A Little About the Life of Carl Rogers

Carl Rogers’ own life reflects one of the most well-known principles of his theory: actualization and that continuous effort to realize ourselves, to gradually find what defines us in an ongoing search to achieve our goals. He himself, surprisingly enough, began directing his career toward a field very different from psychology: agricultural science.

Later, he became interested in the study of religions, both Eastern and Western. Then he graduated in history and theology but subsequently was drawn to the world of educational psychology and the complex process through which we become who we are.

It was then that he encountered the theories of one of his personal heroes, John Dewey, who taught him that education should not be based solely on an intellectual process but also on an openness to experience.

The term client

In Carl Rogers’ humanistic psychology, the term “client” appeared for the first time for a very clear reason: to emphasize the equal relationship with the therapist (unlike psychoanalysis).

He wanted to demonstrate absolute trust in the human being in their positive transformation, in their ability to find strengths, break down defense mechanisms, and shape that vital drive through which they realize themselves.

Thus, he was also influenced by existentialism, began publishing books, studies, and papers until he obtained a chair in clinical psychology. It did not take long for him to become the cornerstone of humanistic psychology thanks to his client-centered therapy.

For him, the figure of the “patient” as a passive being was left behind; now there was someone capable of becoming an expert in their own personal journey and growth.

El lema de este Foro es Buscando la paz en e Mundo.