Sublime

For Rogers, the cardinal sin in therapy, or in teaching or family life, is the imposition of authority. A radical egalitarian, Rogers sees individuals as capable of self-direction without regard for received wisdom and outside of organizations such as the church or the academy. Despite its origins in the helping relationship, Rogers’s philosophy is

I know of no society in which family doesn’t exist, and it carries with it obligations. It is unpredictable what sorts of families will emerge and what the obligations will be, but the purpose of the family aside from raising children, caring for the ill, and creating a division of labor is to satisfy a human hunger for companionship.

In a society where the family, church, and community are not the support structures they once were, people look to their colleagues for the emotional support a family once provided. This lack of boundaries between the personal and work life is fraught with all sorts of difficulties.

Visitor: May have concern for no one else, seeks novelty or fun experiences. Novice: Concern for individual self, seeks personal achievement and legitimacy. Member: Concern for one’s peer group, seeks success and respect for the group. Elder: Concern for everyone in the tribe everywhere, seeks the whole tribe’s success and respect. Principal elder:

Rogers stated his central hypothesis in one sentence: “If I can provide a certain type of relationship, the other will discover within himself the capacity to use that relationship for growth, and change and personal development will occur.”