Maureena Robertson '00

Family Information

Carl Ransom Rogers was born on January 8th in 1902. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois and was the fourth child of six. His father was a successful civil engineer and his mother was a housewife and devout Christian. Being raised in a strict religious environment, Rogers learned the value of hard work through his portion of the household chores. These chores also taught him to share responsibility. He became very independent, isolated and self-disciplined.
After a lifetime of amazing contributions to psychology, Carl Ransom Rogers died of a heart attack on February 4th 1987 in San Diego, California.

Education

Rogers began his education in second grade because he was able to read before kindergarten. He went to the University of Wisconsin with the hopes of studying agriculture but switched to religion to study for the ministry. Rogers received his BA in 1924. After graduation, he married Helen Elliot and then moved to New York to attend the Union Theological Seminary, which was known as a liberal religious institution. During this time Rogers acted
as the pastor of a small church in Vermont as part of his studies. He also became deeply involved in clinical work with disturbed children at the Rochester Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to children. It was this work that shifted his interests to clinical work. Rogers entered the clinical psychology program at Columbia University and received his MA in 1928. Rogers continued his education towards a Ph.D. and did his clinical work at the
Rochester Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. It was during this time that Rogers was introduced to Otto Rank’s theory and therapy techniques and inspired Rogers to develop his own.

Teaching Career

In 1940 Rogers became a professor of psychology at Ohio State University and stayed there for five years. In 1942 he wrote his first book, Counseling and Psychotherapy. In 1945 Rogers moved on and became the executive secretary of the counseling center at the University of Chicago as well as continuing his career as professor of psychology. In 1951 he published his major work, Client-Centered Therapy, in which he outlines his theory. Rogers
remained at the University of Chicago until 1957. Rogers then went back to his alma mater, University of Wisconsin, with a joint position in the psychology and psychiatry departments. These departments were in a time of conflict when Rogers arrived which lead to Rogers disenchantment with higher education. Rogers began a new phase of his career by entering into a position of research in La Jolla, California. In California he provided therapy,
gave speeches and wrote.

Who was Carl Rogers?

Carl Rogers was the father of client-centered therapy. He revolutionized the course of therapy that existed and developed his own approach referred to as psychotherapy. Rogers’ theory of personality development was developed out of his frustration with authoritative therapists that imposed analysis. Rogers felt that the patients should be allowed to discover the solution to their problems themselves and should take responsibility for them. His therapy revolved around his view that the patient knows what hurts, what direction they want to go in, what problems are crucial and which memories and experienced have been buried. Rogers believed that each client has within themselves a wealth of resources for self-understanding, for altering one’s own self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behavior. He believed that a therapist must help to tap those resources in order to provide helpful therapy. This approach to therapy allows the patient to learn about him/herself and make their own choices that are significant to them understanding the problem.

Rogers was the first psychologist to systematically analyze therapy sessions. He began by recording the sessions. Rogers would then analyze the transcripts from the sessions and examined factors related to the outcome of therapy. Rogers was also the pioneer for encounter groups. Rogers focused on self-actualization, self-discovery and personal growth. He spent his life doing research and wrote 16 books as well as over 200 articles. His work has touched areas ranging from psychotherapy to counseling to education to conflict resolution and peace.

During the last decade of his life, Rogers devoted his time applying his theories to areas of conflict throughout the nation. Rogers traveled to Belfast, Ireland and brought together the Protestants and the Catholics. He then traveled to South Africa where he assisted with trying to establish peace between the black and white inhabitants. In the Unites States Rogers brought together consumers and providers in the health field. In November of 1985, Rogers and some of his colleagues created their Peace Project. This conference took place in Rust, Austria and brought together high-ranking diplomats from seventeen Central and South American countries to discuss "The Central American Challenge". Rogers took his last trip at the age of 85. He traveled to the Soviet Union where he lectured and led workshops fostering communication and creativity. The day he died, February 4th 1987, Carl Ransom Rogers was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in Ireland, South Africa and Central America.

Awards

1955- Nicholas Murray Butler Silver Medal from Columbia University
1956- Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award for research in psychotherapy from the American Psychological Association
1964- selected as humanist of the year, American Humanist Association
1972- distinguished professional psychologist award, Division of Psychotherapy

Positions Held

1944- President of the American Association for Applied Psychology
1946- President of the American Psychological Association
1956- First President of the American Academy of Psychotherapist
1960- member of executive committee, University of Wisconsin
1962- Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences


All information in this paper was taken from the following web pages:

Boeree, G. (1998). Carl Rogers: 1902-1987 [online]. Available: http://www.ship.edu/`cgboeree/rogers.html. (April 24, 2000).

Dushkin/McGraw-Hill Companies (2000). Biography: Carl Rogers [online]. Available: http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch11/bio11d.mhtml. (April
24, 2000).

Gale Group. (February 16, 1987). Died. Carl Ransom Rogers. (obituary) [online]. Available:
http://web7.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/27/270/61159290w3/purl=rc1_EAIM_0_A4664607&dyn=39!xrn_7_0_A4664607?sw_aep=sbc_main.
(April 12, 2000).

Hall, Kathy. (no date given). Carl Rogers: 1902-1987 [online]. Available: http://muskingum.edu/%7Epsychology/psycweb/history/rogers.htm#Time Line.
(April 24, 2000).

Smith, M. (July 14, 1999). Carl Rogers [online]. Available: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-rogers.htm. (April 24, 2000).

Sonoma University. (no date given). Carl Rogers: Where No Psychologist Went Before [online]. Available: http://psy1.clarion.edu/jms/Rogers.html. (April
24, 2000).

No author given. (August 10, 1998). Carl Rogers (1902-1987) [online]. Available: http://home.earthlink.net/-chalquist/rogers.html. (April 24,
2000).

No author given. (April 2, 1999). Carl Rogers: Where No Psychologist Went Before [online]. Available: http://oprf.com/Rogers/. (April 24, 2000)

No author given. (no date given). Carl Rogers [online]. Available: http://nrogers.com/carlrogers.html. (April 24, 2000).