On becoming Carl Rogers /

In his long lifetime he's worn many hats--seminary student, psychologist, researcher, facilitator--but Carl Rogers gained national prominence when On Becoming a Person first appeared in 1961, just as the human potential movement began its ascent. ""His critics call him superficial and an oversimplifier. But he seems to get results, and his tribe increases."" Kirschenbaum's deferential biography, dense with quotations, traces Rogers' life from Wisconsin childhood to California semi-retirement, and charts the development of his thought. Rogers crossed the street from Union Theological Seminary to Teachers College when psychology seemed a more felicitous calling, and this initial grounding in clinical and educational psychology, rather than other forms of psychotherapy, determined his early direction (at Rochester's Child Study Department). But his movement away from a ""coercive"" approach, toward acceptance and understanding as therapeutic watchwords, was a slow, steady process in which Rogers apparently worked closely with associates (Virginia Axline and Thomas Gordon among them), thrived on mutual exchanges, and resisted the limelight. Often he received major credit for joint projects but Rogers was never regarded by fellow-workers as a prima donna and they valued his non-directive, round-table attitudes. Kirschenbaum does an adequate job of detailing Rogers' personal and professional growth, of relaying the esteem of both colleagues and adversaries, of distinguishing genuine accomplishments from less productive years, and of including the kinds of criticism Rogers' work provoked. He goes overboard in some instances--summarizing the contents of each book chapter by chapter--and downplays the fiery nature of his more serious disagreements, but he does not make outsized claims for Rogers' appeal. And he works in those famous debates with Skinner (providing, incidentally, the only light moments) as well as Rogers' roles as husband and father. An authorized biography, more respectful than inspired, with considerable human potential. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.