The most influential humanistic approach in client centered therapy developed by Carl Rogers. Rogers strongly rejected Freud’s view that mental disorders stem from conflicts over the expression of primitive instinctive urges. On the contrary, he argued such problems arise mainly because clients efforts to attain self-actualization, growth and development are thwarted early in life by judgments and ideas imposed by other people.
According to Rogers, these judgments lead individuals to acquire what he terms unrealistic condition of worth. That is they learn that they must be something other than what they really are, in order to be loved and accepted to be worthwhile as a person.
It focuses on eliminating such unrealistic conditions of worth through evaluation of a psychological climate in which clients feel valued as persons. Client centered therapists often show unconditional positive regard or unconditional acceptance, of the client and his or her feelings, a high level of empathetic understanding and accurate reflection of the clients feelings and perception. In this warm, caring environment, freed from threat of rejection, individuals can come to understand their own feelings and accept even previously unwanted aspects of their own personalities.
As a result, they come to see themselves as unique human beings with many desirable characteristics. To an extent, such changes occur, Rogers suggests, many mental disorders disappear and individuals can resume their normal progress towards self-fulfillment.
