Carl Rogers’ struggle to be “real” and its implications for understanding psychologists’ life–work connections and sociocultural impact

Abstract

This study examines and interprets a significant connection between the life experiences and professional work of Carl Rogers. The focus is on Rogers’ life-long struggle to be “congruent” or “real” in his therapeutic, professional, and personal relationships, a challenge that he never managed to meet fully. In doing so, it illustrates the possible utility of studies of connections between the personal lives of psychologists, the psychological ideas and theories they create, and the sociocultural impact they have.