On becoming a person

Description

In the few years since it was first published, this study of personal growth and creativity by one of America’s most distinguished psychologists has established itself as a classic work, one that challenges many concepts and attitudes of traditional psychology, and poses such fundamental questions as: What is the meaning of personal growth? Under what conditions is growth possible? How can one person help another? What is creativity and how can it be fostered? Contemporary psychology derives largely from the experimental laboratory or from Freudian theory. It is thus largely preoccupied with minute aspects of animal and human behavior, or with the mentally ill. Dr. Rogers believes that psychology and psychiatry should set their sights higher, and be more concerned with growth and the potential in man. It is to this end that Dr. Rogers’ famous “ client-centered therapy” is directed. The focus of this therapy is not on methodology, but on the person as an individual, with all his various qualities and possibilities infinitely capable of development. This philosophical and provocative book is a summing up of Dr. Rogers mature experience in psychotherapy, it is an indispensable introduction to the process of becoming, intended not only for. psychologists and psychiatrists, but for all who are interested in human personality and growth. Cover......Page 1 On Becoming a Person: A Therapists View of Psychotherapy......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Contents......Page 4 To the Reader......Page 7 PART I: Speaking Personally......Page 12 Chapter 1 “This is Me” The Development of My Professional Thinking and Personal Philosophy......Page 14 My Early Years......Page 16 College and Graduate Education......Page 17 Becoming a Psychologist......Page 19 The Rochester Years......Page 21 My Children......Page 23 Ohio State Years......Page 24 Recent Years......Page 25 Some Significant Learnings......Page 26 PART II: How Can I Be of Help?......Page 40 Chapter 2 Some Hypotheses Regarding the Facilitation of Personal Growth......Page 42 A General Hypothesis......Page 43 The Relationship......Page 44 The Motivation for Change......Page 46 Conclusion......Page 48 Chapter 3 The Characteristics of a Helping Relationship......Page 50 Studies of Attitudes......Page 52 Two Recent Studies......Page 57 Some Comments......Page 60 Conclusion......Page 67 References......Page 68 Chapter 4 What We Know About Psychotherapy — Objectively and Subjectively......Page 70 Objective Knowledge......Page 71 The Dynamics of Change......Page 74 The Process......Page 75 The Results of Therapy......Page 76 The Therapist’s Experience......Page 77 The Client’s Experience......Page 78 PART III: The Process of Becoming a Person......Page 82 Chapter 5 Some of the Directions Evident in Therapy......Page 84 The Experiencing of the Potential Self......Page 87 The Full Experiencing of an Affectional Relationship......Page 91 The Liking of One’s Self......Page 98 Being One’s Organism, One’s Experience......Page 114 References......Page 117 Chapter 6 What It Means to Become a Person......Page 118 Getting Behind the Mask......Page 119 The Experiencing of Feeling......Page 122 The Discovery of Self in Experience......Page 124 Openness to Experience......Page 126 Trust in One’s Organism......Page 129 An Internal Locus of Evaluation......Page 130 Willingness to be a Process......Page 133 Conclusion......Page 134 Chapter 7 A Process Conception of Psychotherapy......Page 136 The Puzzle of Process......Page 137 A Rejected Method......Page 138 The Mode of Approach......Page 139 The Difficulties and Excitement of the Search......Page 140 A Basic Condition......Page 141 The Emerging Continuum......Page 142 First Stage......Page 143 Second Stage of Process......Page 144 Stage Three......Page 146 Stage Four......Page 148 The Fifth Stage......Page 150 Examples of Process in One Area......Page 154 The Sixth Stage......Page 156 Summary......Page 167 References......Page 169 PART IV: A Philosophy of Person......Page 172 Chapter 8 "To Be That Self Which One Truly Is": A Therapist’s View of Personal Goals......Page 174 Some Answers......Page 175 Another View......Page 177 Away From Facades......Page 178 Away From “Oughts”......Page 179 Away From Meeting Expectations......Page 180 Toward Self-Direction......Page 181 Toward Being Process......Page 182 Toward Being Complexity......Page 183 Toward Openness to Experience......Page 184 Toward Acceptance of Others......Page 185 The General Direction......Page 186 Does It Imply Fixity?......Page 187 Dons It Imply Being Evil?......Page 188 Social Implications......Page 189 Summary......Page 191 References......Page 193 Chapter 9 A Therapist’s View of the Good Life: The Fully Functioning Person......Page 194 A Negative Observation......Page 196 A Positive Observation......Page 197 An Increasing Openness to Experience......Page 198 Increasingly Existential Living......Page 199 An Increasing Trust in His Organism......Page 200 The Process of Functioning More Fully......Page 202 A New Perspective on Freedom vs Determinism......Page 203 Creativity as an Element of the Good Life......Page 204 Basic Trustworthiness of Human Nature......Page 205 The Greater Richness of Life......Page 206 PART V: Getting at the Facts: The Place of Research in Psychotherapy......Page 208 Chapter 10 Persons or Science? A Philosophical Question......Page 210 Introduction......Page 211 The Essence of Therapy in Terms of its Experience......Page 212 The Essence of Therapy in Terms of Science......Page 216 The Scientist’s Questions......Page 220 The Questions of the Experientialist......Page 222 A Changed View of Science......Page 226 Tiik Creative Phase......Page 227 Checking with Reality......Page 228 The Findings......Page 229 Communication of Scientific Findings......Page 230 Communication to Whom?......Page 231 The Use of Science......Page 232 A New Integration......Page 233 Chapter 11 Personality Change in Psychotherapy......Page 236 The Criteria for the Research......Page 238 The Design of the Research......Page 240 The Measurement of Changes in the Self......Page 243 Summary and Conclusion......Page 251 References......Page 253 Chapter 12 Client-Centered Therapy in its Context of Research......Page 254 The Stimulation of Research......Page 255 The Early Period of Research......Page 258 The Locus of Evaluation......Page 259 The Relation of Autonomic Function to Therapy......Page 262 Client Response to Differing Techniques......Page 264 A Study of the Self-Concept......Page 267 Does Psychotherapy Bring Change in Everyday Behavior?......Page 269 The Quality of the Therapeutic Relationship as Related to Movement in Therapy......Page 274 Some Current Research......Page 277 The Meaning of Research for the Future......Page 279 References......Page 280 PART VI: What Are the Implications for Living?......Page 282 Chapter 13 Personal Thoughts on Teaching and Learning......Page 284 Chapter 14 Significant Learning: In Therapy and in Education......Page 290 Significant Learning in Psychotherapy......Page 291 The Conditions of Learning in Psychotherphy......Page 292 Congruence......Page 293 Unconditional Positive Regard......Page 294 The Process of Learning in Therapy......Page 295 The Mainspring of Change......Page 296 Contact with Problems......Page 297 Acceptance and Understanding......Page 298 Provision of Resources......Page 299 The Basic xMotive......Page 300 Some Omissions......Page 301 Probable Outcomes......Page 302 Some Concluding Issues......Page 303 References......Page 306 Chapter 15 Student-Centered Teaching as Experienced by a Participant......Page 308 Carl R. Rogers and Non-Directive Teaching......Page 310 Unstructured Approach......Page 311 Encouraging Thinking......Page 313 Importance of Acceptance......Page 316 A New Methodology......Page 319 A Personal Teaching Experience......Page 321 Chapter 16 The Implications of Client-centered Therapy for Family Life......Page 325 More Expressive of Feeling......Page 326 Relationships Can Be Lived on a Real Basis......Page 329 Improvement in Two-Way Communication......Page 334 Willingness for Another to be Sfparate......Page 336 The General Picture......Page 338 Chapter 17 Dealing with Breakdowns in Communication — Interpersonal and Intergroup......Page 340 Chapter 18 A Tentative Formulation of a General Law of Interpersonal Relationships......Page 349 The Concept of Congruence......Page 350 Relating Congruence to Communication in Interpersonal Relationships......Page 353 A Tentative Statement of a General Law......Page 355 The Existential Choice......Page 356 References......Page 357 Chapter 19 Toward a Theory of Creativity......Page 358 The Social Need......Page 359 Tiie Creative Process......Page 360 The Motivation for Creativity......Page 361 The Inner Conditions of Constructive Creativity......Page 364 The Creative Act and Its Concomitants......Page 366 Conditions Fostering Constructive Creativity......Page 367 Conclusion......Page 370 PART VII: The Behavioral Sciences and the Person......Page 372 Chapter 20 The Growing Power of the Behavioral Sciences......Page 374 The “Know-How” ok the Behavioral Sciences......Page 376 Prediction of Behaviors......Page 377 Conditions Followed by Specified Behaviors in Groups......Page 381 Conditions Which Produce Specified Effects in Individuals......Page 383 Conditions Which Produce Specified Effects in Animals......Page 387 The Questions......Page 391 References......Page 392 Deny and Ignore......Page 395 The Formulation of Human Life in Terms of Science......Page 396 Steps in the Process......Page 398 The Picture and It’s Implications......Page 400 A Personal Reaction......Page 401 Ends and Values in Relation to Science......Page 402 An Alternative Set of Values......Page 406 A Small Example......Page 407 A Possible Concept of the Control of Human Behavior......Page 409 The Choice......Page 410 References......Page 412 Appendix: A Chronological Bibliography of the publications of Carl R. Rogers. 1930-1960......Page 414 Acknoledgments......Page 424 Index......Page 426