Chapter 10 Rogers: Person-Centered Theory 307Process
If the conditions of therapist congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empa-
thy are present, then the process of therapeutic change will be set in motion.
Although each person seeking psychotherapy is unique, Rogers (1959) believed
that a certain lawfulness characterizes the process of therapy.
Stages of Therapeutic Change
The process of constructive personality change can be placed on a continuum from
most defensive to most integrated. Rogers (1961) arbitrarily divided this continuum
into seven stages.
Stage 1 is characterized by an unwillingness to communicate anything about
oneself. People at this stage ordinarily do not seek help, but if for some reason
they come to therapy, they are extremely rigid and resistant to change. They do
not recognize any problems and refuse to own any personal feelings or emotions.
In Stage 2, clients become slightly less rigid. They discuss external events
and other people, but they still disown or fail to recognize their own feelings.
However, they may talk about personal feelings as if such feelings were objective
phenomena.
As clients enter into Stage 3, they more freely talk about self, although still
as an object. “I’m doing the best I can at work, but my boss still doesn’t like me.”
Clients talk about feelings and emotions in the past or future tense and avoid pres-
ent feelings. They refuse to accept their emotions, keep personal feelings at a
distance from the here-and-now situation, only vaguely perceive that they can make
personal choices, and deny individual responsibility for most of their decisions.
Clients in Stage 4 begin to talk of deep feelings but not ones presently felt.
“I was really burned up when my teacher accused me of cheating.” When clients
do express present feelings, they are usually surprised by this expression. They
deny or distort experiences, although they may have some dim recognition that
they are capable of feeling emotions in the present. They begin to question some
values that have been introjected from others, and they start to see the incongru-
ence between their perceived self and their organismic experience. They accept
more freedom and responsibility than they did in Stage 3 and begin to tentatively
allow themselves to become involved in a relationship with the therapist.
By the time clients reach Stage 5, they have begun to undergo significant
change and growth. They can express feelings in the present, although they have
not yet accurately symbolized those feelings. They are beginning to rely on an
internal locus of evaluation for their feelings and to make fresh and new discover-
ies about themselves. They also experience a greater differentiation of feelings and
develop more appreciation for nuances among them. In addition, they begin to
make their own decisions and to accept responsibility for their choices.
People at Stage 6 experience dramatic growth and an irreversible movement
toward becoming fully functioning or self-actualizing. They freely allow into aware-
ness those experiences that they had previously denied or distorted. They become
more congruent and are able to match their present experiences with awareness and
with open expression. They no longer evaluate their own behavior from an external
viewpoint but rely on their organismic self as the criterion for evaluating experiences.