Phenomenological Theory of Personality and Behaviour

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Phenomenological Theory of Personality and Behaviour

Background

Carl Rogers’ phenomenological theory of personality and behaviour forms the core of his person-centred approach, viewing the individual’s subjective “phenomenal field”, their personal reality of experiences, as the primary determinant of behaviour and growth. Developed in the 1940s and 1950s, it rejected deterministic psychoanalysis and behaviourism, emphasizing innate actualizing tendencies and self-concept congruence within one’s internal frame of reference. counsellingtutor

Historical Development

Rogers, born in 1902, shifted from child guidance influenced by Adler and Rank to non-directive therapy at Ohio State University in 1940, publishing Counselling and Psychotherapy (1942). By 1945 at the University of Chicago, empirical studies refined his ideas into client-centered therapy, culminating in Client-Centred Therapy (1951) with its 19 propositions explicitly drawing on Combs and Snygg’s phenomenal field theory. This marked humanistic psychology’s rise as a “third force,” prioritizing subjective experience over unconscious drives or conditioning. wikipedia

Phenomenological Foundations

The theory is phenomenological because behaviour arises from how the organism perceives and reacts to its phenomenal field as “reality,” with the self emerging as a differentiated portion of this field. Rogers stressed first-person consciousness, where emotions facilitate goal-directed actions toward self-enhancement, and experiences are symbolized, ignored, or distorted based on self-consistency. Maladjustment stems from incongruence between experiences and self-structure, often due to conditional positive regard. the-pca

Key Principles in Personality

Central is the actualizing tendency (Proposition 6), driving maintenance and enhancement, achieved optimally in a fully functioning person open to experience, trusting organismic processes, and creatively adapting. Therapeutic change requires six conditions, including empathy and unconditional positive regard, fostering self-revision without threat. This framework influenced education, politics, and cross-cultural work, promoting dialogic growth. ncbi.nlm.nih

Key influences from phenomenology and existentialism

Carl Rogers drew key phenomenological influences primarily from psychologists Arthur Combs and Donald Snygg’s phenomenal field theory, integrating it into his 19 propositions as the basis for understanding subjective experience as reality. Existentialism impacted him indirectly through Søren Kierkegaard’s ideas on personal choice and authenticity, encountered via seminars, alongside broader themes of freedom and self-determination that aligned with his optimistic humanism. counsellingtutor

Phenomenological Roots

Rogers adopted phenomenology pragmatically from Combs and Snygg (1949), who posited behaviour stems from the individual’s perceptual field, making subjective reality paramount over objective facts. This shaped his view that “the organism reacts to the field as it is experienced and perceived,” central to Propositions 1-3. While not directly from Husserl or Merleau-Ponty, the U.S. psychological phenomenological movement influenced him, emphasizing in-the-moment experiencing without philosophical idealism. wikipedia

Existential Connections

Existential themes entered via Kierkegaard, whose teleological suspension and leap of faith resonated with Rogers’ organismic trusting and actualizing tendency. Rogers blended this with existentialism’s focus on freedom and responsibility, yet rejected angst-heavy views like Sartre’s, favouring innate growth potential over absurdity. Influences like Otto Rank and Jessie Taft, with their will therapy emphasizing present choices, further bridged existential ideas into his non-directive approach. counsellingtutor

Internal Frame of Reference

Phenomenology shaped Rogers’ concept of the internal frame of reference (IFR) by emphasizing subjective experience as the foundation of reality, positioning the individual’s perceptual world as the optimal vantage point for understanding behaviour. In his 19 Propositions (Proposition 7), Rogers stated that behaviour is best comprehended “from the internal frame of reference of the individual himself,” drawing directly from phenomenological principles of bracketing external judgments to enter the lived phenomenal field. counsellingtutor

Phenomenological Foundations of IFR

Rogers adopted the phenomenological view that the phenomenal field, one encompassing all conscious and unconscious perceptions, is what constitutes personal reality, making the IFR the subjective perceptual structure unique to each person. Influenced by Combs and Snygg’s phenomenal field theory, he rejected objective interpretations, insisting therapists suspend their own frames to access the client’s “organised pattern of perceptions of self and self-in-relationship.” This mirrors Husserl’s epoché, prioritizing in-the-moment experiencing over causal explanations. psychology

Application in Therapy

Empathy, a core condition, requires the therapist to “experience an empathic understanding of the client’s internal frame of reference,” communicating it accurately to foster congruence. Distinguishing IFR from external frames prevents distortion by introjected values, enabling clients to trust their organismic valuing process. Maladjustment arises when experiences threaten the IFR, symbolizing anxiety internally as incongruence. edinburghcounsellingservice

Glossary of terms introduced with the theory

Carl Rogers’ theory features distinct terms rooted in phenomenology and humanism, defining personality via subjective experience and growth processes. Below is a compiled glossary of core terms from his works, contrasted with analogous concepts in Freudian psychoanalysis, CBT, and schema therapy for clarity.

Rogers Term	Definition	Contrast in Other Models
Phenomenal Field	The individual’s total subjective reality of experiences, conscious or not, forming their psychological world	Freud: Unconscious (repressed drives); CBT: Cognitive schema (biased information processing); Schema Therapy: Schema mode (current emotional state activating early maladaptation’s)
Actualizing Tendency	Innate motivational force driving organismic growth and enhancement toward complexity	Freud: Pleasure principle (id gratification); CBT: Behavioural activation; Maslow: Self-actualization (hierarchy peak)
Self-Concept	Organized perceptual structure of “I” or “me,” developing via symbolized experiences	Freud: Ego (reality mediator); Schema Therapy: Healthy Adult mode (mature self-regulation)
Organismic Valuing Process	Innate ability to evaluate experiences as enhancing or threatening, guiding choices when trusted	CBT: Rational emotive evaluation; Attachment Theory: Internal working model (secure vs insecure evaluations)
Congruence	Alignment between self-concept and organismic experience, enabling authentic living	Freud: Ego strength; CBT: Cognitive flexibility
Incongruence	Defensive distortion from conditional worth, causing anxiety and maladjustment	Freud: Neurosis (repression); Schema Therapy: Schema-driven coping (surrender/avoidance/overcompensation)
Conditions of Worth	External values internalized as self-worth requirements, distorting self-concept	Freud: Superego (internalized parental morals); Schema Therapy: Core schemas (lifelong unmet needs)
Internal Frame of Reference	Subjective perceptual viewpoint from which behaviour is understood	CBT: Automatic thoughts (personal lens); Phenomenology (general): Lived world (Husserl)
Locus of Evaluation	Source of self-worth judgment (internal: organismic trust; external: others’ views)	CBT: External validation seeking; Attachment: Anxious attachment (preoccupied reliance)
Fully Functioning Person	Congruent individual open to experience, trusting organism, creatively adapting	Freud: Genital stage maturity; Schema Therapy: Healthy Adult integration

Phenomenological Theory of Personality and Behaviour

Published by Barra on 26 November 202526 November 2025