Psych 213
Chapter 12: Rogers
I. Background
A. Read (pg. 363)
II. The view of the person underlying the theory
A. Humanistic phenomenological approach
B. Emphasis the study of the individual as a whole and the active role that each
person plays in actualising their own inherent potential
C. Individuals are active role players in their own functioning
D. Can also be trusted to follow a positive course in order to realise their potential
and to become the best that they can be
E. Believes that humans possess basically constructive attributes
1. Does acknowledge the exisitence of destructive tendencies such as aggression
2. however, healthy people are aware of their positive and negative attributes and
that the constructive will triumph over the destructive
F. Places a high premium on the freedom and constructiveness of human nature and
emphasises the person’s role as the architect of his or her life
G. Therefore his theory is not deterministic
H. Environment plays no more than a facilitating or inhibiting role in the realisation of
the individuals potential
I. Ascribes to the environment (particularly the social environment
1. We need to wonder whether the human portrayed by Rogers is really so free,
and whether these are not, some signs of determinism in his theory
J. Stresses the part played by people’s subjective experience of their world
1. Especially the impact on behaviour of individuals’ self concept
K. Ideal environment is one created by circumstances that allow individuals to see
themselves exactly as they are and where all their potential can be realised
1. This environment lays down conditions for accepting the individual
2. In uences the individuals’ self concept and they act in accordance with the
conditions set by signi cant others
3. This ideal appears to endow the individual with freedom, but in practice it
seems that most people are actually in uenced by factors that lie outside
themselves
4. He emphasises the individual’s freedom to change
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, a) Introduces the possibility that those who function in terms of the conditions
of others can become free and can then realise their potential
b) Prerequisite is that they must experience unconditional acceptance
III. Structure of the personality
A. Distinguishes 3 structural elements
1. Organism
a) Total individual with all physical and psychological functions
b) Central gure who interacts constantly with the dynamically changing world
in which they live
c) Their behaviour is determined by speci c subjective perceptions of this
world and the meanings the individual attaches to this
2. Phenomenal eld
a) Represents the totality of a person’s perceptions and experiences
(1) Perceptions of objects or events outside the person and meanings
attached to them
(2) Inner experiences and meanings that relate to the person themselves
3. The self concept
a) Di erentiated part of the phenomenal eld that concerns the person
themselves is known as the self concept
b) Describes it as a speci c entity of a self that is composed of self perception
as well as perceptions of relationships with others and combined with
values that are attached to these perceptions
c) Refers to the picture that individuals have of themselves and the value they
attach to themselves
d) Represents the person’s conscious experience of themselves
e) Conscious experiences and experiences that are allowed into
consciousness are included in the self concept
f) Consists of a relatively stable pattern of integrated perceptions and it
exible and changeable
(1) Because its organised into a whole, if you change one part of it, it
in uences the whole of the self image
g) Ideal self is the self concept the individual would most like to have
h) In a healthy person, the ideal self is more or less realistic, attainable and in
harmony with the self concept
i) Ideal self provides valuable guidelines for growth and development because
it reveals the characteristics and ideals that the individual strives towards
j) In an unhealthy person, the self concept and the ideal self do not
correspond
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Chapter 12: Rogers
I. Background
A. Read (pg. 363)
II. The view of the person underlying the theory
A. Humanistic phenomenological approach
B. Emphasis the study of the individual as a whole and the active role that each
person plays in actualising their own inherent potential
C. Individuals are active role players in their own functioning
D. Can also be trusted to follow a positive course in order to realise their potential
and to become the best that they can be
E. Believes that humans possess basically constructive attributes
1. Does acknowledge the exisitence of destructive tendencies such as aggression
2. however, healthy people are aware of their positive and negative attributes and
that the constructive will triumph over the destructive
F. Places a high premium on the freedom and constructiveness of human nature and
emphasises the person’s role as the architect of his or her life
G. Therefore his theory is not deterministic
H. Environment plays no more than a facilitating or inhibiting role in the realisation of
the individuals potential
I. Ascribes to the environment (particularly the social environment
1. We need to wonder whether the human portrayed by Rogers is really so free,
and whether these are not, some signs of determinism in his theory
J. Stresses the part played by people’s subjective experience of their world
1. Especially the impact on behaviour of individuals’ self concept
K. Ideal environment is one created by circumstances that allow individuals to see
themselves exactly as they are and where all their potential can be realised
1. This environment lays down conditions for accepting the individual
2. In uences the individuals’ self concept and they act in accordance with the
conditions set by signi cant others
3. This ideal appears to endow the individual with freedom, but in practice it
seems that most people are actually in uenced by factors that lie outside
themselves
4. He emphasises the individual’s freedom to change
1 of 9
fl fi fl
, a) Introduces the possibility that those who function in terms of the conditions
of others can become free and can then realise their potential
b) Prerequisite is that they must experience unconditional acceptance
III. Structure of the personality
A. Distinguishes 3 structural elements
1. Organism
a) Total individual with all physical and psychological functions
b) Central gure who interacts constantly with the dynamically changing world
in which they live
c) Their behaviour is determined by speci c subjective perceptions of this
world and the meanings the individual attaches to this
2. Phenomenal eld
a) Represents the totality of a person’s perceptions and experiences
(1) Perceptions of objects or events outside the person and meanings
attached to them
(2) Inner experiences and meanings that relate to the person themselves
3. The self concept
a) Di erentiated part of the phenomenal eld that concerns the person
themselves is known as the self concept
b) Describes it as a speci c entity of a self that is composed of self perception
as well as perceptions of relationships with others and combined with
values that are attached to these perceptions
c) Refers to the picture that individuals have of themselves and the value they
attach to themselves
d) Represents the person’s conscious experience of themselves
e) Conscious experiences and experiences that are allowed into
consciousness are included in the self concept
f) Consists of a relatively stable pattern of integrated perceptions and it
exible and changeable
(1) Because its organised into a whole, if you change one part of it, it
in uences the whole of the self image
g) Ideal self is the self concept the individual would most like to have
h) In a healthy person, the ideal self is more or less realistic, attainable and in
harmony with the self concept
i) Ideal self provides valuable guidelines for growth and development because
it reveals the characteristics and ideals that the individual strives towards
j) In an unhealthy person, the self concept and the ideal self do not
correspond
2 of 9
fl flff
fi fi fi fifi
