Carl Rogers’ beliefs on self-acceptable being the catalyst of change offer a number of practical applications of theories of change to an individual’s life. In my personal interpretation of this concept, I believe the thesis message that the only change that is acceptable and sustainable is one that is guided by the values of the individual. Essentially, we are only able to facilitate positive change when we find our current identities to be good and worthwhile but equally capable of further development. It is almost more reflective of the growth of personality and character and not a total recreation of one’s identity to fit under strict and overly broad standards.
Rogers outlines a number of conditions that he believes to be vital to constructive personality change and can be related to his quote above. First, two people must be in psychological contact, the client and the therapist. Second, the client is in a state of vulnerability or anxiousness (Rogers, 2007). Third, the therapist is integrated into the relationship and experiences positive regard for the client unconditionally. Fourth, the therapist experiences understanding and empathy for the framework introduced by the client and attempts to communicate this to the client (Eager, 2010). Fifth, the communication of the understanding is achieved.
Essentially, the conditions proposed by Rogers create a dynamic in which the client outlines and establishes the values to which they wish to adhere to. As such, the change is driven by the client’s identity, not by a rigid structure for necessary change or a future state of being. In counseling applications, clients can be told that they are more likely to uphold sustainable change if they can address and accept their current self.
In theories and applications proposed by Rogers, there is a focus on strength as opposed to the approach which attempts to analyze an issue or limitation. This adheres to what can be found of his ideology through his work. This is because constructive personality change, as defined by Rogers, is inherently dependent on the strengths and values of a client and not their shortcomings (Raskin et al., 2019). The ability to prioritize values and positive traits illustrates to the client that their goal is actually to better contribute to these characteristics and in adhering to their values. However, this theory is not rejecting analyzing issues completely. It is likely that a balanced approach to both is necessary to observe positive and well-paced change.
In my opinion, strength-based models should be at the forefront of any counseling. This is because elevating present positive features and values provides the client with sustainable change that nurtures them in the process. An excessive focus on negative traits with the mindset that they must be fixed can cause the client distress and may contribute to poor and non-constructive change in the long run. However, issues in a client’s life cannot be completely ignored, especially in the case of clients experiencing serious detriments as a result of their condition. Even with the presence of issues, limitations, or negative traits, clients should be provided with resources and spaces to determine their current values and the ways in which they can better practice them in the future. Roger’s theory allows for a more sustainable method in which a client learns and practices in order to achieve positive change instead of being constantly observant to not act in a way that contributes to their issues or weaknesses.
References
Eager, E. (2010). Summary and evaluation of Carl Rogers’ necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. The Person-Centered Journal, 17(1-2), 108-117. Web.
Raskin, N. J., Rogers, C. R., &Witty, M. C. (2019). Client-centered therapy. In D. Wedding & R. J. Corsini (Eds.), Current psychotherapies (11th ed., pp. 101-156). Cengage.
Rogers, C. R. (2007). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 44(3), 240-248. Web.