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A Way of Being
A profound and deeply personal collection of essays by renowned psychologist Carl Rogers
The late Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement and father of client-centered therapy, based his life's work on his fundamental belief in the human potential for growth. A Way of Being was written in the early 1980s, near the end of Carl Rogers's career, and serves as a coda to his classic On Becoming a Person. More philosophical than his earlier writings, it traces his professional and personal development and ends with a prophetic call for a more humane future.
The late Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement and father of client-centered therapy, based his life's work on his fundamental belief in the human potential for growth. A Way of Being was written in the early 1980s, near the end of Carl Rogers's career, and serves as a coda to his classic On Becoming a Person. More philosophical than his earlier writings, it traces his professional and personal development and ends with a prophetic call for a more humane future.
395 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
714 people are currently reading
10903 people want to read
About the author
Carl R. Rogers
120 books1,241 followers"Experience is, for me, the highest authority. The touchstone of validity is my own experience. No other person's ideas, and none of my own ideas, are as authoritative as my experience. It is to experience that I must return again and again, to discover a closer approximation to truth as it is in the process of becoming in me." -Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person
DEVELOPED THEORIES - THERAPIES
Person-Centered; Humanistic; Client-Centered; Student-Centered
TIMELINE
1902 - Carl Rogers was born in Oak Park, Illinois.
1919 - Enrolled at University of Wisconsin.
1924 - Graduated from University of Wisconsin and enrolled at Union Theological Seminary.
1926 - Transferred to Columbia.
1931- Earned Ph.D. from Columbia.
1940 - Began teaching at University of Ohio.
1946 - Elected president of American Psychological Association (APA).
1951 - Published Client-centered Therapy.
1961 - Published On Becoming A Person.
DEVELOPED THEORIES - THERAPIES
Person-Centered; Humanistic; Client-Centered; Student-Centered
TIMELINE
1902 - Carl Rogers was born in Oak Park, Illinois.
1919 - Enrolled at University of Wisconsin.
1924 - Graduated from University of Wisconsin and enrolled at Union Theological Seminary.
1926 - Transferred to Columbia.
1931- Earned Ph.D. from Columbia.
1940 - Began teaching at University of Ohio.
1946 - Elected president of American Psychological Association (APA).
1951 - Published Client-centered Therapy.
1961 - Published On Becoming A Person.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
August 6, 2011
I stole this book from my little brother, who took a seminar on existential and humanistic psychology during his last semester of college. Lucky duck!
Anyway, Carl Rogers is badass. I taught Introduction to Psychology this summer for the third time, and whenever we discuss his person-centered approach, I get bemused questions such as, "So he just...listened to his clients? Really listened to them? And it worked?" Well, yes. Essentially, Carl Rogers articulated the idea that what makes a therapist helpful is not how many degrees a therapist has, or how many fancy and completely non-parsimonious theories they espouse, but how well they connect to their clients, and if they can actually provide unconditional positive regard--the idea that a therapist doesn't have to like or condone things that clients do, but does have to accept them as worthwhile human beings, no matter their circumstances or actions. This is not just some warm and fuzzy idea; decades after Rogers first started writing, we now have a strong body of evidence that the type of therapy matters far, far less than how much you like and trust the person you're graciously allowing to help you.
This book is a mash-up of memoir, academic writings (one special treat is hearing him get super sassy while addressing his naysayers in the American Psychological Association after receiving some fancy-schmancy award), and philosophical treatises explicating his perspective. It's really fun. Not "light reading" fun, but I would definitely recommend it if you're a mental health professional, or if you'd like to read something that's continually optimistic about the potential for growth present in all human beings.
Two quick quotes. First, Rogers is all about the freedom that comes from finding and maintaining your own integrity:
"To be a person...this would be painful, costly, sometimes even terrifying. But it would be very precious: to be oneself is worth a high price."
Second, this is Rogers' telling therapists that real therapy requires bravery, on the part of the client, but also on the part of the therapist, as well. I hope I eventually get to a place where this is what I consistently do:
"We are deeply helpful only when we relate as persons, when we risk ourselves as persons in the relationship, when we experience the other as a person in his own right. Only then is there a meeting at a depth that dissolves the pain of aloneness in both client and therapist."
Anyway, Carl Rogers is badass. I taught Introduction to Psychology this summer for the third time, and whenever we discuss his person-centered approach, I get bemused questions such as, "So he just...listened to his clients? Really listened to them? And it worked?" Well, yes. Essentially, Carl Rogers articulated the idea that what makes a therapist helpful is not how many degrees a therapist has, or how many fancy and completely non-parsimonious theories they espouse, but how well they connect to their clients, and if they can actually provide unconditional positive regard--the idea that a therapist doesn't have to like or condone things that clients do, but does have to accept them as worthwhile human beings, no matter their circumstances or actions. This is not just some warm and fuzzy idea; decades after Rogers first started writing, we now have a strong body of evidence that the type of therapy matters far, far less than how much you like and trust the person you're graciously allowing to help you.
This book is a mash-up of memoir, academic writings (one special treat is hearing him get super sassy while addressing his naysayers in the American Psychological Association after receiving some fancy-schmancy award), and philosophical treatises explicating his perspective. It's really fun. Not "light reading" fun, but I would definitely recommend it if you're a mental health professional, or if you'd like to read something that's continually optimistic about the potential for growth present in all human beings.
Two quick quotes. First, Rogers is all about the freedom that comes from finding and maintaining your own integrity:
"To be a person...this would be painful, costly, sometimes even terrifying. But it would be very precious: to be oneself is worth a high price."
Second, this is Rogers' telling therapists that real therapy requires bravery, on the part of the client, but also on the part of the therapist, as well. I hope I eventually get to a place where this is what I consistently do:
"We are deeply helpful only when we relate as persons, when we risk ourselves as persons in the relationship, when we experience the other as a person in his own right. Only then is there a meeting at a depth that dissolves the pain of aloneness in both client and therapist."
June 9, 2015
Carl Rogers, a giant of psychological history, has here written personal essays - which read almost like a diary - about his way of being which center on authenticity, openness, empathy, gentleness, and love. It is a book about being human, loving oneself, loving others. It was absolutely wonderful and has undoubtedly changed the direction of my studies. Rogers calls his approach a "home-brewed" brand of existentialism that follows in the footsteps of Kierkegaard and Martin Buber, two of my philosophical heroes. This book articulates, in intimate language, Roger's search to feel, to truly feel, what it is like to be a human. He wants to open up space for each of us to actually let ourselves feel all of the things that everybody around us - family, friends, society, school, church, state, government, culture, etc. etc. etc. - teach us we need to suppress, ignore, evade. When we make eye-contact with another human, we're not looking at an object of study, a thing to be fixed, a test-subject, we're looking at a human being; a human with feelings, hurts, desires, fears, aspirations, and everything else that we so often overlook about ourselves. Rogers calls for a complete transformation of how we think about ourselves and others - what we truly desire, underneath the surface, who we are, what hurts us, etc.
My favorite chapter was entitled "Do We Really Need 'A' reality?" In it, Rogers argues that there is no such thing as "a" reality - as if "reality" was a stable concept, the same for all persons, static. He argues instead that there are as many different "realities" as there are humans. We each see and experience things differently. This is a necessary realization we must have in order to think rightly about what's going on in our relationships. People don't see things the same. Things impress themselves upon each person in slightly, often radically, different ways. And this isn't just okay! It's a good thing. It makes life diverse, interesting, risky. We shouldn't force all people to assimilate to one view of things, since that's intellectual dictatorship, but should rather seek to jump into different points of view, growing, changing, learning with one another. Rogers thinks that all we know is what we feel at each moment - and that's the best we can claim. His Pyrrhonian skepticism, and Nietzchean Perspectivism (both of which I've been influenced by, emerge here.
Enough philosophy for now... The book ends with a view toward the future: "The World of Tomorrow and the Person of Tomorrow," as the chapter is called. Rogers calls the Persons of Tomorrow those who are open, willing to learn and change, accepting of others, risk-takers, questioners of the status quo and traditional authority, those who make decisions based on their own thought-through convictions and experience and not the authority of persons or books outside of them, individuals who want to be themselves and to help others be who they are too. It's a beautiful picture, and I have unknowingly been moving in these sorts of directions in my own ways over the past couple of years or so.
Read this book if you want to become yourself. Like I said before, it's far from scholarly - it read like a diary, like a man who is journaling late at night by himself, feeling, with his whole heart and mind, what it is like to be a human being.
My favorite chapter was entitled "Do We Really Need 'A' reality?" In it, Rogers argues that there is no such thing as "a" reality - as if "reality" was a stable concept, the same for all persons, static. He argues instead that there are as many different "realities" as there are humans. We each see and experience things differently. This is a necessary realization we must have in order to think rightly about what's going on in our relationships. People don't see things the same. Things impress themselves upon each person in slightly, often radically, different ways. And this isn't just okay! It's a good thing. It makes life diverse, interesting, risky. We shouldn't force all people to assimilate to one view of things, since that's intellectual dictatorship, but should rather seek to jump into different points of view, growing, changing, learning with one another. Rogers thinks that all we know is what we feel at each moment - and that's the best we can claim. His Pyrrhonian skepticism, and Nietzchean Perspectivism (both of which I've been influenced by, emerge here.
Enough philosophy for now... The book ends with a view toward the future: "The World of Tomorrow and the Person of Tomorrow," as the chapter is called. Rogers calls the Persons of Tomorrow those who are open, willing to learn and change, accepting of others, risk-takers, questioners of the status quo and traditional authority, those who make decisions based on their own thought-through convictions and experience and not the authority of persons or books outside of them, individuals who want to be themselves and to help others be who they are too. It's a beautiful picture, and I have unknowingly been moving in these sorts of directions in my own ways over the past couple of years or so.
Read this book if you want to become yourself. Like I said before, it's far from scholarly - it read like a diary, like a man who is journaling late at night by himself, feeling, with his whole heart and mind, what it is like to be a human being.
August 29, 2007
i am not sure when i first read this book, but i think it was some time in high school (a book i saw from my dad's large collection of philosophy/psychology/mythology books).
as i read this, it inspired me to read more psychology books to motivate me to a better misunderstanding of myself and the world around me.
too bad, i am not "school smart", or else i would become a psychologist (never a psychiatrist!). although, after meeting a random person (indian with half singaporean blood) who said that gandhi did not school his (four) children. for he did not believe in "education" (as a noun), but to be educated (as a verb). with that, i realize i could still be the "psychologist" in a non-traditional way. i only need to still want to learn and be educated (and not be stuck in the place, "education").
as i read this, it inspired me to read more psychology books to motivate me to a better misunderstanding of myself and the world around me.
too bad, i am not "school smart", or else i would become a psychologist (never a psychiatrist!). although, after meeting a random person (indian with half singaporean blood) who said that gandhi did not school his (four) children. for he did not believe in "education" (as a noun), but to be educated (as a verb). with that, i realize i could still be the "psychologist" in a non-traditional way. i only need to still want to learn and be educated (and not be stuck in the place, "education").
May 18, 2020
It looks like I’m an outlier in giving this 1 star, so I might leave a few lines of explanation. If, like me, you have never read anything else by Rogers, don’t start with this book.
The book is a collected series of disparate chapters by Rogers on his life, theories and encounter group sessions.
The chapters on his life, by and large, didn’t seem to offer much insight and spend a lot of time naming people and places.
The chapters on theory have a bit more content, but are limited to, for example, a chapter of short vignettes, which leaves the feeling that the ideas are better explained elsewhere. I also felt that these chapters were generously sprinkled with a feeling of ‘look how neatly my ideas worked’ and ‘if only everybody did this’ at the expense of actual content.
Ironically, Rogers says at the beginning of the book that he attributes his success in part to the fact that he made low-level testable claims, yet he repeatedly talks about psychic phenomena, the paranormal, and telepathy. If I didn’t know who the author was, I would say the book often reads like it was written by a self-appointed New Age babble-guru, interspersed with the odd psychology reference to sound legit.
There are also multiple chapters on Rogers’ encounter groups. Which is good if you want to read about things like how the workshop staff prepared by ‘letting themselves be’, or how they discussed sexual behaviour before a workshop which then had “an almost telepathic knowledge’ of this. Or you can hear endlessly about how Rogers thinks encounter groups are the key to solving everything from the Israel-Palestine conflict to global hunger.
I’m not going to knock Rogers or people-centred therapy based on this book alone, and clearly his ideas have been extremely influential in the psycho-therapy world. There is of course obvious tremendous value in his approach, but this book was a very underwhelming place to start reading about it.
The book is a collected series of disparate chapters by Rogers on his life, theories and encounter group sessions.
The chapters on his life, by and large, didn’t seem to offer much insight and spend a lot of time naming people and places.
The chapters on theory have a bit more content, but are limited to, for example, a chapter of short vignettes, which leaves the feeling that the ideas are better explained elsewhere. I also felt that these chapters were generously sprinkled with a feeling of ‘look how neatly my ideas worked’ and ‘if only everybody did this’ at the expense of actual content.
Ironically, Rogers says at the beginning of the book that he attributes his success in part to the fact that he made low-level testable claims, yet he repeatedly talks about psychic phenomena, the paranormal, and telepathy. If I didn’t know who the author was, I would say the book often reads like it was written by a self-appointed New Age babble-guru, interspersed with the odd psychology reference to sound legit.
There are also multiple chapters on Rogers’ encounter groups. Which is good if you want to read about things like how the workshop staff prepared by ‘letting themselves be’, or how they discussed sexual behaviour before a workshop which then had “an almost telepathic knowledge’ of this. Or you can hear endlessly about how Rogers thinks encounter groups are the key to solving everything from the Israel-Palestine conflict to global hunger.
I’m not going to knock Rogers or people-centred therapy based on this book alone, and clearly his ideas have been extremely influential in the psycho-therapy world. There is of course obvious tremendous value in his approach, but this book was a very underwhelming place to start reading about it.
November 22, 2017
This is one of a handful of books that changed my life.
I'm just now glancing over my professional library, and I find I have like 8 books on neuropsychology and no interest in that topic. I did a lot of reading that I didn't want to do in graduate school. Rogers saved my life. I read A Way of Being and I cried the whole time. Those tears are the foundation of who I am today.
I didn't cry because the subject matter is sad. I cried because I recognized something in it. I was at the time struggling to become a person, a real person rather than an affectless wooden boy. Rogers shows us what is possible. He shows us a way to empathy, a fascinating journey into the experience of the other. This book is a guidepost towards phenomenology in the abstract and humanity in the concrete.
Towards the end, the narrative falls apart a little. It's hard to read about his panic at the end of his life. And maybe that's necessary, too. He spent so much time listening to the experiences of others and absorbing them gently that maybe we owe it to him to absorb some of his more challenging experiences, too.
I'm just now glancing over my professional library, and I find I have like 8 books on neuropsychology and no interest in that topic. I did a lot of reading that I didn't want to do in graduate school. Rogers saved my life. I read A Way of Being and I cried the whole time. Those tears are the foundation of who I am today.
I didn't cry because the subject matter is sad. I cried because I recognized something in it. I was at the time struggling to become a person, a real person rather than an affectless wooden boy. Rogers shows us what is possible. He shows us a way to empathy, a fascinating journey into the experience of the other. This book is a guidepost towards phenomenology in the abstract and humanity in the concrete.
Towards the end, the narrative falls apart a little. It's hard to read about his panic at the end of his life. And maybe that's necessary, too. He spent so much time listening to the experiences of others and absorbing them gently that maybe we owe it to him to absorb some of his more challenging experiences, too.
Read
September 4, 2011كاتب جامد بيحسسنى انه فى منى كتير اكدلى على معانى كتير كنت عارفه انها صح بس كنت محتاجه حد يأكدلى عليها كنت اتمنى لو اقدر اتعامل معاه واكلمه حد بيحس بالناس اوى وبيهتم لمشاعرهم اتعلمت ازاى احس اللى ورا الكلام وورا الملامح قد ايه ده مهم للناس انك تحس بيهم وتفهمهم وانك لازم تحاول فى حلبمك انه يتحقق ولو مؤمن بفكره لازم تشتغل عليها كويس وتفضل وراها للاخر حتى لو العالم كله وقف ضدك فى الاول لازم تكمل ومتيأسش فى الوسط
August 22, 2024
Fin oppsummering av endringene i Carl Rogers tankesett siden On becoming a person. Grunnleggende er fremdeles en dyp respekt for individets iboende tendens til å strekke seg i konstruktive retninger.
«People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner." I don't try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.»
Jeg opplever at innen psykologien nevnes Rogers som oftest i en bisetning som han humanistiske fyren som fant ut at det er smart å lytte empatisk og aksepterende til pasienter. Det er jo jævlig smart, men høres også ganske åpenbart ut siden fyren har hatt så mye innflytelse på terapifeltet. Min brannfakkel er at vi allikevel mister av syne hvor radikal denne måten å tenke på fremdeles er i dag, hvis vi tar den på alvor. I hvor mange former for psykoterapi behandler man personen i større eller mindre grad som et objekt som skal fikses med ulike former for teknikker og intervensjoner? I hvilken grad gjør vi oss selv til eksperter og autoriteter over dypt personlige spørsmål, både i terapirommet og i det offentlige?
Som en samling er boka mindre gripende enn On becoming a person, men enkelte av tekstene er veldig fine, spesielt de om empati og om Ellen West og ensomhet. Også kapittelet hvor Rogers reflekter over å bli eldre er sårt og fint. Men med alderdommen kom det visst også en økende fascinasjon for parapsykologi. Rogers tilskriver selv sine jordnære teorier til bakgrunnen innen jordbruk, men når sidene fylles med overbevisninger om telepati og energier og minner mer og mer om noe sjaman durek kunne skrevet på en dårlig dag, svever fyren og mister meg litt (fullstendig). Det er ergerlig at det gjør helhetsinntrykket dårligere, men ærlig talt så er det jo samtidig litt fint når veldig kloke mennesker også har noen helt skrudde tanker. Aksepterer deg som du er jeg Carl (så kanskje du kan endre deg)
«People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner." I don't try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.»
Jeg opplever at innen psykologien nevnes Rogers som oftest i en bisetning som han humanistiske fyren som fant ut at det er smart å lytte empatisk og aksepterende til pasienter. Det er jo jævlig smart, men høres også ganske åpenbart ut siden fyren har hatt så mye innflytelse på terapifeltet. Min brannfakkel er at vi allikevel mister av syne hvor radikal denne måten å tenke på fremdeles er i dag, hvis vi tar den på alvor. I hvor mange former for psykoterapi behandler man personen i større eller mindre grad som et objekt som skal fikses med ulike former for teknikker og intervensjoner? I hvilken grad gjør vi oss selv til eksperter og autoriteter over dypt personlige spørsmål, både i terapirommet og i det offentlige?
Som en samling er boka mindre gripende enn On becoming a person, men enkelte av tekstene er veldig fine, spesielt de om empati og om Ellen West og ensomhet. Også kapittelet hvor Rogers reflekter over å bli eldre er sårt og fint. Men med alderdommen kom det visst også en økende fascinasjon for parapsykologi. Rogers tilskriver selv sine jordnære teorier til bakgrunnen innen jordbruk, men når sidene fylles med overbevisninger om telepati og energier og minner mer og mer om noe sjaman durek kunne skrevet på en dårlig dag, svever fyren og mister meg litt (fullstendig). Det er ergerlig at det gjør helhetsinntrykket dårligere, men ærlig talt så er det jo samtidig litt fint når veldig kloke mennesker også har noen helt skrudde tanker. Aksepterer deg som du er jeg Carl (så kanskje du kan endre deg)
June 25, 2020
Да бъдеш е процес, чийто резултат е самият живот.
June 25, 2013
This book was recommended to me as supplementary reading for a counselling skills course. As a result, I came to it already familiar with the basic principles of Rogerian therapy and a high appreciation for Carl Rogers' approach to individuals and groups. He believed that people have within themselves the resources and insight to chart their own destiny in life, and that all they need is to be reminded of their personal power in order to take it back and solve their own problems. The book itself is a collection of papers delivered over many years and in many contexts. It addresses a variety of themes, including the development of the person-centred approach, education and challenges facing the future human. It is written in an academic style with references to other authors and books, which makes it slightly heavy going for the lay reader, but the content is well laid out and relatively easy to grasp. I found many of the anecdotes heartwarming and inspiring, confirming my belief that the person-centred approach is both kind to clients and personally demanding of counsellors, so that what emerges is a conversation built on genuineness and respect. This is a book I will probably come back to again when I have gained more counselling experience because it certainly has much to offer beyond what I could grasp on a first reading.
January 19, 2023
If you're interested in reading about Rogers' personal experiences, this will satisfy you. If you already know some of his ideas and are looking for finding out more of them with more depth, this is not for you.
On the other hand, having great ideas and writing a book are totally different blessings and it's evident here. This should be considered as a reflection of thoughts rather than a typical book.
Nonetheless, Carl Rogers is an important name in psychology and he will keep being that for sure. His ideas of communication and possibilities-beyond-our-reality are priceless. It's also tremendously disappointing to realise that, even after over 40 years, the way he wished humanity to have found by now is not being paved but going downhill.
So, this is not a skipping stone that will take you much further but could be a good start for learning about Carl Rogers.
On the other hand, having great ideas and writing a book are totally different blessings and it's evident here. This should be considered as a reflection of thoughts rather than a typical book.
Nonetheless, Carl Rogers is an important name in psychology and he will keep being that for sure. His ideas of communication and possibilities-beyond-our-reality are priceless. It's also tremendously disappointing to realise that, even after over 40 years, the way he wished humanity to have found by now is not being paved but going downhill.
So, this is not a skipping stone that will take you much further but could be a good start for learning about Carl Rogers.
March 7, 2022
Odkládám v polovině – řada konceptů se shoduje s myšlenkami prezentovanými v On Becoming a Person (na což nedám dopustit). Pokud někoho zajímá hlubinná psychologie a psychodynamika, pak je to fajn addition k předchozí knížce.
Sdílím jednu Yalomovu myšlenku z předmluvy, která mi uvízla v hlavě, a často na ní myslím:
--A story is told about the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, whose leg was broken in a traffic accident. While lying in the street, waiting for the ambulance, he was heard to say, “Finally, finally, something has happened to me.” I know exactly what he meant.--
Sdílím jednu Yalomovu myšlenku z předmluvy, která mi uvízla v hlavě, a často na ní myslím:
--A story is told about the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, whose leg was broken in a traffic accident. While lying in the street, waiting for the ambulance, he was heard to say, “Finally, finally, something has happened to me.” I know exactly what he meant.--
August 15, 2017
This was excellent. I started out loving it, though it got a bit dry around the middle. Each chapter is essentially a different essay by Rogers, so my enjoyment varied per chapter. I found the last chapter, The World and the Person of Tomorrow, to be particularly moving.
June 9, 2023
I knew that the person-centered approach was the fit for me when I first entered my counseling program in 2020. I finally got around to reading this wonderful book.
As the current treasurer for the Center for Studies of the Person, I was impressed with all the work the center did with Rogers to promote the person-centered approach in schools and elsewhere. I had no idea that the center was involved in these projects. Also, Rogers notes that he was not looking for followers. He wanted people to take the person-centered approach and use it the way that they saw fit. In other words, he wanted people to be themselves, not another Rogers. I found this notion comforting because I learn a lot of theoretical approaches in my work, but at the end of the day, there's no other counselor like me. To be authentic, I must be myself. That cannot be replicated, nor can someone be another Carl Rogers. The key takeaway for me is to be real and true to myself.
As the current treasurer for the Center for Studies of the Person, I was impressed with all the work the center did with Rogers to promote the person-centered approach in schools and elsewhere. I had no idea that the center was involved in these projects. Also, Rogers notes that he was not looking for followers. He wanted people to take the person-centered approach and use it the way that they saw fit. In other words, he wanted people to be themselves, not another Rogers. I found this notion comforting because I learn a lot of theoretical approaches in my work, but at the end of the day, there's no other counselor like me. To be authentic, I must be myself. That cannot be replicated, nor can someone be another Carl Rogers. The key takeaway for me is to be real and true to myself.
May 13, 2025
Alguien podría pensar y con algo de razón, que es un libro de superación personal. Pero no lo es. Este libro es valioso en la medida que recoge las observaciones de Carl Rogers *alrededor* del enfoque terapéutico que que desarrolló a lo largo de la 2da mitad del siglo XX, sus aprendizajes y sus aplicaciones.
Es un libro que me recordó mucho a Miles de millones de Carl Sagan porque Rogers deja en claro su postura política y por esto me refiero a que está consciente del papel que tienen las ciencias en el mantenimiento o redefinición de las relaciones de poder en la sociedad. Rogers señala de manera explícita como la psicología puede ser utilizada para influenciar el comportamiento humano de tal manera que garantice la persistencia de las relaciones de poder existentes y el poder que tiene la construcción de comunidades en poblaciones que se encuentran fuera de dichas relaciones para hacerle contrapeso a los poderes establecidos.
Es un libro que me recordó mucho a Miles de millones de Carl Sagan porque Rogers deja en claro su postura política y por esto me refiero a que está consciente del papel que tienen las ciencias en el mantenimiento o redefinición de las relaciones de poder en la sociedad. Rogers señala de manera explícita como la psicología puede ser utilizada para influenciar el comportamiento humano de tal manera que garantice la persistencia de las relaciones de poder existentes y el poder que tiene la construcción de comunidades en poblaciones que se encuentran fuera de dichas relaciones para hacerle contrapeso a los poderes establecidos.
November 27, 2023
this book is very different from books I normally read, but one I find one of the most beautiful. I found myself wanting to memorise every word in able to really learn and grow as a person. The first time I read something and felt the need to pick up a highlighter and annotate. By the end the ink was dry and packets empty but I was not. It made me think and accept and listen. I loved this book and I believe Its definitely changed my perspective on a lot of things and confirmed others. Maybe it’s my interest in phychology as a whole but wow What a brilliant man! Can’t wait to learn more :)
May 30, 2024
Wow! I am so moved by this book. I grew personally and professionally as a graduate student studying clinical psychology. First, I appreciate this book as a collection of essays. It’s as if I had a front row seat to Roger’s thinking and the evolution of his personhood. I liked his willingness to show his imperfection and humanity through his writing. His section on education and learning gave me some great ideas for my undergraduate courses I teach.
I highly recommend this read for students, mental health professionals, or anyone struggling with their personhood. At the end of the book I wondered what Rogers’ would have to say about the person since the new millenia.
I highly recommend this read for students, mental health professionals, or anyone struggling with their personhood. At the end of the book I wondered what Rogers’ would have to say about the person since the new millenia.
May 4, 2025
A wonderful collection of papers and essays written from humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers late in his career. These papers cover biography, aging (the best in my opinion), education, and critiques of psychology and society. The collection has a fair amount of overlap and so if you read them sequentially you may find some redundancy. In addition, Rogers goes off the deep end in my mind, embracing paranormal phenomena in ways that seem uncritical and were disappointing (similar to William James at the end of his career). Overall though, inspiring and insightful.
January 30, 2025
It’s cool to hear the words and thoughts of one of the creators of modern psychotherapy. It was also fascinating to hear the more far out ideas he was getting into in his latter years.
March 1, 2025
Well written, thoughtful hippie voodoo.
April 21, 2025
You have to be interested in psychology to enjoy it, but if you are, this is a beautiful book by a brilliant man.
January 1, 2018
The book is a collection of Rogers’ papers done on different aspects of his person centred approach, organised into three main sections: personal experiences and perspectives, the person centred approach in psychotherapy, and it’s application in education.
The first noticeable quality of his writing is the clarity of it. The wordings are precise, the logic coherent, and even the slightest confusion over what he meant is almost not possible. The clarity is so noticeable that it naturally reminds me of other psychology books I’ve read and how I can not say the same about them. It’s almost as if Rogers knew where ambiguity may take roots and nipped them in the bud before they had a chance. He writes like who he is, a humanistic scientist. To the point and flow of the logical mind.
Secondly, I am taken back by his openness and honesty. He talks about parts of his own life - especially how he decided not to dedicate all his time to care for his wife when she was battling with illness at the end of her life, for his own well being, for his survival. He talks about how it has affected their marriage at the end, how she struggled to make peace with it. This wasn’t the only example of his honesty but one of the most outstanding one in my eyes. This was where I started to believe that he really is what he preaches - a believer in the freedom of one’s being, in its congruency and openness, free from judgement and social and cultural pressure of one perceived reality.
Then, the thing I love the most about this book is that it opens a new door for me, a door of person centred approach. I completely agree with this philosophy and I am grateful that he points it all out for me, going into practical details like what is real listening, what is real empathy, the elements of modern loneliness, how and what provides for behaviour change and more. I love how he challenges the idea of one reality. I love his analysis on the case of Ellen West. These are precious lessons one can never get enough of. They liberate one from confusion and suffering. They save lives.
I gave it 4 rather than 5 star because one, I wasn’t sure why the Brazil encounter group experience was put under the 3rd section of education. Though it involves a big group but it seems more appropriate to me to have it under section 2. Two, for some reason, I was growing restless and found it hard to concentrate in the last chapter where he talks about the future of humanity and his philosophy. Three, which is probably the key reason, I find myself reading too much of the same idea in different chapters. Not to the point that I became impatient, but enough to want to skip it sometimes.
The first noticeable quality of his writing is the clarity of it. The wordings are precise, the logic coherent, and even the slightest confusion over what he meant is almost not possible. The clarity is so noticeable that it naturally reminds me of other psychology books I’ve read and how I can not say the same about them. It’s almost as if Rogers knew where ambiguity may take roots and nipped them in the bud before they had a chance. He writes like who he is, a humanistic scientist. To the point and flow of the logical mind.
Secondly, I am taken back by his openness and honesty. He talks about parts of his own life - especially how he decided not to dedicate all his time to care for his wife when she was battling with illness at the end of her life, for his own well being, for his survival. He talks about how it has affected their marriage at the end, how she struggled to make peace with it. This wasn’t the only example of his honesty but one of the most outstanding one in my eyes. This was where I started to believe that he really is what he preaches - a believer in the freedom of one’s being, in its congruency and openness, free from judgement and social and cultural pressure of one perceived reality.
Then, the thing I love the most about this book is that it opens a new door for me, a door of person centred approach. I completely agree with this philosophy and I am grateful that he points it all out for me, going into practical details like what is real listening, what is real empathy, the elements of modern loneliness, how and what provides for behaviour change and more. I love how he challenges the idea of one reality. I love his analysis on the case of Ellen West. These are precious lessons one can never get enough of. They liberate one from confusion and suffering. They save lives.
I gave it 4 rather than 5 star because one, I wasn’t sure why the Brazil encounter group experience was put under the 3rd section of education. Though it involves a big group but it seems more appropriate to me to have it under section 2. Two, for some reason, I was growing restless and found it hard to concentrate in the last chapter where he talks about the future of humanity and his philosophy. Three, which is probably the key reason, I find myself reading too much of the same idea in different chapters. Not to the point that I became impatient, but enough to want to skip it sometimes.
October 28, 2023
This is the first book by Rogers that I've read. I found it inspiring in it's humanistic philosophy and light on details. Rogers writes a lot about the efficacy of encounter groups without detailing what actually happens in them. He includes excerpts from interviews and letters about the transformative experience of being seen by the therapist without describing how to recreate that environment. He speculates about the feelings of large groups of people and how they can spontaneously organize without including what they accomplish through that organization. It just feels like there is not much of an emphasis on the reproducible, falsifiable thinking and evidence that I look for in psychology reading. It does feel like Carl Rogers thinks expressing feelings is valuable. I'm just not convinced that simple expression is enough to confront the material problems that often intersect with the mental anguish we face.
Perhaps more reading would give a better understanding of his process. Perhaps Carl Rogers is more of a self-help guru than a meaningful guide into the difficult, interior world of ones experience. A Way of Being was pleasant enough to read but I don't feel like I'm coming away with any new insight about myself or my relationships with others.
Perhaps more reading would give a better understanding of his process. Perhaps Carl Rogers is more of a self-help guru than a meaningful guide into the difficult, interior world of ones experience. A Way of Being was pleasant enough to read but I don't feel like I'm coming away with any new insight about myself or my relationships with others.
June 3, 2020
This was hard to put down. Rogers reflects on a life of developing and testing the kinds of hypotheses that one might expect from an INFP - that relationships, therapy, and leadership can be more successful when approached with empathy, warmth, and genuineness. His vision often starts out seeming untenably-vast (such as reciprocal causation in self-actualization), but his conscientiousness and honesty end up making it persuasive.
For me, the most interesting issue is congruence. Rogers observes that "organismic" drives can sometimes be counterproductive to self-actualization and that "hard-headed" science can suffer from inefficiency and theory-induced blindness. But when he argues for a synthesis of the two, there isn't much insight as to how it can be achieved. Yalom, Rosenberg, and others have been more satisfying in that area.
For me, the most interesting issue is congruence. Rogers observes that "organismic" drives can sometimes be counterproductive to self-actualization and that "hard-headed" science can suffer from inefficiency and theory-induced blindness. But when he argues for a synthesis of the two, there isn't much insight as to how it can be achieved. Yalom, Rosenberg, and others have been more satisfying in that area.
July 16, 2021
The clue is in the title, but nevertheless, I was surprised by how far removed from the practical application of person-centred skills this book is. Here we have a contemplative Rogers, living out his twilight years with a look back at the impact of the person-centred approach. The significance of the title is apparent however in the latter chapters of the book, where a Rogers from 40 years ago speculates with uncanny accuracy what a sea change in humanity's outlook on life and the Earth's future could look like. A lot of things he speaks about are happening now, albeit not with the rapidity and conviction he would have liked.
A must read for anyone interested in social science, psychology, self-help and of course, person-centred theory.
A must read for anyone interested in social science, psychology, self-help and of course, person-centred theory.
September 22, 2009
This book is a collection of speeches and writings from Carl Rogers reflecting on his extensive experience in Psychology. He has had a big influence on the world of psychology in moving away from a prescriptive approach (I know what's best for you) to a non-directive approach (let the patient lead). It's very interesting and has certainly been a model of application in my own pastoral training. He makes reference to eastern philosophies of leadership which I also find fascinating - this sense of leading not through control, rather enabling a person or group to claim their own identity and their own path.
July 21, 2019
I hesitant to say that I finished this, because I very clearly skimmed and skipped several chapters due to the repetitive nature of the essays, particularly considering that I have finished On Becoming A Person (which is one of my all time favourite book). In retrospect I am not convinced that this book added any particular depth that was missing from On Becoming A Person, aside from more vignettes about group work and a person centred approach to the classroom. The premise is fundamentally still the same.
Maybe I wasn’t reading this at the right time. May revisit in a later stage of life.
Maybe I wasn’t reading this at the right time. May revisit in a later stage of life.
June 27, 2020
Kişi odaklı yaklaşımı öğrenmek için elinize aldığınız kitabı bir sürü kafa karışıklığı ile bitiriyorsunuz.
Kitap kesinlikle bir düzen takip edilerek yazılmamış.
Her bölüm birbirinden çok bağımsız,bölüm içerisinde de biraz ondan biraz bundan ama asla amacına hizmet etmeyen bir derlemeyi okumaya çalışıyorsunuz.
Kitap kesinlikle bir düzen takip edilerek yazılmamış.
Her bölüm birbirinden çok bağımsız,bölüm içerisinde de biraz ondan biraz bundan ama asla amacına hizmet etmeyen bir derlemeyi okumaya çalışıyorsunuz.
January 17, 2021
"...je to velice skličující zážitek naprostého osamění. Nyní již věřím tomu, že takové pocity mohou u některých lidí způsobovat psychózy. Vzdávají se naděje, že se někdy taky najde člověk, který by jim porozuměl. Avšak v okamžiku, kdy se této naděje vzdali, stal se jejich vnitřní svět, stále bizarnější, jediným světem, v němž mohou žít."
June 16, 2014
كتاب رائع لروجرز، رغم عدم سلاسة الترجمة، فقد قرأته في العربي
متاح في مكتبتنا عربي وانجليزي للاستعارة والاطلاع
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متاح في مكتبتنا عربي وانجليزي للاستعارة والاطلاع
http://arabic-christian-counseling.co...
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