The “growing edge” of this portion of the theory has to do with point 3, the congruence or genuineness of the therapist in the relationship. This means that the therapist’s symbolization of his own experience in the relationship must be accurate, if therapy is to be most effective. Thus if he is experiencing threat and discomfort in the relationship, and is aware only of an acceptance and understanding, then he is not congruent in the relationship and therapy will suffer.37
Although this was the growing edge of his theory of therapy, Rogers would claim later in this paper that it is this congruence of the counselor in the relationship that is primary, while unconditional positive regard and empathy are secondary to it. We might guess, then, that Rogers had been powerfully affected by an experience in which he himself had been defending against awareness of feelings of threat and discomfort in a therapeutic relationship, with negative consequences. And in fact he had.
In his autobiographical chapter, Rogers recounts such an experience
occurring between 1949 and 1951 after he had moved from Ohio Sate to the University of Chicago:
Taken from :PSYCHOLOGY’S GRAND THEORISTS How Personal Experiences Shaped Professional Ideas - Amy Demorest