Carl Rogers

Self-Theory

People shape themselves

through freedom of choice and

action

Who is in charge?

“Man is the architect of himself.”We chooseWe are each unique, and have a distinct

world viewWe each have different potential

Valencia, Spain

What is the Self?The centre of experienceYour ongoing sense of who you are

How and why you react to the environment

How you choose to act upon the environment

Your valuesThe self is innate, or inborn and his

what makes us human

We need self-regard, or self-esteemIt develops as we

grow and become aware of our self

“Me” and “Not me”At first it is formed

by how we see that others see us

Then we start to value ourselves

Congruence

Congruence means a fit between two things – in this case, a fit between how we see ourselves and our experience

When something in our experience challenges our idea of our self, we can feel threatened and anxious

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Inflexible, incongruent, or inconsistency

Some people cannot accept success if they have a negative self-concept

Some people cannot accept failure (which goes against their idea of themselves) by denying it or blaming it on other people

Parents and other adults play a key role – a need for positive regardChildren learn self-esteem when their

parents show them unconditional positive regardAccepting the value of children

regardless of their behaviour at the moment

Ongoing, consistent expression of caring, love and respect

Conditional Positive Regard

When parents show conditional positive regard, children start to disown their selves I will love you if you get good grades I will love you if you….. You were naughty – you are no longer my child

The granting or taking away of approval and

love based on a child’s behaviour

What happens?

Children develop conditions of worth – I am only worthwhile when I am being perfect, or behaving in a certain way Only if I get good grades Only if I don’t fight with my parent Only if I clean my room and …..

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Children become unhappy with themselvesChildren are not able to self-actualizeThey cannot develop potentialThey become defensive (remember

defense mechanisms?)Denial or RepressionAggression

They deny who they are, and become anxious

Our Feelings

Get in touch with how we really feelAccept those feelings as oursAct upon them

Called Person-Centred Therapy

Striving toward happiness

We may never be entirely happy with where we are and who we are

But – The good struggle toward happiness Brings happiness

Important ideas

The SelfSelf-regard, or Self-esteemCongruenceUnconditional Positive RegardConditional Positive RegardConditions of WorthPerson-centred TherapyStrive toward happiness

Read and answer

Page 500 –Fully Functioning Person Define a fully functioning person in your own words. Page 502 - Culture, Gender and the Self What is the difference between North American/

European cultures in terms of how the self is defined? What are gender schemas? What qualities do men prize in themselves? Women?