Unconditional Positive Regard

This entry focuses on the concepts of conditional and unconditional positive regard and their implications for healthy psychological functioning. The concept of unconditional positive regard was introduced in the 1950s by Carl Rogers in the context of therapist-client relationships. It refers to the therapist communicating unqualified love and acceptance of the client, regardless of whether or not the therapist approves of the [Page 1657]client's specific actions. Unconditional positive regard is one of three therapist qualities (the other two are genuineness and empathic understanding) that foster positive growth and change on the part of the client. Considerable research substantiates the importance of these general therapist qualities to positive therapeutic outcomes.

In addition to its demonstrated importance in therapeutic settings, unconditional positive regard has been implicated in healthy outcomes associated with parenting, socialization practices, and romantic relationships. According to Rogers, all people have the capacities for healthy personal growth and development, and environments can either support or undermine these natural tendencies toward growth. Rogers asserted that environments that provide people with unconditional positive regard support natural tendencies toward growth and development. Conversely, environments thwart these tendencies by establishing conditions of worth (i.e., conditional positive regard), where love and acceptance are given only when individuals live up to standards established by significant others (e.g., parents and other adult relatives, teachers, friends, spouses). Given that people are extremely motivated to receive the love of important others, they typically become very good at satisfying the others' criteria for love's worthiness. In so doing, however, individuals often sacrifice their own needs, desires, and characteristics, making it difficult for them to function optimally. Moreover, children and adults may rigidly self-apply these standards so that they feel worthwhile only when satisfying these conditions of worth. Stated differently, exposure to conditions of worth leads people to develop contingent self-esteem, which requires continual validation of self-worth through specific behaviors, achievements, or accolades. Contingent self-esteem is fragile, precisely because it may plummet in the absence of continual validation. In contrast, healthy or secure self-esteem reflects the sense that one is inherently worthy by virtue of who one is and not what one accomplishes.