Rogers claimed that when we are abl

Rogers claimed that when we are able to listen to the response of others but
are not overly concerned with their reactions, we are able to develop an internal
locus of evaluation. Because most of us have a strong need for approval,
gaining that sense of self-evaluation is a challenging task. Also, many of us
are more critical of ourselves than of others. As we develop an internal locus
of evaluation, we are able to give ourselves credit and appreciation when it is
due. Having a keen sense of our talents and abilities goes along with developing
a sense of self-esteem. As we become able to assess ourselves honestly, we
are less in need of continual praise from others.
OFFERING STIMULATING AND CHALLENGING EXPERIENCES
Certain external conditions foster and nurture the internal conditions for creativity.
Carl Rogers (1961) outlined two such conditions: psychological safety,
consisting of accepting the individual as of unconditional worth, providing a
climate in which external evaluation is absent, and empathic understanding;
and psychological freedom. Natalie Rogers (1993) adds a third condition: offering
stimulating and challenging experiences. Psychological safety and psychological
freedom are the soil and nutrients for creativity, but seeds must be planted.
What N. Rogers found lacking as she worked with her father were stimulating
experiences that would motivate and allow people time and space to engage in
the creative process. People could sit in therapy and talk about being creative
without actually experiencing the creative process. Our culture is particularly
geared to verbalizing, and according to N. Rogers, it is necessary to stimulate
the client or group participant by offering challenging experiences. Carefully
planned experiments or experiences designed to involve participants in the
expressive arts (if they chose to take the opportunity) help clients focus on the
process of creating.