The 19 propositions form the theoretical foundation of person-centred therapy. Developed by Carl Rogers, they describe how individuals experience the world, how the self develops, how psychological distress arises, and how growth becomes possible within facilitative relational conditions.
While the core conditions describe what needs to be present in the therapeutic relationship, the propositions explain why those conditions lead to change. Together, they form a complete theory of personality rather than a collection of techniques.
Person-centred therapy is grounded in this theory of experience, self, and growth.
Quick Overview: The 19 Propositions at a Glance
The 19 propositions describe how people experience reality, form a sense of self, become psychologically distressed, and move toward growth.
Propositions 1–3 establish that people live in a subjective world of experience and respond to how they perceive reality, not to objective facts.
Propositions 4–6 describe the organism as an integrated whole, motivated toward meeting needs and growth, with emotion guiding behaviour.
Propositions 7–9 explain how the self-concept develops through interaction with others and evaluative relationships.
Propositions 10–13 describe how values are formed, how experiences are accepted or denied, and how incongruence develops.
Propositions 14–17 explain psychological distress, threat, defensiveness, and the conditions under which denied experiences can be examined.
Propositions 18–19 describe integration, self-acceptance, value change, and movement toward psychological growth.
In essence, when threat is reduced and experience can be integrated, the individual’s natural tendency toward growth re-emerges.
What the 19 Propositions Are For
The propositions provide a framework for understanding:
subjective experience
the development of the self-concept
conditions of worth and incongruence
psychological threat and defence
therapeutic change
They are intended to be understood as an integrated whole, not as isolated statements.
Rogers first outlined the 19 propositions in Client-Centred Therapy (1951), where they are presented as a unified theory of personality rather than a set of techniques. Readers who want to explore the original text alongside clearer modern interpretations may find it helpful to consult Best Person-Centred Counselling Books.
The 19 Propositions (Original Wording and Explanation)
Proposition 1
Original wording:
Every individual exists in a continually changing world of experience, of which they are the centre.
Explanation:
Each person lives within a constantly shifting inner world shaped by perception, emotion, and meaning.
Proposition 2
Original wording:
The organism reacts to the field as it is experienced and perceived.
Explanation:
People respond to how situations are experienced, not to objective reality.
Proposition 3
Original wording:
This perceptual field is, for the individual, reality.
Explanation:
What feels real to the person is their psychological reality.
These propositions explain why empathic understanding is essential in therapy.
Proposition 4
Original wording:
The organism reacts as an organised whole to this phenomenal field.
Explanation:
Thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and behaviour function as an integrated system.
Proposition 5
Original wording:
Behaviour is basically the goal-directed attempt of the organism to satisfy its needs as experienced in the field.
Explanation:
Behaviour reflects attempts to meet needs based on perceived circumstances.
Proposition 6
Original wording:
Emotion accompanies, and in general facilitates, such goal-directed behaviour.
Explanation:
Emotions help organise and energise behaviour toward what feels needed.
This forms the basis of the organismic valuing process.
Proposition 7
Original wording:
The best vantage point for understanding behaviour is from the internal frame of reference of the individual.
Explanation:
Understanding requires prioritising the person’s internal perspective.
Proposition 8
Original wording:
A portion of the total perceptual field gradually becomes differentiated as the self.
Explanation:
Over time, part of experience becomes organised into a sense of “me”.
Proposition 9
Original wording:
The self-concept is formed as a result of interaction with the environment, and particularly as a result of evaluational interaction with others.
Explanation:
The self develops relationally, shaped by acceptance, evaluation, and feedback.
This directly relates to experiences of self-esteem and self-worth.
Proposition 10
Original wording:
The values attached to experiences are sometimes experienced directly by the organism, and sometimes taken over from others.
Explanation:
Values may arise from lived experience or be introjected from external sources.
Proposition 11
Original wording:
As experiences occur in the life of the individual, they are either symbolised, perceived and organised into some relation to the self, or ignored.
Explanation:
Experiences are either integrated into awareness or kept out of it.
Proposition 12
Original wording:
Most of the ways of behaving which are adopted by the organism are those which are consistent with the self-concept.
Explanation:
People tend to behave in ways that preserve their sense of self.
Proposition 13
Original wording:
In some instances, behaviour may be brought about by organic experiences and needs which have not been symbolised.
Explanation:
Behaviour can be driven by unmet needs or feelings outside conscious awareness.
These propositions explain how incongruence develops through conditions of worth.
Proposition 14
Original wording:
Psychological maladjustment exists when the organism denies or distorts awareness of significant experiences.
Explanation:
Distress arises when important experiences are blocked or distorted.
Proposition 15
Original wording:
Psychological adjustment exists when the concept of the self is such that all sensory and visceral experiences are, or may be, assimilated into awareness.
Explanation:
Wellbeing increases when the self can accommodate the full range of experience.
Proposition 16
Original wording:
Any experience which is inconsistent with the organisation or structure of the self may be perceived as a threat.
Explanation:
Experiences that challenge the self-concept feel psychologically threatening.
Proposition 17
Original wording:
Under certain conditions, involving primarily complete absence of threat to the self-structure, experiences which are inconsistent with it may be perceived and examined.
Explanation:
When emotional safety increases, previously denied experiences can be explored.
This process is closely linked to shifts in the locus of evaluation.
Proposition 18
Original wording:
As the individual perceives and accepts into one consistent and integrated system all his sensory and visceral experiences, he necessarily becomes more understanding of others and more accepting of others as separate individuals.
Explanation:
Self-acceptance leads to greater acceptance of others.
Proposition 19
Original wording:
As the individual accepts more experiences into his self-structure, he finds his value system undergoing a process of change.
Explanation:
Values shift toward what is internally experienced rather than externally imposed.
This reflects the therapeutic change described in the seven stages of process.
How the Propositions Shape Person-Centred Therapy
The 19 propositions explain why person-centred therapy prioritises the therapeutic relationship over technique. Change occurs through reduced threat and increased psychological safety, not through instruction or interpretation.
They underpin:
the core conditions
the understanding of incongruence
the process of therapeutic change
They form the theoretical spine of the approach.
Recommended Reading: Understanding the 19 Propositions
If you want to deepen your understanding of the 19 propositions, it helps to read Rogers’ original work alongside later person-centred writers who clarify and expand the theory.
These texts are commonly recommended for grounding the propositions within the wider person-centred framework.
Client-Centred Therapy – Carl Rogers
The original source of the 19 propositions and the foundation of person-centred theory.
Best for:
Understanding Rogers’ original thinking
Grasping the theoretical basis of the propositions
Reading the propositions in their original context
Client-Centred Therapy
A core Rogers text explaining client-centred therapy in depth, including the principles of non-directivity and the therapist’s role. Best for trainees who want the original theory and clinical implications.
Person-Centred Counselling in Action
A clear, accessible explanation of person-centred theory and how it translates into therapeutic practice.
Best for:
Linking theory to therapy
Clarifying complex concepts
Seeing how the propositions inform clinical work
Person-Centred Counselling in Action
A core training text for person-centred counselling, linking theory to real therapeutic practice through clear explanations and clinical examples. Widely used on UK counselling courses.
View on Amazon →The Handbook of Person-Centred Psychotherapy and Counselling
A comprehensive overview of contemporary person-centred theory, research, and application.
Best for:
Broader theoretical understanding
Contextualising the propositions within modern practice
Deepening conceptual confidence
The Handbook of Person-Centred Psychotherapy and Counselling Paperback – 3 Oct. 2024
by Mick Cooper (Editor), Maureen O'Hara (Editor), Gina Di Malta (Editor), Yana Gololob (Editor)h.
View on Amazon →