Question

Explain the personality theory put forward by Carl Rogers.

Answer 1

As a humanistic theorist Carl Rogers focused on the self rather than on behavior or physical constitution. He proposed that human being has many positive characteristics and have a strong natural instinct and tendency to bloom into fully functioning persons. One central assumption of Roger’s theory is that left on their own individuals show many positive characters and continually strive to become a fully functioning person’s i.e., psychologically healthy person who lives life to the fullest. Adjusted Individual Poorly-adjusted individual.

An individual based on all the information and beliefs he has about his own characteristics develops an idea about himself called self-concept. However, when this self-concept does not match with the reality or our perception of the environment reaction to self, anxiety is generated in the individual which makes the person unhappy and maladjusted.

Thus, according to Rogers, the lesser the gap between the self-concept and real self [congruence]. Happier and more adjusted a person will be and vice-versa. According to Rogers, to cope with the anxiety of in congruence between self-concept and real self-experience, an individual often charges the perception of reality to make consistent with his or herself concept.