If you find this useful, don't forget to hit 'love.' • Feist, J. & Feist, G. (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). USA: McGraw−Hill Companies • Tria, D. & Limpingco. (2007). Personality (3rd ed.). Quezon City, Philippines: Ken Inc. • Daniel, V. Object relations theory. Retrieved as of 2016 from https://www.sonoma.edu/users/d/daniels/objectrelations.html Other references: • Cervone, D. & Pervine, L. (2013). Personality: Theory and research (12th ed.). USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. • Cloninger, S. (2004). Theories of personality: Understanding persons (4th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. • Ryckman, R. (2008).Theories of personality (9th ed.). USA: Thomson Wadsworth

1. Person-Centered
Theory
Presented by:
Mary Anne A. Portuguez, MP, RPm

2. Carl Rogers
• “In a psychological climate which
is nurturant of growth and choice,
I have never known an individual
to choose the cruel or destructive
path….it is cultural influences
which are the major factor in our
evil behaviors.”

3. Brief Biography
• Carl grew up on a farm in Illinois, developing an
interest in biology & agriculture.
• Expressing emotions was not allowed in the Rogers
household & it took its toll on Carl who developed an
ulcer at 15.
• Rogers went to the University of Wisconsin to study
agriculture in 1919.
• Traveled to China and exposed to Eastern religion----
this is a turning point in his religious up-bringing.

4. Biography…
• He finished his degree and left for Union Theological
Seminary in NY to become a minister.
• 1926 left seminary to study psychology.
• He gained recognition when he won the APA award for
distinguished scientific contribution in 1956.
• In 1963, he moved to La Jolla, California. Developed the
Center for Studies of the Person.
• He continued his scientific efforts, writing, holding
workshops, etc. until he died in 1987.

5. Basic Tenet
Rogers believed that humans are basically good. He argued
that we have an innate drive to reach an optimal sense of
ourselves & satisfaction with our lives.

6. The Actualizing Tendency
• We do not behave irrationally, as psychoanalysis
assumed--we move with ordered complexity
toward our goals
• This tendency leads to complexity, independence,
and social responsibility
• The motivation intrinsic to each person is basically
good and healthy

7. Person-Centered Theory - The Actualizing
Tendency
• A person who pays attention to the organismic valuing process is self-
actualizing or fully functioning
• A person who is fully functioning has several characteristics: openness
to experience, existential living, organismic trusting, experiential
freedom, and creativity

8. Characteristics of a Fully Functioning Person
• 1. These people are open to their experiences. They strive to
experience life to its fullest & are willing to take some risks.
• 2. These people live in the present (here & now).
• 3. These folks trust their own feelings & instincts. They aren’t held
back by old standards or concern for what others might think.
• 4. These folks are less concern with social conventions.

9. Conditions of Worth & Unconditional Positive Regard
• Rogers argues that most of us grow up in an atmosphere where we
are given love & support as long as we behave the way we are
expected to.
• This is what he calls Conditional positive regard. The emphasis is
that love is given conditionally (with a string attached).

10. If we don’t do what our parents want us to do?
• Rogers argued that in these cases, parents withhold their love from
us.
• As a result of this, children learn to abandon their true feelings,
wishes, & desires, for those of their parents.
• This paves the way for us to become alienated from our true selves.

11. Unconditional positive regard
• We need this to accept all parts of our personality.
• With this we know we are loved & valued for being who we are.
• Parents can do this, by it clear that their love is not contingent on the
child’s behavior (even when such behavior is abhored).

12. Conditions in Person-Centered Therapy
• Direction comes from the client rather than from the
therapist’s insights, so referred to as nondirective therapy,
later client-centered therapy
• Empathy
• Congruence/Genuineness
• Unconditional Positive Regard