the subjective thoughts, feelings and knowledge of a individual and it should be treasured and glimpsed as important. Rogers not only took into account the individuals past experience but also what they are feeling here and now. It is a much less deterministic approach contrasted to others. Psychology does look at persons individually now and does take into account the persons know-how when they are being treated in therapy.



Another influence is the assumption that people have free will which conflicts with the Behaviorists approach, who believe they do not. Rogers looked at a person as an active agent who could control and change their environment and therefore could determine their own development. The idea of individual responsibility has a great leverage in psychology today.

Rogers assisted to psychology by inserting a pattern a humanistic therapy called purchaser centralised Therapy. This treatment focused on the person not the problem. Also Humanists assume that persons should be looked at using a holistic approach, which means to gaze at the whole person. If you try and shatter down behavior than the whole individual is being lost through this reductionist process. This idea assisted to psychology, now we recognize that problems do not usually have a exact origin you should look at the entire person.

Critical evaluation

However Rogers approach does have some criticism. Rogers believed that everyone was born good and wholesome and everyone likes to be the best they can be - actualizing tendency. Critics assertion that this is a overly optimistic outlook of human behavior and couple of persons reach self actualization. Also subjective thoughts, feelings and experiences can not be scientifically observed or measured. Therefore there is no empirical evidence for these theories. Also this approach relies on self reporting which can be subjective or bias. An assumption that is criticized is the belief that all children experience problems if they have a critical or conditioned upbringing, which is not necessarily true. Also if they do experience problems than the blame might be focused on primary caregivers which is sometimes unjust.

Virtually all therapists today are 'Rogerian' in method, no matter what their clinical or theoretical orientation, or what they think of Carl Rogers. Does any clinician not subscribe, at least in part, to the holy trinity of Rogers's psychotherapeutic method: unconditional positive regar? (Psychotherapy Networker Magazine, 2007)Carl Rogers was a prominent psychotherapist and consultant, and one of the top respected psychologists in the ...