Carl Rogers's Emphasis on His Own Direct Experience

Abstract

Carl Rogers's emphasis on using his "own direct experience" was a major influence in his theory building and in his psychotherapy. The influence of this position on Rogers's theory building resulted in his not comparing his thinking to that of other theorists whose work was highly relevant, for example, Karen Homey and Harry Stack Sullivan. On review, one can see that parts of their theories contained some clarity and breadth that could have helped Rogers refine his views of personality. One can infer that in a similar way, when clients are encouraged to emphasize their "own direct experience" without being challenged by others' perspectives, losses also occur in the clarity and breadth of the clients' thinking. This article is a further development of ideas presented in 'Carl Rogers's Personality Theory and Psychotherapy as a Reflection of His Life Experience and Personality," the preceding article in this issue.