“Here in this palm like seaweed was the tenacity of life, the forward thrust of life, the ability to push into an incredibly hostile environment and not only hold its own, but to adapt, develop, and become itself.”

All individuals (organisms) exist in a continually changing world of experience (phenomenal field) of which they are the centre. The organism reacts to the field as it is experienced and perceived. This perceptual field is “reality” for the individual. The organism reacts as an organized whole to this phenomenal field.
A portion of the total perceptual field gradually becomes differentiated as the self.

[ Press "a" key or "1" to differentiate the self. Then with "3" (less) & "4" (more) scale the self concept area ]

As a result of interaction with the environment, and particularly as a result of evaluational interaction with others, the structure of the self is formed – an organised, fluid but consistent conceptual pattern of perceptions of characteristics and relationships of the “I” or the “me”, together with values attached to these concepts.

[ Press "v" key or "2" to toggle between experiences and values attached ].

Self Concept: “the organized consistent conceptual gestalt composed of perceptions of the characteristics of ‘I’ or ‘me’ and the perceptions of the relationships of the ‘I’ or ‘me’ to others and to various aspects of life, together with the values attached to these perceptions. It is a gestalt which is available to awareness though not necessarily in awareness. It is a fluid and changing gestalt, a process, but at any given moment it is a specific entity.” (Rogers, 1959)

Values experienced directly by the organism, and in some instances are values introjected or taken over from others, but perceived in distorted fashion, as if they had been experienced directly.

[ Click on the area to "add" distorted values ]

In the development of the self concept, he saw conditional and unconditional positive regard as key. Those raised in an environment of unconditional positive regard have the opportunity to fully actualize themselves. Those raised in an environment of conditional positive regard feel worthy only if they match conditions (what Rogers describes as conditions of worth) that have been laid down for them by others.

[ Click "t" key or "5" to see how an environment of unconditional positive regard have the opportunity to fully actualize the organism ]

“If I can provide a certain type of relationship, the other person will discover within himself the capacity to use that relationship for growth and change, and personal development will occur.” (Carl Rogers, 1961)