Classical person-centered and experiential perspectives on Rogers (1957)

Rogers (1957) foreshadows the later development of the person-centered approach in North America and elsewhere. In this paper, the authors present contrasting perspectives on the legacy of this key paper. First, from the perspective of classical person-centered therapy, Freire describes the context for this key paper within the wider frame of Rogers' body of work and emphasizes its continuing importance and relevance. Second, Elliott offers a personal history from the point of view of a psychotherapy researcher and process-experiential therapist. These two perspectives represent two major and distinct views of Rogers' legacy from within his direct intellectual and therapeutic descendants.