PSY405 Notes Lecture 23

INTRODUCTION TO ROGERS PERSON CENTERED APPROACH

Carl Rogers was a famous humanistic psychologist. His work is about: how people understand themselves

• how they grow internally
• how they change through therapy
• how personality becomes healthy or unhealthy

His approach is called: Person centered approach

• Client centered therapy
• Self theory of personality

He believed that people are basically good inside and have a natural tendency to grow if they are given the right environment.

1. PHENOMENOLOGICAL THEORY OF PERSONALITY

Key word: phenomenology Meaning: study of how a person experiences the world in his or her own mind. So according to Rogers: To understand why a person behaves, thinks, or feels in a certain way, you must look at their internal frame of reference. Internal frame of reference means: how the person sees the world

• how they interpret events
• what they believe about themselves
• what they feel inside

It is like wearing glasses with your own color. You see the world through your own meanings. Example: Two students fail a test. Student A thinks: “I am useless.” He becomes sad.

• Student B thinks: “I need to study more next time.” He becomes motivated. Same event, different meanings because of different internal frames of reference. So behavior is not just about what happens outside. It is about how the person

interprets it. Important definitions: perception: how you see and understand something

• interpretation: the meaning you give to something

1. HUMANISTIC VIEW

Humanistic psychology focuses on: positive aspects of life

• free choice
• personal growth

It believes humans are not robots. They have freedom to choose their actions and direction in life. Rogers believed people are: basically good

• capable of growth
• able to choose meaningfully

Example from the lesson: To understand Pakistani students, the teacher must: enter their frame of reference

• see how they feel and think
• understand their experiences

This is called empathy. Definition of empathy: Ability to put yourself in someone’s place and feel what they feel without judging them. Example: Your friend is sad after failing. Empathy is not saying “don’t cry”. Empathy is saying, “It really hurts when you study and still fail. I get how heavy it feels.”

1. ACTUALIZING TENDENCY

Very important concept. Actualizing tendency means: Natural inner push to grow, develop, survive and become the best version of yourself. It is innate meaning you are born with it. Plants example: A seed automatically grows toward light and water. You don’t teach it. It just grows. Humans also have: desire to improve

• desire to learn
• desire to become capable
• desire to express their real self

Example: Child naturally tries to walk, talk, explore, ask questions. Nobody forces this. It is inside them.

1. FULLY FUNCTIONING PERSON