The Personality Theory proposed by Carl Rogers

What is the personality theory developed by the humanistic psychologist Rogers?

Humanistic psychology is one of the most important currents of thought in psychology. From it, people like Abraham Maslow (with his popular Maslow's Pyramid) or Rollo May defended a positive vision of the human being, according to which we are all capable of becoming the kind of people we want to be.

The personality theory of Carl Rogers is an example of this vital optimism brought to psychology and philosophy. Let us see what this theory consists of.

The person, according to humanism

Certain currents in psychology have been associated with a pessimistic view of the human being. For example, Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis presents an explanation of the psyche in which unconscious desires and their clash with social norms govern our behavior, and American behaviorism has been accused of presenting people as machines reacting to external stimuli.

However, humanistic psychologists such as Carl Rogers proposed some ideas about mental processes in which the freedom of individuals is emphasized. emphasizes the freedom of individuals to take the direction of their lives.. According to them, neither Biological nor environmental factors are determinants of our behavior, and do not "drag" us irremediably towards certain types of behavior. In short, they were not determinists.

Specifically, Carl Rogers believed that each person's personality develops according to the way in which he or she manages to move toward (or away from) his or her life goals, his or her goals.his or her goals.

This idea that personal development and the way in which the individual strives to become the way he or she wants to be is a central idea of humanistic psychology, but for Carl Rogers it has special importance, because for him it is through personal development that character and the way of being are formed.

Carl Rogers and the highly functional personality theory

Carl Rogers proposes the idea that the personality of each individual can be analyzed according to the way in which he approaches or moves away from a way of being and living life, which he labels as a highly functional person.

Highly functional people are characterized by being in a constant process of self-actualization, i.e., search for an almost perfect fit with life goals and objectives. This process of personal development is in the present, so it is always in operation. Thus, the personality of highly functional people is, for Carl Rogers, a framework in which flows in real time a way of living life that constantly adapts to circumstances, a framework in which flows in real time a way of living life that is constantly adapting to the circumstances..

What does the highly functional person look like?

According to Carl Rogers, the personality traits that define highly functional people are defined according to the following five characteristics.

Openness to experience

The personality of the highly functional person is, according to Carl Rogers, very open to experience, in a broad sense. They do not adopt a defensive attitude by default in the face of the unknown, but prefer to explore new possibilities. That is why this type of personality is defined by the acceptance of the emotions associated with what is being livedThe non-avoidance of "negative emotions" and the adoption of receptive attitudes to situations that are not clearly dangerous.

2. Existential lifestyle

This characteristic has to do with the tendency to assume that it is oneself who has to give meaning to the experiences that are lived in each moment, through a process of meaning creation.through a process of creating meaning. In this way, the way of living day by day is allowed to be spontaneous, creative, without trying to force everything that is perceived to fit into preconceived schemes. The lifestyle associated with this type of personality, for Carl Rogers, is characterized by avoiding the tendency to prejudge.

The present is not analyzed as something to be fully explained by past experiences, but is lived fully.

3. Self-confidence

For Carl Rogers, the fact of embracing a free way of living life entails trusting one's own criteria and one's own way of making decisions above any other reference. The idea is that, since no one knows better than oneself the way one lives one's life, one does not tend to rely on externally imposed codes of behavior, one does not tend to rely on externally imposed codes of behavior..

4. Creativity

The fact that Carl Rogers' highly functional people are enemies of dogmas and conventions makes them look beyond what is considered "normal". This provides the necessary basis for them to develop their creativity.

5. Freedom of choice

The creative and innovative way of being of the highly functional personality theorized by Carl Rogers makes these people capable of finding new options. these people are able to find new behavioral options where there are apparently only a few.. This defines the nonconformist character of this type of personality, which is capable of resolving paradoxes in which there is an apparent contradiction between the options that a priori seem available.

6. Constructive character

This personality type shows a great facility to respond to all needs in a balanced way, so that crises are used as opportunities to build new opportunities and find ways to reach levels of well-being.This personality type shows a great facility to respond to all needs in a balanced way, so that crises are used as opportunities to build new opportunities and find ways to reach levels of well-being.

7. Personal Development

Personal development is the lifeblood of highly functional people.. It is experienced as a process of constant change, never reaching a definitive end goal but moving from one stage to another.

Criticisms and observations on Rogers' theory

The characteristics and definitions that Carl Rogers uses to define highly functional persons are very abstract and highly ambiguous, since sticking to very rigid concepts would go against his idea that a personality based on self-actualization and personal development constantly flows and escapes conventions.

However, this has also earned him a lot of criticism: after all, virtually everyone can identify with the traits attributed to highly functional people, virtually everyone can identify with the traits attributed to highly functional people, following the logic of the Forer effect.following the logic of the Forer effect.

Only each person is able to judge to what extent it is useful or inspiring to have these characteristics as a reference.