In a paragraph…
When a client presents to a therapist experiencing emotional and mental distress, Person-Centred Therapy (PCT) theorizes that they are in a state of "incongruence" (Rogers, 1956)—a conflict between reality or distorted internal experiences and the often rigid self-structure the person holds of themselves (Rogers, 1959). By working with the PCT therapist and experiencing the core conditions of congruence, empathy, and unconditional positive regard (UPR) (Rogers, 1956), the therapist provides a safe and secure environment for the client. This enables the client to access their inherent biological impulses—the actualizing and subsequent self-actualizing tendencies (Rogers, 1959). Clients can then explore and integrate previously denied or difficult aspects of themselves into their self-structure, becoming less defensive, more self-driven, mature, and open to new experiences. This movement, described by Rogers as transitioning from "fixity to changingness" (Rogers, 1961), represents the client beginning to lead the "good life" and embarking on the never-ending journey of becoming a "fully functioning person" (Rogers, 1961).
What's different about how PCT approaches emotional and mental distress?
All psychotherapies aim to alleviate emotional and mental distress. Freudians, the "first force" in psychotherapy, search for deeply submerged primitive motivators to explain distress, often through dream interpretation:
"The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind." (Freud, 1900)
Behaviourists, the "second force," focus on the client’s thoughts and actions to understand distress. In both cases, the therapeutic power resides in the expertise and knowledge of the therapist. Humanism, the "third force," takes a different approach, viewing humans as inherently growth-oriented rather than deficit-driven. This perspective suggests that growth can be stunted or frustrated. PCT, a branch of humanism, theorizes that the therapist's role is to create an environment of security and acceptance to support the natural biological inclinations for growth, termed the "actualizing" and "self-actualizing" tendencies (Rogers, 1959). As Rogers explained:
"Therapy is not a matter of doing something to the individual, or of inducing him to do something about himself. It is instead a matter of freeing him for normal growth and development, of removing obstacles so that he can again move forward." (Rogers, 1942, p. 29)
At its core, PCT emphasizes non-directivity:
"As no one else can know how we perceive, we are the best experts on ourselves." (Rogers, 1959)
Rogers’ first comprehensive theoretical framework for PCT was the "19 propositions" (Rogers, 1951):
"Taken as a whole, the series of propositions presents a theory of behavior which attempts to account for the phenomena previously known, and also for the facts regarding personality and behavior which have more recently been observed in therapy." (Rogers, 1951: 482)
These propositions are one of three "pillars" of PCT, alongside the "seven stages of process" (Rogers, 1961, p. 132-158) and the "six necessary and sufficient conditions" (Rogers, 1956). Together, these create a cohesive theory of personality that explores how individuals perceive and symbolize their world concerning themselves, building on the work of pioneers like Kurt Goldstein.
Rogers theorized that incongruence arises when the self-structure clashes with the "phenomenological" world of lived experience. Propositions 11, 14, and 15 succinctly describe how experiences are perceived, distorted, and ultimately reconciled:
XI: As experiences occur in the life of the individual, they are either a) symbolized, perceived, and organized into some relation to the self; b) ignored because there is no perceived relationship to the self-structure; or c) denied symbolization or given distorted symbolization because the experience is inconsistent with the structure of the self.
XIV: Psychological maladjustment exists when the organism denies to awareness significant sensory and visceral experiences, which consequently are not symbolized and organized into the gestalt of the self-structure. This creates a potential psychological tension.
XV: Psychological adjustment exists when the concept of the self is such that all the sensory and visceral experiences of the organism are, or may be, assimilated on a symbolic level into a consistent relationship with the concept of self. (Rogers, 1951)
How does emotional distress occur?
Rogers expanded his theories with the concept of the "Organismic Valuing Process" (OVP) (Rogers, 1959), describing how individuals evaluate experiences based on an innate biological drive:
"The actualizing tendency is thus the criterion. The simplest example is the infant who at one moment values food, and when satiated, is disgusted with it; at one moment values stimulation, and soon after, values only rest." (Rogers, 1959, p. 210)
However, Rogers acknowledged that external influences, particularly conditions of worth imposed by caregivers, disrupt this process. Conditions of worth are external obligations individuals internalize to gain approval:
"..he values an experience positively or negatively solely because of these conditions of worth which he has taken over from others, not because the experience enhances or fails to enhance his organism." (Rogers, 1959, p. 209)
This shift from internal OVP to external evaluation creates incongruence, separating individuals from their authentic selves and planting the seeds of emotional distress—a tragedy, as Rogers called it (Rogers, 1959, p. 226).
What value can PCT provide in addressing emotional distress?
Rogers codified his therapeutic approach into the "six necessary and sufficient conditions" (Rogers, 1956), emphasizing the therapist's role in providing congruence, empathy, and UPR. These core conditions create a secure environment where clients feel valued and can confront previously denied experiences, guided by their self-actualizing tendency:
"The motivation for learning and change springs from the self-actualizing tendency of life itself." (Rogers, 1961, p. 285)
In PCT, self-actualization is not a final goal but an ongoing process of growth. As clients experience the seven stages of process, they move from "fixity" to "flowingness," becoming open to new experiences and resolving distress by integrating hidden parts of themselves.
Thoughts, Observations, and Conclusions
The simplicity of PCT’s core conditions belies the skill, concentration, and emotional openness required in practice. Congruence demands authenticity; UPR requires therapists to suspend judgment; and empathy challenges therapists to deeply understand the client’s world without losing themselves:
"To sense the client’s private world as if it were your own, but without ever losing the 'as if' quality." (Rogers, 1956)
Criticism and research continue to refine PCT. Bohart (2013) noted that client-driven self-healing accounts for 40-87% of therapeutic change, emphasizing the client’s role over technique. Rogers’ legacy endures in his belief that clients, given the right conditions, are the experts on their own lives.
(This article is a condensed version of an essay submitted during Year 1 of a Diploma in Person-Centred Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute, West London.)