The ideal self and the real self are the two most important structural concepts of what Carl Rogers called the “self” (the self-concept or the concept of oneself). This is one of the central points of his theory of personality and, by extension, of his psychotherapeutic model.
Rogers was one of the greatest exponents of humanistic psychology and the phenomenological approach, one of the great figures of Psychology in the 20th century.
What is the “self” for Rogers?
The “self”, the self-concept or the concept of oneself is the key concept of Rogers’ personality theory. It grows as the person has experiences with their environment and gives them meaning. Thus, it is incorporating values, ideals and perceptions based on said experience, in an organized way.
The self-concept is a portion of the individual’s perceptual field that lies in the way a person considers himself. It is a body of experiences that are expressed symbolically by the concept of “self” and that is accessible to consciousness. It is a psychological structure that helps people interpret their own world.
Rogers understands the “self” as a process, with fluid and flexible characteristics that can change. However, the “self” always retains some features of configuration, coherence and integration.
The ideal self and the real self for Carl Rogers
Rogers defines the ideal “self” as “the concept of self that the person longs for and to which he assigns a higher value.” It is the model towards which all efforts are directed. It is also changing, like the “self”, and is constantly redefined.
The ideal self is an aspiration of what we would like to become, an idealized image of ourselves. It can incorporate elements of what we have been instilled with as children, what we admire in others, the most socially accepted values, etc.
For its part, the “real self” is the self-concept based on the person’s experience and relationship with their environment. It is the perception of what we are, the image we have of ourselves, with our qualities, limitations, defects, etc.
If there is congruence between the person’s self-concept and what they aspire to, there will be more possibilities of achieving psychological well-being and stability. High congruence produces greater self-esteem and a healthier emotional life.
Only with it can we achieve what Rogers called self realisationthat is, the culmination of an innate human tendency, a process aimed at personal growth and development.
What is incongruity for Rogers?
However, the individual is in a state of incongruity when you experience a strong discrepancy between your ideal “self” and your real experience.
The more divergence there is between “I am” and “I should be”, the higher the person’s tendency towards anguish, dissatisfaction and non-conformity will be. This situation causes psychological discomfort and different forms of psychopathology. For Rogers, neurosis would have its basis in this desynchronization.
Thus, the ideal self (or the ideal “self”) can represent a serious obstacle to the person’s mental health if there is no ability to perceive the self clearly and to accept itself on the part of the individual.
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