Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory of Personality

Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory of Personality

Historical Overview

• Development of Humanistic Theory: It emerged in the 1950s as a response to behaviorism and psychoanalysis. It includes relevant historical events, e.g., the post-war focus on human potential and growth.
• Influential Events: The emphasis on personal growth, autonomy, and self-actualization in the context of post-World War II societal shifts (Joseph, 2021).

Historical Development

• Influence of Prevailing Theories: Developed in opposition to Freud’s psychoanalysis and behaviorism’s deterministic views. Rogers emphasized free will and self-determination (Maurer & Daukantaitė, 2020).
• Relation to Earlier Theories: Rogers’ theory contrasted with the deterministic views of Freud and Skinner, focusing instead on the individual’s subjective experience and potential for self-actualization.

Key Theorist

• Biographical Background: Born in 1902, Carl Rogers was influenced by his background in agriculture and his work as a clinical psychologist (Fierro, 2021).
• Key Influences: Personal experiences and interactions with clients in therapy led to the development of his person-centered approach (Yao & Kabir, 2023).

Key Concepts

• Unconditional Positive Regard: Central to Rogers’ approach, where therapists offer acceptance without conditions (Joseph, 2021).
• Self-Actualization: The innate drive towards personal growth and fulfillment.
• Organismic Valuing Process: The natural inclination to evaluate experiences based on their contribution to personal growth (Maurer & Daukantaitė, 2020).

How the Theory is Used Today

• Contemporary Application: Still widely used in counseling, emphasizing empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard.
• Key Differences from Initial Application: Modern adaptations include integration with positive psychology and multicultural contexts (Joseph, 2021).

References

Fierro, C. (2021). “A backdrop for psychotherapy”: Carl R. Rogers, psychological testing, and the psycho-educational clinic at Columbia University’s Teachers College (1924–1935). History of Psychology, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.1037/hop0000201

Joseph, S. (2021). How Humanistic Is Positive Psychology? Lessons in Positive Psychology From Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Approach—It’s the Social Environment That Must Change. Frontiers in Psychology, 12 (709789), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.709789

Maurer, M. M., & Daukantaitė, D. (2020). Revisiting the organismic valuing process theory of personal growth: A theoretical review of Rogers and its connection to positive psychology. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(1706). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01706

Yao, L., & Kabir, R. (2023, February 9). Person-centered therapy (Rogerian therapy). PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589708/

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Overview

The final project for this course is focused on one specific personality theory (or set of theories) for which you will demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, provide a nuanced, critical analysis of the subject matter, and illustrate the theory’s relevance in the field today. This will be accomplished by producing a theoretical analysis which will include a detailed description of the theories’ major concepts, the key theorists, and the published research regarding the theory. You will provide a critical analysis of the validity of the theory, its strengths and weaknesses, and the cultural utility of the theory. Finally, you will consider the theory’s contemporary relevance and its place within the larger context of the field of personality psychology by proposing an application of the theory to a contemporary issue or phenomenon and discussing the possible future development of this theory.

The project will be developed over the length of the course as you will submit three outlines for feedback before completing the final draft. The outlines will be due in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final product will be submitted in Module Nine.

Refer to the Project Topics document (linked in the project review task in Module One) for a list of approved theories for this project.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

• Evaluate the use of personality theories in published research for validity and contemporary relevance
• Analyze contemporary theories in personality psychology for their changing roles in the field over time
• Defend the use of personality psychology theories by assessing them against alternative theoretical perspectives
• Illustrate the applicability of theories in personality psychology to contemporary issues and different cultural perspectives
• Formulate conclusions on the contemporary use of theories in personality psychology based on theoretical analysis

Prompt

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Background and Basics of the Theory
   1. Provide a historical overview of your selected theory, including relevant historical events that influenced the theory.
   2. Analyze the historical development of the theory based on when and where it was developed. Consider what the prevailing theories of the time were. How does this theory relate to the earlier theories?
   3. Identify the key theorist (theorists) associated with this theory. Provide the relevant biographical information and historical events that may have influenced the theorist’s work and led to the development of the theory.
   4. Articulate the key concepts of this theory as conceived by the key theorist(s). Support your response with relevant research. Be sure to include primary sources and noteworthy or historically relevant research.
   5. Discuss how the theory is used today, identifying key differences from its initial application. What key concepts in the theory have changed over time, and how has the theory’s role changed?
2. Evaluation and Comparison
   1. Develop a position statement regarding your theory’s continued relevance in personality psychology today. Your statement must be supported with logical rationale.
   2. Evaluate the validity and accuracy of your theory. Consider both primary and secondary resources and cite specific examples from the research to support your evaluation. Include both historical and current research in your evaluation and consider the differences where applicable
   3. Determine the theory’s appropriateness for a range of cultural perspectives in its contemporary use. Be sure to cite relevant research. How well does this theory make testable predictions about human behavior across a range of cultural perspectives, including those of special populations? Give specific examples from the research where possible.
   4. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the theory. Support your claims with research-based evidence.
   5. Based on the weaknesses you discover, choose two alternative personality theories to discuss. Be sure to explain how these alternative theories challenge the validity, weaknesses, or biases of your theory.
   6. Defend the usefulness of your theory in contemporary settings against the alternative theories and the challenges you just presented.
3. Application and Conclusion
   1. Discuss the contemporary relevance of how your theory is used in the larger context of the field of personality psychology. Utilize current (within the last five years) research.
   2. Apply your theory in explaining a real-world problem or phenomenon.
      1. How would your key theorist(s) understand this problem in terms of its root cause and primary characteristics?
      2. Assess published contemporary research for solutions with the potential to address this problem or phenomenon. Does the contemporary use of your theory provide viable approaches to this problem? What are they?
      3. Explain how this application of your theory demonstrates the theory’s contemporary relevance and potential to advance knowledge within the field of personality psychology.
   3. Summarize the changing use of your theory over time, including how its use compares with other theories in personality psychology.
   4. Consider the future relevance of this theory within the field of personality psychology. How might it develop in order to remain relevant? Be specific about aspects of the theory that are most or least likely to contribute to the future relevance of the theory.

Milestones

Milestone One: Background and Basics of Theory
In Module Three, you will submit an outline of the Background and Basics of Theory section of the final project. This will include the historical overview of the theory, information about the key theorist(s) associated with the theory, and an introduction to the key concepts of the theory. Furthermore, the way the theory is used today will also be discussed. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric

*** MY THEORY IS Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory of Personality**

READING RESOURCES: The Personality Puzzle, Chapter 10

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