CARL ROGER'S Biography

Carl Roger was born January 8, 1902 in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, the fourth of six children. His father was a successful civil engineer and his mother was a housewife and devoted Christian. His education stared in the second grade, because he could already read before kindergarten.
When Carl was 12, his family moved to a farm about 30 miles west of Chicago, and it was here that he was sped to his adolescence. With a strict up bringing and may chores, Carl was to be come rather isolated, independent and self disciplined.

He went on the University of Wisconsi as agriculture major. Later, he switched to religion to study for the ministry. During this time, he was selected as one of ten students to go to Beijing for the World Student Christian Federation Conference” for six months. He tells us his new experiences so broadened his thinking that he began to doubt some of his basic religious view.

After graduation, he married Helen Elliot (against his parents wishes), moved to New York City, and began attending the Union Theological Seminary, a famous liberal religious institution. While there, he took a student organized seminar called “Why am I entering the ministry?” I might as well tell you that, unless you want to change your career, never take a class with such a title! He tells us that most of the participants “thought their way right out of religious work”.

Religious loss was, of course, psychology’s gain: Roger’s switched to the clinical psychology program of Columbia University, and receives his Ph.D. in 1931. He had already begun his clinical work at the Roschester Society for the Prevention of cruelty to Children. At this clinic, he learned about Otto Rank`s theory and therapy techniques, which started him on the road to developing his own approach.

He was offered a full professorship at Ohio State in 1940. In 1942, he wrote his first book , Counselling & Psychotherapy. The, 1945, he was invited to set up a counselling center at the University of Chicago. It was while working there that I 1951 he published his major work, Cliet-Centered Therapy, wherein he outlines his basic theory.

In 1957, he returned to teach at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsi. Unfortunately, it was a time of conflict within heir psychology department, and Rogers became very disillusioned with higher education. In 1964, he was happy to accept a research position in La Jolla, California. He provided therapy, gives speeches, and wrote, until his death I 1987.