Carl Rogers' phenomenological theory

Each person has their own unique way of capturing reality, to think and process what happens to us and to act according to our perceptions, previous experiences, beliefs and values. In other words, each human being has his own personality.

This construct has been studied from very different theories and points of view, as well as those problems and disorders that they derive from a lack of coordination and adequacy between personality characteristics and life events everyday. One of them is the phenomenological theory of Carl Rogers, focused on the formation of the ego and personality and the adaptation of these, oriented towards clinical practice.

• Related article: "The Personality Theory proposed by Carl Rogers"

Rogers' phenomenological theory

Carl Rogers was a psychologist of great importance on the History of Psychology, being recognized for being one of the greatest exponents of the humanistic psychology and for his contribution to the practice of psychotherapy with innovations such as client-centered therapy. Much of his contributions are due to his vision of how the human being integrates reality to form your own self. And this aspect is specially worked on in the so-called phenomenological theory of Rogers.

This theory establishes that each person perceives the world and reality in a particular way from the experience and his interpretation of it, in such a way that he constructs his own reality from said elements. This interpretation of reality is what Rogers calls the phenomenological field. For Rogers, reality is the perception that each person has of it, since it is not possible to observe it in any other way than through the filter of our own mind.

Thus, the professional who intends to understand and treat another human being must start from the idea that in order to understand him, he will have to take into account not only what he does in a objective, but rather the subjective vision of the world that he possesses and that has led him to it, working with both elements at the same time from the link between professional and patient.

Rogers' phenomenological theory is thus based on the idea that behavior is mediated by internal elements, such as the tendency to update and evaluate experiences. The human being tries to find his place in the world, feeling self-realization with it and basing his conception on the personal growth.

The human being as an organism that is updated

Throughout life, human beings are continually exposed to a flow of situations that will force them to adapt in order to survive. The objective of this one is to find the own place in the world. To this end, we as an organism have the tendency to constantly update ourselves: we feel motivated to grow and expand continuously since this allows us on the one hand to survive and on the other to develop and get achieve autonomy and meet objectives.

Likewise, we learn to evaluate situations positively or negatively depending on whether they allow us such updating, getting closer to the elements that allow us to satisfy ourselves and moving away from those that hinder. We are learning to visualize reality in a certain way and this vision will mark our interaction with the environment.

This trend is present from birth, trying to coordinate this development with our being to form a more or less stable I over time, something that will mark our identity and our personality.

Self-concept and the need for acceptance and self-esteem

Phenomenological theory focuses primarily on the behavior and personality change processes throughout life. An important concept is the selfconcept, which is understood as self-awareness and that serves as a model or frame of reference from which to perceives reality and to which the perceived experience is linked to grant, as well as ourselves, a value.

This self-concept is based on the organism, the totality of the person, both physically and mentally, and that serves as the basis for conscious and non-conscious experiences.

The self-concept is generated throughout the evolution and growth of the person, as they internalize and self-assign traits that they perceive from the actions of others and their effects. Based on these self-assigned traits forms a self image, gradually acquiring awareness of their individuality

The child's own performance provokes a reaction on the part of others, reactions that will become relevant throughout development as the need to feeling affection from others and be valued positively. Depending on the behavior is approved or otherwise punished, the person will learn to value himself in a way that will end by build self esteem.

Mental disorder

This self-esteem or emotional appreciation of the person it will make an ideal self to be sketched, what the subject would like to be, and try to achieve it. But our ideal I can be more or less close to our real I, which can trigger frustrations and a diminished self-esteem if an approximation to the first is not achieved. In the same way, if the situations we experience contradict our development, they are seen as a threat.

When self-concept and reality contradict each other, the human being tries to react through different reactions that allow the contradiction to be reduced. It is in this moment where pathological reactions may arise such as denial or dissociation, depending on whether the defensive reaction is disorganized, which can lead to the appearance of mental disorders by disintegrating the personality of the individual.

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In therapy

In therapy, Rogers believes that the professional must act from empathy and making use of intuition and bonding with the patient to come to understand his phenomenological field, so that he can help guide him in the acquisition of autonomy and his development.

It is important to bear in mind that for Rogers each person is responsible for himself, being the subject himself who is going to develop his development and carry out the process of change. The therapist is a guide or help, but you cannot make the change for him but help the person to find ways to be updated in the best possible way.

The role of the professional is therefore to guide and help make the subject see what motivates him or in what Direction is developed from the relationship with the patient, whom he must allow and help Express oneself. It is based on complete patient acceptance, without conditions, to achieve that it opens its phenomenological field and can make conscious and accept those experiences that contradict its self-concept. This is intended for the person to be able to reintegrate his personality and achieve positive development.

• Related article: "Self-acceptance: 5 psychological tips to achieve it"

Bibliographic references:

• Bermúdez, J. (2004). Personality Psychology. Theory and Research (Vols. I and II). Didactic Unit of the UNED. Madrid.

• Evans, R.I. (1987). The Artificers of Psychology and Psychoanalysis. Conversations with the Great Contemporary Psychologists. Mexico: FCE, pp. 267 and 254.

• Hernangómez, L. and Fernández, C. (2012). Personality and differential psychology. CEDE Preparation Manual PIR, 07. CEDE: Madrid.

• Martínez, J.C. (1998). The Personality Theory of Carl Rogers. Faculty of Psychology of the University of Colima.