Created by Adrienne Moore
Life
Experiences that Shaped Theory
Carl Rogers is one of the most influential psychologists
in American history. He pioneered away
from traditional psychoanalysis and developed a "client-centered"
approach to therapy, which recognizes that “each client has the ability within
him or herself the vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or
her self-concept, attitudes, and self-directed behavior—and that these
resources can be tapped by providing a definable climate of facilitative
attitudes” (Kirschenbaum, 1979). His
theory made significant contributions in psychological education, counseling,
psychotherapy, peace and conflict resolution.
His premise was that all people have the potential to solve their own
problems without direct intervention from the therapist. He is a founder of humanistic psychology,
believing that people are invariably good, and has profoundly influenced the
world through his rigorous research and many publications. Rogers is perhaps best
known for his revolutionary idea, actualization theory, which states
that “human beings have a built-in motivation present to develop their
potentials to the fullest extent possible” (Kirschenbaum, 1979). Moreover, he says, it is in our very nature
as living organisms to do the very best we can.
But how did Rogers come up with these
theories? What life experiences
influenced his ideas? Perhaps looking
into his past may shed some light into one of psychology's greatest minds…
As a child, Carl Rogers has
a rather shy, sickly child--prone to tears and often the target of jokes and
teasing. Rogers was a vulnerable
child, tender and easily hurt, yet feisty and even sarcastic in his own way, as
he needed to be to survive amongst his five cruel, taunting brothers and
sisters. Rogers recalled one such
instance: "You took digs at everybody, and everybody took digs at
you" (Kirschenbaum & Henderson, 1989).
He was raised in an upper-middle class family on a farm outside of Chicago, where there was
always work to be done.
Rogers was the fourth of
six children, who were all expected to do their share and then some around the
house and farm. Rogers had daily chores,
consisting mainly of milking the cows at 5 a.m. and again at night. His parents were devout Christians with
strict household rules, forcing Rogers to feel isolated
from his peers, and often not developing friendships with others as he was
expected to be home right after school.
These experiences may explain Rogers close interaction
with his patients, and could have possibly lead to the development of his
"client-centered" form of therapy.
This theory may be a direct result of his hardships as a child, as he
may have tried to compensate and apply such rough times to his academics
(Kirshenbaum & Henderson, 1989).
Rogers learned how to read
by age 4. When he started school, he was
already reading at a fourth grade level.
Rogers teacher determined that he was so advanced that she placed him in a
second grade class when he was only five-years-old. His academic excellence further isolated him
from his peers and he felt he could not relate to the older children in his
classes (Kirschenbaum & Henderson, 1989).
As a result, Rogers compensated for his
lack of social contacts by losing himself in literature. It was not until his
college years that Rogers started to come out of his shell. Against his parent’s wishes, he joined
the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity, which was noted for it’s scholastic
excellence. He later traveled with a
youth group to a Christian Federation Conference in China, where he
says he started to truly find himself. Rogers said his trip to China was the first
time that he felt an intense drive to communicate his observations and
reflections (Kirshenbaum, 1979).
It was upon his return from China and his
graduation from the University of Wisconsin that prompted Rogers to make some much needed changes in his life. He said he decided that he needed to become
more involved in other people’s lives, experience everything life had to offer,
and develop into a more well rounded person.
Rogers went on to receive a degree from Columbia University and teach at Ohio State University (Kirshenbaum,
1979).
Rogers changed his life
because he realized that he wanted something more, and that he had been holding
back from reaching his full potential because he was afraid of the challenges
it posed. Despite his accomplishments, Rogers were not happy with
himself, and wanted to be the best person he could possibly be. This revelation
consequently lead to the development of the actualization theory, as he
discovered that it is ultimately up to oneself to live up to their full
potential. Rogers learned that he had
to accept the challenge of self-actualization and use it as motivation to
further develop his character.
Rogers “found himself”
within the actualization theory, as he realized that he had struggled his whole
life to realize his true potential, learn how to fully develop it, and apply it
to help others. The trials and
tribulations of his youth thus lead to one of the most influential theories of
modern psychology.
Bibliography
Kirschenbaum,
H. & Henderson, V. Carl Rogers:
Dialogues. Boston: Houghton Mifflen Company, 1989.
(pgs. 1-41).
Kirshenbaum,
H. On Becoming Carl Rogers. New York: Delacorte Press, 1979. (pgs.
1-68).
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