Chapter 10 Rogers: Person-Centered Theory 311would seek meaning beyond themselves and would yearn for the spiritual life
and inner peace.
Fifth, persons of tomorrow would be more integrated, more whole, with no
artificial boundary between conscious processes and unconscious ones. Because they
would be able to accurately symbolize all their experiences in awareness, they would
see clearly the difference between what is and what should be; because they would use
their organismic feelings as criteria for evaluating their experiences, they would
bridge the gap between their real self and their ideal self; because they would have
no need to defend their self-importance, they would present no facades to other
people; and because they would have confidence in who they are, they could openly
express whatever feelings they are experiencing.
Sixth, persons of tomorrow would have a basic trust of human nature. They
would not harm others merely for personal gain; they would care about others and
be ready to help when needed; they would experience anger but could be trusted
not to strike out unreasonably against others; they would feel aggression but would
channel it in appropriate directions.
Finally, because persons of tomorrow are open to all their experiences, they
would enjoy a greater richness in life than do other people. They would neither
distort internal stimuli nor buffer their emotions. Consequently, they would feel
more deeply than others. They would live in the present and thus participate more
richly in the ongoing moment.
Philosophy of Science
Rogers was first a scientist; second, a therapist; and third, a personality theorist.
Because his scientific attitude permeates both his therapy and his theory of per-
sonality, we look briefly at his philosophy of science.
According to Rogers (1968), science begins and ends with the subjective
experience, although everything in between must be objective and empirical. Sci-
entists must have many of the characteristics of the person of tomorrow; that is,
they must be inclined to look within, to be in tune with internal feelings and
values, to be intuitive and creative, to be open to experiences, to welcome change,
to have a fresh outlook, and to possess a solid trust in themselves.
Rogers (1968) believed that scientists should be completely involved in the
phenomena being studied. For example, people who conduct research on psycho-
therapy must first have had long careers as therapists. Scientists must care about and
care for newly born ideas and nurture them lovingly through their fragile infancy.
Science begins when an intuitive scientist starts to perceive patterns among
phenomena. At first, these dimly seen relationships may be too vague to be com-
municated to others, but they are nourished by a caring scientist until eventually
they can be formulated into testable hypotheses. These hypotheses, then, are the
consequence of an open-minded scientist and not the result of preexisting stereo-
typical thought.
At this point, methodology enters the picture. Although the creativity of a
scientist may yield innovative methods of research, these procedures themselves
must be rigorously controlled, empirical, and objective. Precise methods prevent