In-depth Analysis of Carl Rogers - Case Study Example

An In-depth Study of Carl Rogers Carl Rogers was a man before his time. He was a psychologist, a therapist, a scientist and an educator who understood the inner workings of the human psyche. Evans (1975) states: more than anyone he made psychology the business of normal people and normal people the business of psychology" (p. xxxv). Many psychologists ridiculed his work because his ideas were so vastly different from what was currently available at the time. He dismissed the idea that therapists were the ones who knew what was best for their clients and put the responsibility onto the clients to make their own decisions. Carl Rogers: Highlights of Early Years In his early years, Rogers was a very shy and awkward child. He often went into tears for no reason and he was prone to sickness early. His brothers teased him often and made jokes about him. He grew up in a home where his father was often absent which meant that he grew close to his mother. As a young child, Rogers was the baby of the family and he remained the baby until he was five years old. As her grew older, his health became very strong. His older siblings paid special attention to him now and they taught him to read when he was four years old (Kirschenbaum, 1979, p. 2-3). He began to read everything he could find in his parent's library which included several volumes of the bible and many other titles. Eventually, he began to entertain his brothers with the fantastic stories that he made up himself (Kirshenbaum, p. 4). As Rogers grew up he lived in many different places including a farm and the suburbs. Adulthood was fun for Rogers because he found it very easy to make friends. He had high energy and his health was excellent. These two factors allowed him to make journeys around the world. These journeys gave him a broader sense of the world around him early in his life. Central to Roger's early years was Calvinism which was the religious background his parents raised him in; eventually his mother would become a fundamentalist. By the time he entered college, he had changed to a more liberally religious viewpoint which led to fights in his home (Kirschenbaum, 1979). He would eventually develop ideas in existentialism as continued to study religion. As he developed his study of religion and other disciplines he began to believe that "good works were more important than ritual or doctrine in Christianity "Kirschenbaum, p. 29). In his view it was more important for people to take responsibility for their own actions than to rely on god to do something for them. He traveled to the Orient for some of his study and when he came back his viewpoints changed drastically; this would be the foundation for his future writings and the work that would make him famous. Rogers and the Field Of Psychology: Major Contributions Rogers spent his life helping people answer the question "Why do people …?" in one way or another and he did this in a variety of modalities. He helped people understand each other through teaching them how to work more effectively together. Much of the work he did was to teach people how to communicate easier with each other and he taught therapists who would listen how to make the client the center of attention. A Person Centered Approach Rogers is most famous for developing the "person centered approach" to therapy and other disciplines. The foundation for this process came out of his work with encounter groups during the 1970's. These encounter groups created small communities that Rogers used as "social experiments" in order to see how his ideas worked (Rogers, 1980, p. 184). These workshops also gave Rogers a way to observe people to find the best way to work with them. He found that most people were striving towards self-actualization. Kirschenbaum stated that what Rogers did with the person centered approach was to "attempt to return the power, the control and the decision making to the person and away from the authority or the institution or those with the most physical or economic power" (p. 424). Rogers and Psychotherapy Kirschenbaum and Henderson (1989) state that Rogers had several "firsts" to his credit throughout his life span. Some of these were: 1. He was the first psychologist to create a record of this psychotherapy sessions and then publish them so that others could see what he was doing. 2. He was a more prolific scientific research in the areas of counseling and psychotherapy than any other psychotherapist during his life. 3. He was responsible for advancing the field of professional counseling and psychotherapy beyond the disciplines of psychiatry and psychoanalysis by applying his ideas to other disciplines. 4. He led the movement towards encounter groups which were the first time that groups had been used for intense therapy. 5. He was a pioneer in humanistic psychology movement between the years of 1960-1980. (p. xi). Rogers work did not go unnoticed by his peers. He won several prestigious awards including the American Psychological Association's Scientific Contribution Award in the first year they presented it (Kirschenbaum and Henderson, p. xiii). Rogers on Personal Power As an educator, it was Roger's desire to make sure that anyone who wanted his information received it. He wrote everything he did, spoke to groups, worked with groups, taught in the university and wrote several books and papers; he also did several interviews. He understood that many people were afraid of therapy because of the traditional way that therapist worked. Many used a style of psychoanalysis or they use a medical model. Roger's mode was totally different. In his words: "The aim is not to solve one particular problem but to assist the individual to grow, so that he can cope with the present problem and with later problems in a better integrated fashion" (Rogers, 1977, p. 6). His work was controversial because it took away the power of the therapist. It created great controversy and Rogers said it created "great furor" because he was not afraid to say what he thought. Other therapists used the methods of "suggestions, advice, persuasion and interpretation" which to Rogers were based on two assumptions: 1. The counselor knew what was in the best interest of the client. 2. The counselor could establish techniques that helped the client move forward. (Rogers, 1977, p. 6). These two assumptions put the counselor in the position of authority and left the client at the whims of the therapist. He saw the system as one of politics and control and he saw man as an organism that was trustworthy. The Therapist's Role In Roger's therapy role the counselor is not the central core of the counseling relationship-- the client is the core. The counselor must adopt skills and attitudes that show their "genuineness, realness or congruence" and they are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to the counseling session (Kirschenbaum and Henderson, p. 135). He also encouraged the therapist to observed the client in the "now" moment so they could observe the client's awakening as they expressed themselves in the session. He believed that counselors who used this method should have an "unconditional positive regard" for their clients. In other words, they should be nonjudgmental of their clients and observe them in a positive light so that healing could take place quickly (Kirschenbaum and Henderson, p.136). Thoughts on Issues in Everyday Life Rogers realized that people were dealing with issues in their daily life that may not be taken into a therapy session. He also realized that therapy was not for every individual so he began to write his ideas into common, everyday situations. He also wrote about major issues in the world around him. As an example, Rogers talked about the educational system saying that it was "outdated; incompetent and bureaucratic" (Evans, p. 37). He saw the curriculum as something that children were bored by and he felt the subject matter was not relevant to what the children wanted to learn: I think my deepest criticism of the educational system … is that it's all based upon distrust of the student. Don't trust him to follow his own leads; guide him; tell him what to do; tell him what he should think; tell him what he should learn (Evans, p. 39). The result of this thinking in Roger's view was that children were unable to form their own ideas and opinions and unable to develop into strong adults because someone else was always telling them what to do. This meant that as adults they were never able to tap into their full potential. Criticism of Carl Rogers As stated before, Carl Rogers was making headway in his profession and many people question or reduced his techniques. His work was criticized by some therapists in the field because they felt it was too simple. Others felt that leaving a person to their own devices and letting them figure out their own way of figuring out their problems was wrong and it may even be dangerous. Other people felt they were already doing what Rogers was discussing although they were doing different types of psychotherapy. According to The Carl Rogers Website: The half century of controversy around Carl Rogers's work simply highlights a basic philosophical and methodological question that is still plaguing the helping professions: To what extent do we rely on the individual's ability to guide his own growth and development, and to what extent do we introduce outside motivation, strategies, guidance, direction, or even coercion? (The Carl Rogers Website, 2006). Human nature suggests that when people are confronted by something that is very different from what they believe, it is easier for them to ignore it, tear it down or dismiss it. Rogers did not care what people thought about him. Instead, he worked diligently to let people know about this method and encourage those who would listen to use it. According to The Carl Rogers Website this allowed him to be a pivotal figure in the debate of how man could predict and/or control human behavior. Personal Response to the Theory I enjoyed reading about Rogers because he was a man obsessed with an idea. Not only was he doing the work but he was sharing it with people in many disciplines. There are some people who would say that he was a crackpot but he knew exactly what he was doing. I believe that he was a very creative man who used his early ability to tell stories in his work. It makes sense to me that a counselor would be more person centered than in other professions. To me the goal of therapy is to help a client move from where they are to where they want to go. If this is the goal then it makes sense to help them find their own methods of positive self regard instead of making them spend many dollars and many years in therapy. In relating it to my everyday life, I believe that I am a people person and I attempt to be a good listener. My friends often come to me to help them with their problems and I try to help them sort out their feelings or the problems they are having so they can be more self-reliant. I believe that teaching people how to depend on themselves is very important because they may not always have someone outside themselves to help. Rogers said that it was very important to acquire good communication skills. I believe this is true. I attempt to practice good communication skills with my family and my teachers although sometimes it seems to get difficult. I think that when emotions get into a situation it can be difficult to practice these skills. Active listening is important also, which creates an opportunity for people to sharpen their communication skills. In the counseling session I think it is important to let the client talk and help them to understand their own needs. I have found that most of the time clients already have the skill to change their lives but they often need to have this pointed out to them. I also believe that it is important to help clients become stronger in themselves. Whether this means to help them develop their self-esteem or it means that they must be open to possibilities, the person centered approach will help. People expect to be respected. Many feel that they need to have someone tell them what to do but many others would rather find a way to resolve their issues on their own; person centered therapy allows them to take control of their lives in a positive way. References Evans, R. I. (1975). Carl Rogers : the man and his ideas. New York : Dutton. Kirshenbaum, H. (1979). On becoming Carl Rogers. New York : Delacorte Press. Kirschenbaum, H. and Henderson, V.L. (1989). The Carl Rogers reader. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. Rogers, C. R. (1977). Carl Rogers on personal power. New York : Delacorte Press. Rogers, Carl R. (1980). A way of being. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. The Carl Rogers Website. (2006). About Carl Rogers. Saybrook Graduate School. Retrieved August 11, 2009 from http://www.carlrogers.info/index.html. Read More