Fully Functioning Person

According to Carl Rogers (American Psychologist), people have an innate desire to achieve their full potential and become an ideal human being, this is also known as self actualization. Roger claimed that, a fully functioning person is an individual who is constantly trying and persevering to reach self -actualization.

Here are a few characteristics of a fully functioning person according to Rogers.

1) They are open to all experiences.

Since they have a sense of positive self concept, they are open to positive emotions of praise and tenderness, as well as negative emotions such as fear etc. They are not defensive when it comes to experiencing a wide range of emotions.

2) They live in the moment. They experience new situations lively and richly.

Although most experiences are unpredictable, the individual will participate in them, rather than just observe.

3) They trust their own decisions rather than being guided by the opinions of others.

They perceive and evaluate all information and they are not threatened by it. Their decisions are more intuitive and emotional rather than intellectual.

4) They freely make their choices without any internal restrictions.

They are aware that their future depends on their own actions and not on others or past events. Therefore they don't feel pressured by others or themselves to behave in a particular way.

5) They are creative and able to adapt to the changing environment.

A fully functioning person is flexible and constantly seeking new challenges and experiences. They don't depend upon predictability, freedom from tension or security.

Such individuals maintain a congruence between their self-image and the reality. These individuals are not always happy or blissful. Sometimes they do face difficulties but they still manage to be satisfied and happy with themselves. Carl Rogers stated that a fully functioning person is someone who is actualizing rather than actualized. Roger stated that the process of being of fully functioning person is the direction and not the destination.