Person to Person: The Problem of Being Human [Paperback]

Carl Rogers (Editor), Barry Stevens (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (June 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671780573
• ISBN-13: 978-0671780579
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,265,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carl Rogers(1902-1987) was one of the most influential psychologists in American history. He received many honors, including the first Distinguished Professsional Contributor Award and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American Psychological Association.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SERIES OF PAPERS AND COMMENTS; BY ROGERS, AND OTHERS, September 21, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Person to Person (Condor Books) (Paperback)

Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was an influential American psychologist and (along with Abraham Maslow) among the founders of humanistic psychology.

He writes in the Introduction to this 1967 book, "This book is built around seven papers which start from an assumption unusual in psychology today. The assumption is that the subjective human being has an importance and a value which is basic: that no matter how he may be labeled or evaluated he is a human person first of all, and most deeply. He is not only a machine, not only a collection of stimulus-response bonds, not an object, not a pawn. So while the papers deal cover a variety of topics, and in at least three instances deal with individuals labeled 'abnormal,' they are all basically about persons."

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

"I would stress that my vantage point for making these observations is not that of the scholar or philosopher: I am speaking from my experience of the functioning human being, as I have lived with him in the intimate experience of therapy, and in other situations of growth, change, and development."

Concerning his famous debate with B.F. Skinner, he says, "In his reply Dr. Skinner said that he would not go into the question of whether he had any choice in the matter (presumably because the whole issue is illusory) but stated, 'I do accept your characterization of my own presence here.' I do not need to labor the point that for Dr. Skinner the concept of 'learning to be free' would be quite meaningless."

"I have tried to show that the freedom they achieve is definable in ways which complement rather than contradict the current scientific view of man's behavior."

"(I)t is the QUALITY of the interpersonal encounter with the client which is the most significant element in determining effectiveness."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book with a great message... and easy to read!, August 13, 2007

By 

M. Schott "HomeBrewGeek" (Fresno, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Having been a fan of Carl Rogers and Humanistic approaches to life and psychotherapy for some time, I was surprised to stumble upon this book in a "giveaway" section of my grad schools library. I saw that it was written, at least in part, by Carl Rogers. However, Barry Stevens contributes the most in this fantastic perspective on how to be in the world. She provided anecdotal examples that really make understanding the material clear.

This is one of those books that I have a hard time understanding why it is no longer in print. It was eye-opening and, to some extent, life changing. My understanding is that Stevens eventually became deeply involved with Fritz Perls and his Gestalt movement (surely not a bad thing), though this book emphasizes her relationship and correspondences with Rogers.

Beautiful.