According to Carl Rogers, which of the following situation is most likely to keep a person happy?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A person has correspondence between who they are and who they want to become
Option (1) A person suppresses personal desires to meet societal expectations — Incorrect. For Rogers, fulfilment is the motivating force of personality: people try to express their capabilities, potentials and talents to the fullest. Setting one’s own desires aside to please others moves the person away from her/his true self.
Option (2) A person’s behaviour is mainly controlled by external rewards and punishments — Incorrect. Behaviour shaped by rewards and punishments from the environment is the behavioural approach. Rogers sees an inborn tendency that directs persons to actualise their nature, so the drive comes from within.
Option (3) A person has correspondence between who they are and who they want to become — Correct. ‘Who they are’ is the real self and ‘who they want to become’ is the ideal self, the self a person would like to be. When there is a correspondence between the real self and the ideal self, a person is generally happy; a discrepancy between them results in unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
Option (4) A person avoids setting goals to reduce the risk of failure — Incorrect. Rogers assumes that behaviour is goal-directed and worthwhile, and that people grow through self-actualisation. Avoiding goals blocks this growth instead of bringing happiness.
NCERT (2025-26): “Humanistic Approach … The most important idea proposed by Rogers is that of a fully functioning person. He believes that fulfilment is the motivating force for personality development. People try to express their capabilities, potentials and talents to the fullest extent possible. There is an inborn tendency among persons that directs them to actualise their inherited nature.…” “…Rogers suggests that each person also has a concept of ideal self. An ideal self is the self that a person would like to be. When there is a correspondence between the real self and ideal self, a person is generally happy. Discrepancy between the real self and ideal self often results in unhappiness and dissatisfaction.…” |