In this article, Carl Rogers discusses what he had learned about understanding and empathy. He learned that acting as though he were something that he was not was unhelpful in relationships. He learned that accepting himself, permitting himself to understand others, accepting others, and being open to the realities of life as they were revealed in himself and in others was helpful. He leamed that acceptance and understanding reduced his desire to rush in and fix things, and that persons have a basically positive direction. He illustrated his comments with examples from his life and teaching.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Kirschenbaum, H.
, & Kirschenbaum, V. L. (1989). Introduction. In H. Kirschenbaum &V. L. Kirschenbaum (Eds.), The Carl Rogers reader (pp. xi-xvi). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
2.
Rogers, C. R.
(1980). A way of being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
