Die Tendenz zur Co-Aktualisierung: Überlegungen zum Aktualisierungsprozess innerhalb zwischenmenschlicher Beziehungen

Abstract

The Tendency toward Co-Actualization: Considerations regarding the Actualizing Process in Interpersonal Relationships. All too often the Person-Centered Approach (PCA) has been criticized as being overly “individualistic” and therefore not suitable for tasks such as teamwork, project management, collaborative learning etc. This, however, does not resonate with the author’s feeling and thinking. Hence, I suggest extending the PCA by the tentative construct of a tendency toward co-actualization aiming to highlight the essential aspect of reciprocal unfolding in and of relationships. Theoretical roots of the co-actualizing tendency are traced within Rogers’ theories and a potential integration of the co-actualizing tendency into the theories of the PCA is proposed. Practically, hypothesizing the co-actualizing tendency leads to the question “How can I/we form a relationship for mutual growth and unfolding of the relationship?” Besides practical implications the article calls for extending the PCA to fields in which co-actualization is particularly cherished.