A man thinks of himself as an outstanding athlete. One day, he watches some tennis players at his athletic club who are considerably better than he is. This information is threatening to his self-concept. Because the man is not fully functioning, Rogers might have expected him to do one of the following except one. Which one?
A) Experience anxiety.
B) Reinterpret what he has seen to make it less threatening.
C) Deny that the men are good tennis players.
D) Accept that there are better tennis players than himself.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist, believed that fully functioning individuals are open to experience and can integrate these experiences into their self-concept without distortion. The options A, B, and C involve either denying or distorting the reality of the situation, which aligns with Rogers' views on how individuals who are not fully functioning might respond to protect their self-concept. Option D, accepting that there are better tennis players than himself, reflects a level of self-acceptance and openness to experience that Rogers would expect from a fully functioning individual, not from someone who is not fully functioning.

A Man Thinks of Himself as an Outstanding Athlete