Carl Ransom Rogers (1902-1987) - ten years after his decease

Abstract

On the occasion of Carl Rogers decease ten years ago two historical articles by Rogers are presented, both became relevant in the field of psychotherapy research. In the first article (The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change) Rogers developed six conditions considered as necessary and sufficient in order to facilitate therapeutic personality change. These conditions are: psychological contact, the client’s incongruence (vulnerability), therapists congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding by the therapist, communication of positive regard and empathic understanding to the client (respectively receptivity by the client). The second article Rogers described distinct steps in the course of a therapeutic process. Each of these steps have will have been fulfilled in order to facilitate affective therapies: establishing of rapport, free expression of feeling by the client, recognition and acceptance of his or her spontaneous self by the client, making of responsible choices, gaining of insight, growing into independence.

Keywords:
Psychotherapy, personality change, therapist-client-relationsship, process of therapy.