On Becoming a Person

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People are just as wonderful as sunsets if I can let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a little on the right hand corner, and put a bit more purple along the base, and use a little more pink in the cloud color." I don't do that. I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch it with awe as it unfolds. Carl Rogers

Maslow might be speaking of clients I have known when he says, “self-actualized people have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy, however stale these experiences may be for other people.” (4, p. 214)” Another study on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) showed that those who offered other MS patients peer support actually experienced greater benefits than their supported peers, including more pronounced improvement of confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, depression, and daily functioning. Those who offered support generally found that their lives were dramatically changed for the better.

Among the achievements of full reception in PCA is the person’s realization that they can have nuanced feelings, even opposing feelings, at the same time. Rogers speaks of this aspect as finding a realism in constructing differentiated experiences and having ownership one’s visceral and psychological feelings with increased internal communication, yet emphasises the realistic balancing that is eventually reached is unique for the individual. This is the potentiality of the human organism. Rogers himself never set out to prove the causality of this formula this but did openly lend the formulate to be incorporated by researcher in their own study. The values attached to experiences, and the values that are a part of the self-structure, in some instances, are values experienced directly by the organism, and in some instances are values introjected or taken over from others, but perceived in distorted fashion, as if they had been experienced directly. Studies show that altruism is good for your emotional well-being and can measurably enhance your peace of mind. As experiences occur in the life of the individual, they are either (a) symbolized, perceived and organized into some relation to the self, (b) ignored because there is no perceived relationship to the self structure, or (c) denied symbolization or given distorted symbolization because the experience is inconsistent with the structure of the self.

Rogers, Carl R, Lyon, Harold C., Tausch, Reinhard: (2013) On Becoming an Effective Teacher—Person-centered Teaching, Psychology, Philosophy, and Dialogues with Carl R. Rogers and Harold Lyon. London: Routledge Stein, Arthur (1985). Seeds of the Seventies: Values, Work, and Commitment in Post-Vietnam America. University Press of New England, p. 136 (on Rogers as "founding sponsor" of the Alliance's newsletter) and pp. 134–139 (on the Alliance generally). ISBN 978-0-87451-343-1. Kirschenbaum, Howard (1979). On Becoming Carl Rogers. Delacorte Press. pp.92–93. ISBN 978-0-440-06707-8.In some instances, behavior may be brought about by organic experiences and needs that have not been symbolized. Such behavior may be inconsistent with the structure of the self, but in such instances the individual does not "own" the behavior. Our relationships can create a haven from stress, and help us to become better people at the same time. They can also be a significant source of stress when thereisconflict that is resolved poorly or left to fester. The beauty of this is that as we do the work it takes to become a better friend, partner, and family member, it can also be a path to becoming a better person. Rogers formulated the hypothesis that the capacity for change and development in the client can only happen within a relationship based on conditions that the therapist can provide.

The structure and organization of self appears to become more rigid under threats and to relax its boundaries when completely free from threat" (Rogers, 1951). If students believe that concepts are being forced upon them, they might become uncomfortable and fearful. A barrier is created by a tone of threat in the classroom. Therefore, an open, friendly environment in which trust is developed is essential in the classroom. Fear of retribution for not agreeing with a concept should be eliminated. A supportive classroom tone helps to alleviate fears and encourages students to have the courage to explore concepts and beliefs that vary from those they bring to the classroom. Also, new information might threaten the student's concept of themself; therefore, the less vulnerable the student feels, the more likely they will be able to open up to the learning process.Without careful discretion, these chapters may be interpreted as a capitulation that the undesirable nature of man must mean that growth is a futile endeavour. Rogers tenets or therapeutic effectiveness is stronger in their instrumentality for the theory and its application to practice but is weaker as a principled philosophy. I believe it will have become evident why, for me, adjectives such as happy, contented, blissful, enjoyable, do not seem quite appropriate to any general description of this process I have called the good life, even though the person in this process would experience each one of these at the appropriate times. But adjectives which seem more generally fitting are adjectives such as enriching, exciting, rewarding, challenging, meaningful. This process of the good life is not, I am convinced, a life for the faint-fainthearted. It involves the stretching and growing of becoming more and more of one's potentialities. It involves the courage to be. It means launching oneself fully into the stream of life. Yet the deeply exciting thing about human beings is that when the individual is inwardly free, he chooses as the good life this process of becoming.” Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. Post SG. Altruism, happiness, and health: It's good to be good. Int J Behav Med. 2005;12(2):66-77. doi:10.1207/s15327558ijbm1202_4 This process of the good life is not, I am convinced, a life for the faint-hearted. It involves the stretching and growing of becoming more and more of one's potentialities. It involves the courage to be. It means launching oneself fully into the stream of life. (Rogers 1961) [26]