The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change by Rogers

The focus of his theory is an innately positive nature of humans. Rodgers states that a human possesses vast resources for self-actualization, self-understanding, for altering his self-concept, behavior and attitudes. He adds that it is necessary for a person to experience non-directive attitudes of congruence, positive regard and empathic understanding during therapy process (Rodgers, 1957). These are the main ideas of Rogers' client-centered theory. But what is very important is that Rodgers’ theory can be successfully implemented not only for the therapy process but also for many other types of human’s relationships. In particular, come values from Rodgers’ theory can be relevant to marriage and other intimate relations.   

One of the principles of the Rodgers’ theory is “fully functioning person” (Rodgers, 1961), a person who is open to the environment, trusts himself, can maintain harmonic relations with people and as a result can express his feelings, emotions, thoughts freely and act independently. This value also influences marriage life. Such a person is able to express any feelings openly to the members of the family; he can show his true face and be more sincere. This makes marriage life more intimate and trusting, because a person does not conceal his inner world from others as well as from himself. It allows all members of the family to be true to themselves and to demonstrate their strong, enduring emotional attitude to others and not to store them unless they burst in the most inadequate situation.  

Rodgers introduces such notion as “congruence” that means the correlation between self and experience. It can be implemented in marriage life or other human relations, because allows a person to build his personal relations with people on the base of mutual and true feelings and to avoid any defense reactions. According to Rodgers’ theory this happens, because that is a person’s nature to understand himself, to accept his own feelings and as a result to express his feelings as his own but not as a statement of fact. A person starts to understand what another feels and why they feel this or that. In such a way mutual understanding starts to apply to interpersonal interaction.  

One of important values of Rodgers’s theory is a person’ self-understanding, self-realization and adequate self-concept. In human relations this value provides good, strong, two-way communication. When a person understands well his inner world, listens to his feelings and desires, he becomes able to understand others as well. He can look at other’s life through the eyes of other and tries to create the atmosphere of understanding, trust and free expression of feelings.

As it was said above, Rodgers declares that the main tendency of humans is self-actualization that includes person’s desire to be himself. As a result marriage becomes a unity of separate and unique individuals with their individual goals and values who are connected with true feelings and mutual understanding. This happens, because when a person trusts himself, his feelings and does not put pressure on others, he starts trusting others and accepting their feelings.

My own ethical beliefs compare perfectly with the implications of Rodgers’ values, because I strongly believe that only free, self-actualized, all-sufficient, true to himself person is able to create harmonic, genuine interpersonal relationships with other people. I completely agree with Rodgers’ point of view about the fact that if a person is true to himself, he can find satisfaction in genuine family relations that contributes each member to grow, develop, expand, and realize their capacities. I also agree that a fully functioning person should be open to the external world, should trust himself and express freely his feelings.

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