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Mental Health Corner
Mental Health Corner Humanistic Psychology and The Rogerian Revolution
By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman
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Students of psychology are intimately aware that the term “Rogerian” refers to a theory of personality developed by the eminent psychologist, Carl Rogers (d. 1987). Rogers, based on his theory, pioneered an approach to psychotherapy that was revolutionary in his time, but is now integrated on some level in almost every modality of psychotherapy.
The history of psychology is often broken down into three distinct “forces” that shaped the development of our understanding of the human condition. The first force, pioneered by Sigmund Freud and many of his contemporaries, is the theory of psychoanalysis which believes that people are controlled by unconscious desires and fears and therefore the role of the therapist is to analyze the patient and try to delve into the unconscious via dream interpretation and other techniques. The second force, pioneered by B. F. Skinner, is the theory of behaviorism which believes that people’s behavior is not based as much on thoughts and feelings, but rather based
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on behavioral conditioning. This theory believes that we can change a person’s behavior by using conditioning without dealing so much with the person’s inner world.
The third force, pioneered by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, is the theory of humanistic psychology which believes that human beings have an innate knowledge, wisdom and understanding of themselves and if they have a healthy sense of selfworth they can actualize themselves on their own. The problem, according to Rogers, is that during life people are exposed to conditional love and negative regard from others that leads to distrust in one’s self. This led Carl Rogers to develop an approach of psychotherapy called Person-Centered Therapy. Rogers believed that if several factors are met within therapy, the client will develop a strong sense of self-worth and find the wisdom within themselves to know how to change.
Although the details of Person-Centered Therapy can be broken down into many parts, they can be briefly summed into what is known as the three core conditions. • Empathy: Every person has their internal frame of reference based on their life experiences, background and upbringing. Person-Centered Therapy requires that the therapist communicates to the client that he appreciates and respects the client’s unique perspective, and the therapist desires to understand it to the best of his ability. Empathy in this regard is not merely feeling bad for someone else, but it is trying to put yourself into their shoes. This is sometimes referred to as empathy accuracy. • Genuineness: The therapist must be authentic and genuine with their client and not hide behind a professional facade. Carl Rogers referred to this as “congruence” since the outward expression of the therapist is congruent with the therapist’s inner thoughts and feelings. This builds trust between the client and the therapist, helps the client feel valued, and also serves as a model to the client of being true to one’s self and not hiding behind a false front. • Unconditional Positive Regard: The therapist feels unconditional positive regard for the client. The therapist does not judge the client, nor does the therapist approve or disapprove of the client’s behavior. This allows the client to develop feelings of self-worth.
Person-Centered Therapy in its purist form is extremely non-directive and expects the client to set their goals and reach them on their own. The field of psychotherapy, by and large, feels that although Roger’s core conditions are incredibly beneficial for creating the proper therapeutic environment, they are insufficient on their own. If the therapist constantly supports the client and never challenges them, the client can have a very difficult time in being motivated to change. Furthermore, the therapist can help a client tremendously by imparting guidance and wisdom during therapy.
Nevertheless, Carl Rogers created a sea change in the field of psychotherapy. Empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard are now highly integrated into the therapeutic process. Even if Person-Centered Therapy is no longer a modality that is implemented on its own, the revolution that Rogers created with his theory of humanistic psychology still reverberates today.
