310 Part III Humanistic/Existential Theories
people grew out of his general theory of therapy. In 1951, Rogers first briefly put
forward his “characteristics of the altered personality”; then he enlarged on the
concept of the fully functioning person in an unpublished paper (Rogers, 1953).
In 1959, his theory of the healthy personality was expounded in the Koch series,
and he returned to this topic frequently during the early 1960s (Rogers, 1961, 1962,
1963). Somewhat later, he described both the world of tomorrow and the person
of tomorrow (Rogers, 1980).
If the three necessary and sufficient therapeutic conditions of congruence,
unconditional positive regard, and empathy are optimal, then what kind of person
would emerge? Rogers (1961, 1962, 1980) listed several possible characteristics.
First, psychologically healthy people would be more adaptable. Thus, from an
evolutionary viewpoint, they would be more likely to survive—hence the title “persons
of tomorrow.” They would not merely adjust to a static environment but would realize
that conformity and adjustment to a fixed condition have little long-term survival value.
Second, persons of tomorrow would be open to their experiences, accurately
symbolizing them in awareness rather than denying or distorting them. This simple
statement is pregnant with meaning. For people who are open to experience, all
stimuli, whether stemming from within the organism or from the external environ-
ment, are freely received by the self. Persons of tomorrow would listen to them-
selves and hear their joy, anger, discouragement, fear, and tenderness.
A related characteristic of persons of tomorrow would be a trust in their
organismic selves. These fully functioning people would not depend on others for
guidance because they would realize that their own experiences are the best crite-
ria for making choices; they would do what feels right for them because they would
trust their own inner feelings more than the pontifications of parents or the rigid
rules of society. However, they would also perceive clearly the rights and feelings
of other people, which they would take into consideration when making decisions.
A third characteristic of persons of tomorrow would be a tendency to live
fully in the moment. Because these people would be open to their experiences, they
would experience a constant state of fluidity and change. What they experience in
each moment would be new and unique, something never before experienced by
their evolving self. They would see each experience with a new freshness and
appreciate it fully in the present moment. Rogers (1961) referred to this tendency
to live in the moment as existential living. Persons of tomorrow would have no
need to deceive themselves and no reason to impress others. They would be young
in mind and spirit, with no preconceptions about how the world should be. They
would discover what an experience means to them by living that experience with-
out the prejudice of prior expectations.
Fourth, persons of tomorrow would remain confident of their own ability
to experience harmonious relations with others. They would feel no need to be
liked or loved by everyone, because they would know that they are uncondition-
ally prized and accepted by someone. They would seek intimacy with another
person who is probably equally healthy, and such a relationship itself would
contribute to the continual growth of each partner. Persons of tomorrow would
be authentic in their relations with others. They would be what they appear to
be, without deceit or fraud, without defenses and facades, without hypocrisy and
sham. They would care about others, but in a nonjudgmental manner. They