This article is organized around the claim that reflexivity, defined asself-awareness and agency within that self-awareness, isfundamental to being a self. Carl Rogers’s concept of the person is examined inthe light of this claim. It is argued that his notion of the person hasmore to do with ethics than ontology and that his lack of distinctionbetween self and self-concept obscures agency, his tacit recognitionof it in his practice of counseling notwithstanding. HarryFrankfurt’s and Charles Taylor’s writings are drawn on to support this. Itis suggested that the humanistic prizing of the dignity of the client,making up the ethic of person-centered counseling, is both protectedand enhanced once the approach is revised in the light of reflexivity.Implications of this revision for the durability of person-centeredcounseling in a climate of increasing endorsement of manualized,technical approaches to counseling and psychotherapy arediscussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allport, G. (1951). Dewey’s individual and social psychology. In P. A.Schilpp (Ed.), The philosophy of John Dewey(2nd ed., pp. 263-290). New York: Tudor.
2.
Anderson, R., & Cissna, R. N. (1997). The Martin Buber–Carl Rogersdialogue: A new transcript with commentary. Albany: State University of New York Press.
3.
Angus, L. E., & Rennie, D. L. (1988). Therapist participation in metaphorgeneration: Collaborative and non-collaborative styles. Psychotherapy,25, 552-560.
4.
Bakan, D. (1996). Origination, self-determination, and psychology.Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 36, 9-20.
5.
Bohart, A. C., O’Hara, M., & Leitner, L. M. (1998). Empirically violatedtreatments: Disenfranchisement of humanistic and other therapies.Psychotherapy Research, 8, 141-157.
6.
Bohart, A. C.,& Tallman, K. (1996). The active client: Therapy as self-help.Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 36, 7-30.
7.
Bohart, A. C., & Tallman, K. (1999). How clients make therapy work: The process of active self-healing.Washington, DC: American PsychologicalAssociation.
8.
Bordin, E. (1979). The generalizability of the psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance. Psychotherapy, Theory, Research and Practice, 16,252-260.
9.
Cain, D. J. (1996). Rogers and Sylvia: An intimate and affirming encounter.In B. A. Farber, D. C. Brink,& N. M. Raskin (Eds.), The psychotherapy of Carl Rogers: Cases and commentary(pp. 275-283). New York: GuilfordPress.
10.
Elliott, R., James, E., Reimschuessel, C., Cislo, D.,& Sack, N. (1985).Significant events and the analysis of immediate therapeutic impacts.Psychotherapy, 22, 620-630.
11.
Frankfurt, H. (1971). The freedom of will and the concept of the person.The Journal of Philosophy, 68, 5-20.
12.
Gendlin, E. (1962). Experiencing and the creation of meaning. New York:Free Press.
13.
Gendlin, E. (1996). Focusing-oriented psychotherapy: A manual of the experiential method. New York: Guilford Press.
14.
Glaser, B. G. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity: Advances in the methodology of grounded theory. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.
15.
Glaser, B. G.,& Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.
16.
Grafanaki, S., & McLeod, J. (2002). Experiential congruence: Qualitativeanalysis of client and counsellor narrative accounts of significantevents in time-limited person-centred therapy. Counselling andPsychotherapy Research, 2, 20-32.
17.
Greenberg, L. S., Rice, L. N., & Elliott, R. (1993). Facilitating emotionalchange: A moment-by-moment process. New York: Guilford Press.
18.
Greenson, R. (1967). The technique and practice of psychoanalysis.Madison, CT: International Universities Press.
19.
Ivie, S. D. (1988). Aromantic in our time. Person-Centered Review, 3, 19-29.
20.
Kiesler, D. J. (1996). Contemporary interpersonal theory and research: Personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy. New York: Wiley.
21.
Kirschenbaum, H., & Henderson, V. L. (1989). Carl Rogers: Dialogues.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
22.
Land, D. (1996). Partial view. In R. Hutterer, G. Pawlowsky, P. F. Schmid,&R. Stipsits (Eds.), Client-centered and experiential psychotherapy: Aparadigm in motion(pp. 67-74). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
23.
Lawson, H. (1985). Reflexivity: The post-modern predicament. La Salle, IL: Open Court.
24.
Lietaer, G. (1992). Helping and hindering processes in client-centered/experiential psychotherapy: A content analysis of client and therapistpostsession sessions. In S. G. Toukmanian & D. L. Rennie (Eds.),Psychotherapy process research: Paradigmatic and narrative approaches(pp. 134-162). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
25.
Macmurray, J. (1961). Persons in relation. London: Faber and Faber.
26.
May, R. (1982). The problem of evil: An open letter to Carl Rogers. Journalof Humanistic Psychology, 22, 10-21.
27.
Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self, and society. Chicago: University of ChicagoPress.
28.
Mearns, D.,& Thorne, B. (1988). Person-centred counselling in action.London: Sage.
29.
Mearns, D., & Thorne, B. (2000). Person-centred therapy today: New frontiers in theory and practice. London: Sage.
30.
Miller, L. A. (1972). Resource-centered counselor-client interaction inrehabilitation settings. In J. D. Bozarth (Ed.), Models and functions of counseling for applied settings and rehabilitation workers(pp. 75-98).Hot Springs: University of Arkansas Press.
31.
Natiello, P. (1987). The person-centered approach: From theory to practice.Person-Centered Review, 2, 203-216.
32.
O’Hara, M. (1995). Streams: On becoming a postmodern person. In M.Suhd (Ed.), Positive regard: Carl Rogers and other notables heinfluenced(pp. 105-155). Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books.
33.
O’Hara, M. (1996). Rogers and Sylvia: A feminist analysis. In B. A. Farber,D. C. Brink, & N. M. Raskin (Eds.), The psychotherapy of Carl Rogers:Cases and commentary(pp. 284-300). New York: Guilford Press.
34.
Prochaska, J. O., & Norcross, J. C. (1999). Systems of psychotherapy: Atranstheoretical analysis(4th ed.). Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole.
35.
Raskin, N. (1978). Becoming—a therapist, a person, a partner, a parent.Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 15, 362-374.
36.
Rennie, D. L. (1992). Qualitative analysis of the client’s experience of psychotherapy: The unfolding of reflexivity. In S. G. Toukmanian & D. L. Rennie (Eds.), Psychotherapy process research: Paradigmatic andnarrative approaches(pp. 211-233). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
37.
Rennie, D. L. (1994a). Clients’ deference in psychotherapy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 41, 427-437.
38.
Rennie, D. L. (1994b). Clients’ accounts of resistance: A qualitativeanalysis. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 28, 43-57.
39.
Rennie, D. L. (1998). Person-centred counselling: An experiential approach.London: Sage.
40.
Rennie, D. L. (2000). Aspects of the client’s control of the psychotherapeutic process. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 10, 151-167.
41.
Rennie, D. L. (2002). Experiencing psychotherapy: Grounded theorystudies. In D. J. Cain& J. Seeman (Eds.), Handbook of research and practicein humanistic psychotherapies(pp. 117-144). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
42.
Rennie, D. L., Phillips, J. R.,& Quartaro, G. K. (1988). Grounded theory: Apromising approach to conceptualization in psychology? CanadianPsychology, 29, 139-150.
43.
Rhodes, R., Hill, C. E., Thompson, B., & Elliott, R. (1994). A retrospectivestudy of the client perception of misunderstanding of events. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 41, 473-483.
44.
Rogers, C. R. (1959). A theory of therapy, personality and interpersonalrelationships, as developed in the client-centered framework. In S.Koch (Ed.), Psychology: A study of a science, Vol. 3: Formulations of the person and the social contract(pp. 184-256). New York: McGraw-Hill.
45.
Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist’s view of psychotherapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
46.
Rogers, C. R. (1975). Empathic: An unappreciated way of being. The Counseling Psychologist, 5, 2-10.
47.
Rogers, C. R., & Stevens, B. (1971). Person to person: The problem of beinghuman. New York: Pocket Books. (Original work published 1967)
48.
Ryle, G. (1980). The concept of mind. New York: Penguin. (Original workpublished 1949)
49.
Schilpp, P. A. (1951). The philosophy of John Dewey(2nd ed.). New York: Tudor.
50.
Schneider, K. J. (1985). Clients’ perceptions of the positive and negativecharacteristics of their counselors. Dissertation Abstracts International, 45(10), 3345B-3345B. (University Microfilms International No.NN84217)
51.
Schneider, K. J. (1998). Toward a science of the heart: Romanticism and therevival of psychology. American Psychologist, 53, 277-289.
52.
Searle, J. (1983). Intentionality: An essay in the philosophy of mind.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
53.
Smit, W. A. (1975). Mens en persoonlikheid, ‘nantropologies-sielkundigestudie’.Bloemfontein: Saum Beperk. (Cited in H. A. Van Belle, Basicintent and therapeutic approach of Carl R. Rogers: A study of his view of man in relation to his view of therapy, personality and interpersonalrelations. Toronto: Wedge).
54.
Sullivan, H. S. (1953). The interpersonal theory of psychiatry. New York: W. W. Norton.
55.
Taylor, C. (1977). What is human agency? In T. Mischel (Ed.), The self (pp. 103-135). Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
56.
Taylor, C. (1989). Sources of the self: The making of modern identity.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
57.
Van Belle, H. A. (1980). Basic intent and therapeutic approach of Carl R. Rogers: A study of his view of man in relation to his view of therapy,personality and interpersonal relations. Toronto: Wedge.
58.
Villas-BoasBowen, M. (1996). Commentary: Themyth of non-directiveness:The case of Jill. In B. A. Farber, D. C. Brink,& N. M. Raskin (Eds.), Thepsychotherapy of Carl Rogers: Cases and commentary(pp. 84-94). New York: Guilford Press.
59.
Wijngaarden, H. R. (1961). “Gesprekstherapie.” Nederlands Tijdschriftvoor de Psychologie.Cited in H. A. Van Belle, Basic intent andtherapeutic approach of Carl Rogers: A study of his view of man in relation to hisview of therapy, personality and interpersonal relations. Toronto: Wedge.
60.
Zimring, F. (1990). A characteristic of Rogers’ response to clients. Person-Centered Review, 5, 433-448.
