The “I” concept is a defining construct in the approach of the American researcher and psychotherapist C. Rogers. In fact, this element is such an integral part of Rogers' theory that many psychoanalysts simply call it the "theory of I".
Differences of the theory of the researcher
Unlike psychoanalysts such as Freud, Adler and Erickson, Rogers in the “I” concept did not create any scheme of critical stages through which, overcoming difficulties and stress, a person must pass through in order to form as a person. Rogers focused more on the fact that a positive or negative assessment of a child from the very first months affects his image of "I".
A newborn perceives the whole world holistically, indivisibly. The infant does not distinguish himself as a separate being and therefore does not make any distinction between what belongs to him and what does not belong. And consequently, “I” does not exist for a newborn.
The appearance of "I" in the baby
Rogers in the "I" concept said that in the process of its formation, the "I" is regulated only by the evaluation process in the body. In other words, the infant evaluates hitherto unfamiliar experiences from the perspective of whether they help or hinder his innate desire for actualization. For example, cold or hunger, thirst or heat, or sudden sudden noise is perceived as a threat to biological integrity. And so they are evaluated negatively.
Food, water, food, peace are perceived positively, as they help to grow and develop. In a sense, such a biological control process allows you to properly and timely meet the needs of the baby. The baby evaluates his own experiences regarding whether he likes them or not.
Subsequently, the personality structure is formed through interaction with the social environment. The largest role is played by significant others - mother and father, siblings. The "I" concept appears on the basis of interaction with other family members. And therefore, the content that fills it to a large extent is the product of the child's socialization.
Self actualization
A distinctive feature of the concept of Rogers (and Maslow, who also emphasized self-actualization, the pursuit of good in man) is the thesis that each person is initially good and strives for the beautiful. And so, people naturally move in the direction of greater differentiation, maturity, autonomy.
Investigating the nature of the personality, Rogers concludes that the essence of human nature is based on moving forward towards certain goals. It is constructive, correlated with the principle of reality. According to Rogers, the founder of psychoanalysis Freud created a picture of a completely irrational person who is not socialized and has destructive tendencies aimed at both destroying himself and destroying everything around him. When a person feels psychological freedom, he is always open to new experience and can act in a trusting and positive manner.
Psychological defense
For the most part, everyday human behavior should always be consistent with his self-concept. Rogers emphasized that a person always strives to maintain a state of a certain self-perception, coordination of experiencing his personality. This leads to the logical conclusion that all experiences that are in harmony with the self-concept, can be realized by a person, accurately assessed. And as for those experiences that are in a conflict position with respect to the individual, they form a threat to the "I". And therefore, such experiences and thoughts are not allowed to realization and accurate perception. It should be noted that the human concept is the criterion according to which all experiences are either compared, or symbolized in consciousness, or such symbolization is completely denied.
Clash of concepts: an example
For example, religious parents convince a young man that it is a great sin to enter into close relations with a girl before marriage is officially concluded. But at the same time, the young man attends college and finds other attitudes and values with his peers. His peers approve of this behavior, especially if there is love between young people, they are true to each other. The young man still adheres to those principles that were instilled in him from childhood. He meets a girl who adheres to the worldview of other college students, and falls in love with her. At the same time, he is inferior to the girl, but the relationship becomes painful for him. They simply do not fit into the image of the "I", which was created in him from childhood.
Threat to integrity
In the Karl Rogers' self-concept, a threat can exist when people are directly aware of the discrepancy between their image of themselves (as well as the values associated with this image) and a certain aspect of the current experience that is relevant to them at the moment. Experiences that are completely inconsistent with their image of “I” are subjectively perceived as threatening. They are not allowed to the threshold of awareness, because in this case the unity and integrity of the person is violated. For example, if a person considers himself decent and honest, and some act will not correspond to his ideas, then the “I” will be at risk. The reaction usually includes guilt, confusion, anxiety.
Not always the discrepancy between the actual "I" and its image can be perceived at the same time on a conscious level. In the theory of the “I” concept, Rogers says that situations are not uncommon when a person feels a threat, but does not realize it at all. When there is such a mismatch, the person becomes at risk of various mental disorders.
Anxiety then turns into an emotional reaction to the threat to personal unity. An anxious person, therefore, is one who vaguely understands: the recognition of one or another of his experiences will lead to a radical transformation of his current personality. Awareness of the deep-rooted sense of hostility will require a global reorganization of the entire “I” concept of the person who until now has considered himself loving and gentle. He will begin to worry whenever he feels anger.
In his conception of personality, Rogers emphasizes that if nothing threatens a person for a long time, he becomes open to interaction and experience. He absolutely does not need to defend himself. But if he understands or feels on a subconscious level that his current experience is somehow not consistent with the “I” concept, then a threat will arise. Following the logic of events, a protective reaction follows. C. Rogers in the "I" concept defined protection as a specific behavioral reaction of an organism to a threat from without. Its main purpose is to maintain a holistic personality. The psychologist wrote that such a goal is achieved through conscious distortion of a certain experience in the human mind. Such distortion helps to reduce the difference between negative feelings of guilt and the structure of the “I”. In other words, protection helps to maintain self-esteem and well protects it from the danger of feelings of fear, guilt, anxiety.
Rogers defense mechanisms
The psychologist suggested only two defense mechanisms. They are used in order to minimize information about the discrepancy between the "I" and the negative experience. This is a distortion of perception, as well as denial. However, it should be noted that a threatening personality experience is not allowed in the awareness of a person to symbolize. This is not because it somehow contradicts the moral standards established by the individual, or is “sinful”. Symbolization does not occur due to incompatibility with the "I" structure. Therefore, protective behavior preserves the existing personality structure and allows the individual not to lose self-esteem.
Perceptual distortion occurs if an inappropriate experience is admitted into the human mind, but only in a form that allows this experience to be compatible with a certain aspect of the personality image. For example, a university student considers himself capable of chemistry. However, suddenly he gets a bad mark, and this happens quite rightly. A student may try to maintain his “I” concept if he misinterprets his failure: “The teacher unfairly gives grades” or “Today I’m out of luck.” Rogers explains this selective perception as rationalization. In this example, the student’s experience is perceived by the student, but its true meaning remains unclear. In fact, denial arises whenever an individual does not want to admit to himself that the experience really took place.
Rogers Psychopathology
The described provisions of the “I” concept of Rogers, briefly described in this article, can be applied to each person. Even the most psychologically prosperous person can sometimes encounter an unpleasant experience that poses a threat to his “I” concept, and he has to falsely interpret this or that experience.
Most people have adequate mental protection, which allows them to cope with moderate levels of stress and anxiety and act in such a way as to minimize this anxiety. However, if internal experiences are completely inconsistent with the “I” - structure, or if inconsistent experiences are too common, then the person begins to experience extremely strong anxiety that violates his daily routine. As a rule, such a person is called a neurotic.
Rogers himself sought to avoid such diagnostic labels. In such cases, the level of discomfort of the individual is such that he, apparently, needs the help of a therapist. However, the protection of the neurotic can also to some extent prevent the destruction of his "I". As a result, the neurotic personality retains its structure, however, the person is unable to adequately assess the instability of his condition. He becomes very vulnerable in a psychological sense.
Didactic concept of Rogers
Researchers were not happy with the traditional education system. He believed that lessons and exams only interfere with the learning process, and the authority of the teacher’s figure should be questioned. He proposed a new learning model. In it, the teacher should be guided by their life experience, and students should build their curriculum. A favorable psychological climate for learning should be created in the classroom. And strict discipline should be replaced by self-discipline.
Criticism of the ideas of C. Rogers
Many authors emphasize that C. Rogers looks too positively at a person. It is foolish to conduct psychotherapy, relying only on the desire for self-actualization and not recognizing the shadow side of the personality.
The concept of marriage of C. Rogers was also criticized, which postulated the correctness of the "open" relationship in marriage (sexual relations of both partners outside the family). The psychologist believed that such an approach promotes the development of personality.