Person-centered therapist Carl Rogers is a revolutionary in the field of psychotherapy, as he radically changed the view of the client-therapist form of therapy. He stated that it is the client who is the center of this relationship and the only expert in his own life.
Carl Rogers developed the basic principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, Gestalt therapy, and psychoanalysis.
Today we will try to analyze the basics of person-centered psychotherapy in mental health practice.
Humanism and Self-Actualization
Rogers was an avid humanist and client-centered therapist, therefore began the development of his concept with a denial of the early view of man. He said that at first Christianity cultivated the idea that people are naturally evil and sinful. Then Freud came to replace him, who also suggested interpreting human behavior based on the lowest motives.
The creators of the person-centered approach saw a person from a new perspective, having replaced such motives as libido and mortido with a new one – self-actualization. In many ways it resembles what Abraham Maslow meant by self-realization.
Self-actualization is the desire to realize his inner potential, his inclinations and his nature. This motive is inherent in human beings from birth and has a biological nature.
The main motive of a person in rogerian psychotherapy is the desire to become a self-aware personality. And if a person really tries to achieve this in his life, then he lives deeply feeling his existence and enjoying every moment of it.
Even though this type of psychotherapy focuses on the realization of a person’s positive nature and their self-esteem and growth as a person, the psychologist did not deny the possibility of negative actions. However, such actions occur only when a person is at odds with himself, when for one reason or another his desire for self-actualization is blocked.
For the same reason, personality disorders arise when an unrealized part of the self finds its way out in one or another symptom. And the psychologist called this state itself a state of incongruence.
Congruence Of The Self-Concept
As already mentioned, a person can be in two conditions in a state of congruence:
- When his behavior corresponds to his desire for self-actualization, his abilities and inclinations
- And in a state of incongruence, when a person is in conflict with himself.
Rogers considered the concept of man to be the source of congruence.
Self-understanding is the sum of a person’s ideas about himself and his attitude toward these ideas. For example, a person who considers himself bad can act accordingly to maintain his primary self-image. On the contrary, considering himself good, he is more likely to be inclined to act in accordance with this idea and confirm it again and again.
The degree of satisfaction of a person depends on how close the real me and the ideal me are to each other. Their discrepancy generates frustration, anxiety and neurosis. Such a discrepancy is the result of so-called conditional love.
Development of the Self-Сoncept
Rogerian psychotherapy did not create any scheme of critical stages but spoke about the mechanisms of development in general.
The main thing for a person in the process of growth is how much he is loved and accepted by other people. Approval leads to a positive inner state, and discontent leads to frustration.
And here there is a need for positive attention or unconditional positive regard. It is unconditional love that allows a child to feel self-worth and realize himself.
Parents, however, may not be able to give such an ideal love, replacing it instead with a conditional love. As a result, the child is willing to accept his parents’ attitudes by suppressing his inner aspirations. This is in order to satisfy more significant needs at the moment, such as the need for his parents’ love.
In many ways, this leads an individual to accept the attitudes of other people and conform to their standards. This is because he realizes that he is not accepted as he is, just as he does not value himself. As a result, he excludes part of his personal experience from his self-concept.
However, unconditional love does not imply never forbidding anything to a child and never reprimanding him. No, but it does mean that you love him regardless of his appearance or what he gets up to, even if he has to endure punishment.
Therapeutic Conditions
Rogers insisted that a client can heal himself and find ways of self-discovery. He just needs to be given all the requirements for this. Initially, he identified only three conditions before adding them to six, but we summarized them into five.
Contact
Psychological contact refers to an intimate relationship in which both partners experience emotional contact. The practice management software makes it possible to make these contacts remotely or face-to-face.
Incongruence vs congruence
The client is in a state of incongruence, while the therapist is in a state of congruence. For humanistic psychology, it is extremely critical to recognize one’s own inner experiences and manifest them in an obvious way in a therapeutic relationship.
This does not allow a therapist to play a role or show a facade. At the same time, if the client is already congruent, then therapy sessions will not make sense.
Unconditional acceptance
The therapist experiences unconditional acceptance of the client’s personality. In this case, the therapist gives the client what he was never given. He allows him to express his own feelings and find his inner self.
Understanding
Client-centered approaches are based on understanding. The therapist must get used to the client’s experiences, understand them, and then pass them on to the client himself in order to advance him in his awareness.
Minimal perception
Finally, a сlient can at least minimally perceive unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding on the part of the therapist. As a result, basic therapeutic attitudes cannot affect anything if the client does not perceive them as such.
Non-directive psychotherapy
If we briefly describe person-centered psychology, then in general it looks like a repetition of the client’s thoughts for an hour, and often verbatim. And it is unlikely that this will somehow impress you. However, here it is much more relevant how the therapist conveys the client’s meanings and how he keeps his attention on him.
But in general, everything comes down to repetition and paraphrases. The therapist does not express approval, does not make interpretations and does not even ask questions.
The main technique used is “reflection of feelings” or empathic listening:
Every time a client speaks, the consultant’s reaction is to tell the client how he understands his thoughts or feelings.
The therapist tries to convey the general meaning of what was said using active listening. For example, a client who came to an appointment could say something like the following:
“Last night I saw a nightmare, and I thought about it all the time. I have problems at home, at work, and with my children…”
The therapist may answer:
“Yes, a lot is happening to you right now…”
After that, the therapist waits in silence for a while. The patient himself decides what he should talk about and whether he needs further help.
7 Stages of the Therapeutic Process
Rogers listed the following characteristic steps of positive change in his therapeutic approach:
- At the beginning, the client is unwilling to express himself. He uses many defenses. Communication takes place only on general topics.
- At the second stage, feelings are manifested, but the client does not take responsibility for what is happening in his life. Life’s contradictions are not recognized. There is no differentiation of personal meanings.
- Then begins the gradual weakening of self-expression. A person expresses experiences, usually negative ones.
- Accepting the previous stage’s outcome allows the next stage to begin. A person begins to feel responsible for the problems that exist in his life.
- At the fifth stage, feelings are expressed completely freely, but surprise and fear are often present. A person defines his emotions more accurately.
- The sixth stage is the most dramatic. The client experiences his feelings in their entirety. The problem ceases to be an object for him.
- At this stage, the person seeking help continues to move forward on their own, without the help of a psychotherapist.
The result of client-centered therapy should be a so-called full-fledged and healthy person, whom American psychologist Carl Rogers described in the following characteristics:
- Openness to experience
- The existential way of life
- Organismic trust
- Empirical freedom
- Creativity
Conclusion
Rogers’ self-directed psychotherapy had a huge impact on therapy in general. Despite the absence of therapeutic techniques, it developed all the basic conditions and methods for creating an interpersonal relationship with a client.
It gave mental health professionals a sense of rapport and congruence. And it is here that all humanistic psychotherapy begins.
