belief that all people have the internal resources required for personal growth. Rogers theorized that people have an inherent desire towards socially constructive behavior, and this desire is always present whether its obvious or not. Also, he believed that every individual had a need for self-determination. The urge to be socially constructive increases when the when a person’s need for self-determination is respected. Rogers' theory encouraged other psychologists to suspend judgement and to listen to a person with an attitude that the client has within himself/herself the ability to change, without actually changing who he/she is. History The concept of unconditional positive regard was developed by Carl Rogers in 1956, expanding on the earlier (1954) work of Stanley Standal. During this time, Rogers was working as a clinical psychologist with children at a mental health clinic in Rochester, New York. While working at the clinic, Rogers became influenced by Jessie Taft, a social worker who believed that the relationship between the therapist and the patient was the most influential part of treatment. This appealed to Rogers and led to his development of client-centered therapy. Client-centered therapy requires four characteristics of the therapist in order to promote the highest level of growth. These include empathy, unconditional positive regard, congruence, and attitude versus technique. Rogers defined unconditional positive regard by individually explaining the key elements of the term. He explained that unconditional means, "No conditions of acceptance...It is at the opposite pole from a selective evaluating attitude." He wrote that positive means, "A warm acceptance of the person. A genuine caring for the client." In reference to regard he wrote that, "One regards each aspect of the client's experience as being part of that client. It means a caring for the client, but not in a possessive way or in such a way as simply to satisfy the therapist's own needs. It means caring for the client as a separate person, with permission to have his [or her] own feelings, his [or her] own experiences." In Roger's book, On Becoming A Person, Rogers cites Stanley Standal as the source of the theory of unconditional positive regard. Research implications Since its emergence in 1956, unconditional positive regard has received little attention in psychological research. Lietaer, G.(1984) conducted research on the controversy surrounding unconditional positive regard. He stated that unconditional positive regard is one of the most questioned aspects of client-centred therapy. Purton, C.