The Surprising Benefits of Unconditional Positive Regard

In 1967, a catchy tune by The Beatles, “All You Need is Love,” became the anthem for the Summer of Love. The Flower Power culture embraced the song and its message, “love is all you need.” If someone had asked humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers what the song meant, he might have said, “Unconditional Positive Regard!”

Although it didn’t quite roll off the tongue the same way, Rogers introduced the concept nearly a decade before the Beatles song, it has the same basic message: empathy invokes change.

Rogers emphasized the importance of unconditional positive regard in healthy personality development, and his work has implications beyond the lab or therapist’s office. Treating ourselves and others with unconditional positive regard can improve our lives in many ways.

In this article, we will cover:

• What is unconditional positive regard?
• What is an example of unconditional positive regard?
• How does unconditional positive regard facilitate self-actualization?
• How does unconditional positive regard breed self-confidence?
• How does unconditional positive regard bolster motivation?
• How does unconditional positive regard foster authenticity?