Carl Rogers and His Theory of Personality Essays - 3414 Words

Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was ‘the most influential psychologist in American history’ (Kirshenbaum, 1989:11). Since the study of personality began, personality theorists have offered a wide assortment of explanations about behaviour and about what constructs a person. Carl Rogers was the main originator of the ‘person centred’ approach, also referred to as the ‘nondirective’ or ‘client centred’ approach. This essay will offer a brief description about some of the main concepts in Carl Rogers’ person centred theory. Mainly covering topics such as his philosophy of theory, his theory of personality, how we acquire dysfunction and how we treat dysfunction. Carl Rogers’ approach has often been called the ‘Third Force’ in psychology (Casemore,†¦show more content†¦The first of these is the physiological need, those basic needs for continuing life, for example, water, oxygen, bodily elimination, avoidanc e of pain and sexual expression. The second is safety and security, the third is love and belonging, the forth is self-esteem and the fifth is to self-actualise (Hough, 2010). In developing his person centred approach Rogers was highly influenced by Maslow and the concept of Self-actualisation. Self-actualisation is a person’s basic desire is to be all that they are capable of becoming. The actualising tendency is the term which Rogers used to describe this human urge to grow, to develop and to reach maximum potential (Kirshenbaum, 1989). In the words of Dryden and Mytton (1999:67), ‘Plants have an innate tendency to grow from a seed towards their full potential, flowering and bearing fruit’. Rogers believed that the same is true for all human beings. He believed that the actualising tendency is a positive, formative, instinctual and developmental tendency inherent in all human beings, and other organisms, from birth onwards. An infant knows what good and bad experiences are, they embrace positive experiences and avoid experiences in which are bad for them. Rogers also believed that the actualising tendency in humans can be supressed and twisted by our experiences, although if given the right conditions and the right opportunities the infant will stride towards autonomy and self-directionShow MoreRelatedCarl Rogers’ Theory Of Personality. Personality Theories1093 Words   |  5 PagesCarl Rogers’ Theory of Personality Personality theories suggest explanations for behaviors and how to change them. Multiple personality theories exist however one of the most interesting is the theory of personality by Carl Rogers. Rogers writes, â€Å"the core of man’s nature is essentially positive† (1961, p.73). â€Å"Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8,1902- February 4, 1987) was an influential American psychologist who, along with Abraham Maslow founded the humanistic approach to psychology† (â€Å"Carl,† 2017,Read MorePsychodynamic And Humanistic Theories Of Psychology1634 Words   |  7 PagesPsychodynamic and Humanistic Personality Theories The study of the human mind is an interesting topic to discuss about, we have many theorists that have come up with many different ideas or theories, in how to evaluate the mind of humans, two main ways to study the mind in psychology are psychodynamic approach and humanistic approach. Even though these theories are to evaluate human minds they have different views in how the mind works. In psychodynamic approach, the way the mind is viewed is thatRead MoreComparison of Theories on Personality Essay examples1273 Words   |  6 PagesComparison of Theories on Personality Abstract This paper is a comparison of three different viewpoints on the subject of personality. Carl Jung, B.F. Skinner, and Carl Rogers all had very different outlooks on what defined someone’s personality. As an added feature I have included myself as a theorist because my views are also different from the previous mentioned theorists. This paper will also look briefly into the background of each theorist because their views on life began in theirRead MoreCarl Rogers : A Humanistic Approach1295 Words   |  6 Pageswith his or her own affairs. This attitude comes across as a person most individuals would not want to encounter, yet there are some psychologists such as Carl Rogers, who believe that people needed to be self-centered. As a result he created what is known today as the self-centered theory. Carl Rogers believed that being self-centered is essential to the client’s personal growth of self-esteem. Rogers’s theory can be broken down into many steps. All of these steps help the main purpose of his workRead MoreSigmund Freud And Humanistic Theories Of Psychology1636 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The reading of personality has a thick layer of theories in psychology and is one of the most important fragments of psychological history to this day. This paper will compare and contrast the differences between the great theories of the psychodynamic theory from Sigmund Freud and the humanistic theory from Carl Rogers. These two theorists have different views of how personality is developed, with both theorists influencing the world of psychological personality to this day. Disputes betweenRead MoreThe Theories Of Personality Theories1124 Words   |  5 Pagesimportant theories regarding personality. Some of these theories are still relevant to our world today. These theories have helped form humans and they have also changed the way we think and the way we do things. There are many different forms of personality theories that have shaped the world for us: Biological, Behavioral, Psychodynamic, Humanist, Trait, etc. Biological theories are based on genetics and they believe that g enetics are responsible for personality. Behavioral theories suggest thatRead MoreFreuds and Rogers Theories of Personality Psychotherapy1004 Words   |  4 PagesFreuds and Rogers Theories Personality Psychotherapy A comparison of Freud and Rogers theories of personality and psychotherapy Personality is the description of an individual through how the individual demonstrates his or her emotions and building relationship and their behavioral patterns. Two neurologists developed two theories to explain the formation of personalities. They were neurologist Sigmund Freud and psychologist Carl Rogers. Rogers and Freud worked in the field of psychotherapyRead MoreHistory and Theory Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesHistory and Theory The viewpoints if Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers have similarities and differences. Both have made significant contribution to the psychology field. The theories from Freud and Rogers are still used in modern psychology. Freud is best known for creating psychoanalysis and Rogers is renowned for developing the person-centered therapy. The subject of this paper pertains to Freud’s and Rogers’ views of their respective theories, how different their theories would be ifRead MoreBiological And Humanistic Concepts Of The Maslow s Hierarchy Of Needs1364 Words   |  6 PagesBiological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality In this paper, I will show you how Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers agreed on the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and also the biological and humanistic approach. â€Å"The hierarchy of needs theory remains valid today for understanding human motivation, management training, and personal development† (Orana, 2009). Maslow’s book Personality and Motivation was published in 1954 introducing his theory of the hierarchy of needs. Abraham Maslow AbrahamRead MoreHumanistic Theories Debate On Abraham Maslow And Carl Rogers1617 Words   |  7 PagesHumanistic Theories Debate Team B – Anthony Garcia, Becky Billison, Cher Keen, Britanie McKernan, Megan Groulx PSY/310 September 7, 2015 Dr. Sadie Fine â€Æ' Humanistic Theories Debate In the debate between Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, both whom are humanistic theorists that share a mutual interest in the teachings of self-actualization, will discuss the specifics of their individual theories regarding the main points, their contributions, and the criticism they have received about their theories. We will