Carl Rogers was a clinical psychologist who believed in the concepts of congruence, empathic understanding, acceptance, and unconditioned positive regard when working with clients.
Rogers claimed that a self-actualized, fully functioning person had seven key traits:
- Openness to experience and an abandonment of defensiveness.
- An existential lifestyle that emphasizes living in the moment without distorting it.
- Trust in oneself.
- The ability to freely make choices. Fully functioning people take responsibility for their own choices and are highly self-directed.
- A life of creativity and adaptation, including an abandonment of conformity.
- The ability to behave reliably and make constructive choices.
- A full, rich life that involves the full spectrum of human emotions.
More on Dr. Carl Rogers: https://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/carl-rogers.html
Michael Hawkins, MA, LPC is a licensed professional counselor at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH). With almost 25 years of experience as a counselor, he works with clinicians, students, staff, and clients—compassionately attending to the human needs that arise in the practice of veterinary medicine. Counselor’s Corner is a blog devoted to that purpose. BACK TO BLOG
