Carl Rodgers grew up in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois. He was one of six kids in the family and was educated in a strict, religious environment. Initially Rodgers studied agriculture, history, and religion. As he progressed through school his main focus became religion, Rodgers received his bachelor’s degree in religion in 1924. After spending two years in a liberal protestant seminary in New York City he transferred to Columbia University Teachers College. At Columbia he worked with John Dewey, and received his Masters of Psychology in 1928 and his PhD in clinical psychology in 1931. Rodgers started his career in child Psychology as the director of the “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children”. Between 1935 and 1940 Rodgers …show more content…
This movement focused on the human experience of freedom and decision making. It focused on the full mental health of the client instead of treating symptoms. Its goal was to promote the health of the client and empower them to reach their full potential. Rodgers believed that every person can achieve their goals and dreams in life. When someone achieved their goals they succeeded in achieving self-actualization. He believed each person developed in their own unique way based on that person’s personality. Rodgers recognized that sometimes a person’s ideal self-image may not be the same as what actually happens in life this is called Incongruence. When a person’s ideal self matches what happens in life it is called congruence. A complete state of congruence is very seldom achieved. When a person’s ideal self-image is similar to their real experience it is characterized as congruence. Rodgers believed in order for a person to achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of …show more content…
This is the idea that no matter the action taken by a person their parents and significant others will still accept and love them for who they are. The consequences of this method is that the person is not afraid to make mistakes, and in some situations make things worse. It was an effective method in providing support and supporting a person. Rodgers believed that a person with high self-esteem confronts problems and faces them openly, but a person with low self-esteem is more likely to avoid problems and will in turn be defensive and guarded when interacting with people. Rodgers thought that feelings of self-worth developed in early childhood, starting with the interaction of the child with its parents. It continued while the person grew up and becomes more reliant on their interactions with significant others. Today, long after his initial work in Humanistic Psychology. His patient centered approach and principles have become widely accepted by therapists of all approaches. His theory extended past just being used in psychotherapy into areas such as marriage, parenting, education and while developing professional standards. His patient centered approach has also been adopted by many social workers and healthcare