The Core Conditions Young People Need to Flourish

Educational institutions were built to help young people grow into individuals who are able to find a place in society with independence. For this, one would need to be capable of managing the stressors and obstacles that naturally fall when navigating through life – we usually associate this ability with resilient mental health with a broad direction of travel that has been chosen when finishing school.

However, due to the current sociopolitical environment that has a bias towards grade results, constrained resources, excessive load and not enough support, teachers in schools are pressured into doing what they can to get young people ‘over the line’. This is an environment where crude outcomes are valued over anything else, and the adults that invest in the holistic development of the pupils are often burnt out and left disenfranchised. The current provision of education for young people is not one focused on cultivating healthy individuals who flourish as themselves in different contexts in society; young people today are being crushed under the weight of the pressure to attain certain grades to even be considered for certain jobs, and their mental and social wellbeing is being sidelined as a result.

So, the question arises: what do the young people in schools need so that not only do they leave with an academic leg up into their adult life, but also the holistic growth and development to become healthy and happy as adults?

The secret lies in a concept developed by psychologist Carl Rogers: the Rogerian Core Conditions. These resources of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and authenticity (also referred to as ‘congruency’), originally designed for therapeutic relationships and now foundational to all approaches in psychotherapy, are essential provisions for the psychological and social development of young people.

Defining the three core conditions

How can school facilitate a culture where students feel truly heard, valued, and supported – regardless of their background or abilities?

This isn’t just a utopian dream; it’s a reality that can be achieved through the application of Rogerian Core Conditions. Developed by psychologist Carl Rogers to form the basis of person-centered therapy, these three core conditions are:

1. Empathy
2. Unconditional Positive Regard
3. Authenticity (or Congruence)

Origins in person-centered therapy

The Rogerian Core Conditions originated from Carl Rogers’ work in person-centered therapy, which emphasises an innate human tendency to grow into a better version of one’s self given the right conditions by others. This tendency has been referred to as ‘self-actualisation’ in laymen’s terms, and is associated with optimal human functioning.

For young people in schools, these conditions create a culture of student-centered learning environments that prioritise:

• Individual student needs
• Emotional safety
• Self-directed learning
• Holistic development – psychological, social and educational

Naturally, a culture imbued with these core conditions can significantly positively impact young people’s mental health and overall wellbeing. By incorporating these principles, schools can create a supportive environment that fosters:

• Improved student-teacher relationships
• Enhanced learning outcomes
• Increased student engagement
• Development of emotional intelligence
• Positive mental health and flourishing immediately and going forwards into adult life

Empathy

Empathy is about feeling, understanding and relating to the experience of others – putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. This is different to sympathy, which is about feeling sorry for others, but not feeling or relating to what they are experiencing. Empathy can be incredibly powerful for young people in particular, as they typically experience a range of new emotions and experiences, and struggle to cope in non-harmful ways.

Empathy in Real life

Take the very common experience of a young person feeling anxious about their place in their friendship group. It is common that this person would find it hard to express these feelings because, from this person’s perspective, to do so would be to acknowledge a potential reality that they are not as liked as others, and this can be painful and embarrassing to externalise. Resultantly, they might feel totally alone going through this, and manage it in destructive ways – like going outside of their way to impress and ending up in trouble or getting into harmful situations.

However, when met with empathy, a person feels understood and related to by others. Therefore, they can foster a validation of their own experience, meaning they do not need to reject their thoughts, feelings or behaviours. Because of this validation, they can work through the difficulty, rather than trying to fight it.

So, if this young person’s behaviour of trying to impress is held with empathy by adults, then they can feel that it’s ok to feel embarrassed and upset about their current difficulty with their friends. This opens the door to them seeking support, and can lead to the productive management of their situation going forwards. In other words – the empathetic validation of their experience means they can work to manage it, rather than keep it hidden and let it negatively impact them in the background.

Impact of empathy on student engagement and motivation

Empathy has a profound impact on engagement and motivation in education, contributing significantly to their overall mental health and flourishing as they develop. Consider the following table:

Unconditional Positive Regard

Unconditional positive regard (UPR) is a cornerstone of Rogerian psychology that holds immense value in educational settings. This core condition emphasises accepting and supporting students regardless of their actions. When experiencing UPR, individuals can look honestly at themselves because they do not feel the defensiveness that appears when feeling judged, and real growth and change can occur.

Building student self-worth

Experiencing UPR can significantly boost students’ self-worth and consequently their confidence when it comes to learning and interacting with others. A non-judgemental approach creates a safe space where young people feel valued for who they are, not just for their accomplishments or mistakes.

As a result, not only are young people more likely to express themselves in a healthy way and engage in class without fear of judgment, but they are better able to develop a strong emotional intelligence and manage their behaviours. This all helps them to grow into young adults with a sense of self-worth and inherent value, regardless of what happens.

Separating behaviour from intrinsic worth

One of the key aspects of unconditional positive regard is the ability to differentiate between a student’s actions and their intrinsic value. This distinction is vital for:

• Helps students understand that mistakes don’t define them
• Promotes a culture of acceptance and growth in the classroom
• Young people learn to respect others and themselves

Take, for example, a young person who is experiencing parental conflict at home. Every night she is on edge, and due to this, she feels angry and anxious all of the time. At school she is acting out by expressing her constant feelings of anger and anxiety through bullying others, disrupting class and sometimes just not showing up altogether.

Usually, this kind of behaviour is met with punishment and regulation. And whilst it is important to uphold standards of morality and justice in schools, to exercise punitive repercussions without a non-judgmental approach would only intensify the unhelpful emotions and resultant self- and other-destructive behaviour; without UPR, punishment is perceived as a reflection of her low self-worth.

However, if this young person’s emotional experience is met without judgement, she can be afforded the space to step back and recognise that it’s not her fault she is experiencing anger and anxiety. By making it explicit through words and actions that her value as an individual is not defined by her behaviour or emotions, or by the punishment she receives when acting out, she can maintain a sense of self-worth and open up to her difficulty. And with this space for her unwanted feelings, held by the adults around her, she can find the strength to manage them in better ways.

Misconceptions about unconditional positive regard

It’s crucial to clarify that unconditional positive regard doesn’t mean allowing all behaviours or encouraging individuals to do as they please. Rather, it’s about:

• Recognising the inherent worth of each individual despite their achievements or mistakes
• Maintaining a supportive attitude when addressing challenging behaviours
• Focusing on growth and learning opportunities within a punitive system

With this approach, young people in schools can still learn that certain behaviours are not tolerated. But, because it’s the behaviour that is not tolerated, not the individual, they can have a deep understanding as to why what they did is not tolerated, and decide to improve.

Fostering acceptance and respect

UPR lays the foundation for a classroom environment where young people’s mental health and overall wellbeing flourishes by:

1. Reducing anxiety and stress related to performance pressure
2. Encouraging open communication and trust between students and between students and teachers
3. Promoting empathy and understanding among peers
4. Creating a supportive community where students feel safe to express themselves

By implementing UPR, schools can create a nurturing environment that supports not just academic growth, but also the emotional and social development crucial for students’ flourishing.

Authenticity

Authenticity is the third of the Rogerian core conditions. It involves being genuine and transparent in one’s interactions, knowing and accepting yourself for your qualities and flaws.

This condition may be more important for young people than it ever has, due to the influence of social media and the internet today. Young people are constantly bombarded with online content displaying unrealistic or unsustainable lifestyles that are falsely communicated to be the norm. As a result, young people are growing up feeling that they have to meet impossible standards to be accepted and liked by others, or to like themselves, and their authentic selves are hidden away.

This rejection of one’s actual self is a destructive obstacle to growing up with good mental health, and into a confident and self-assured adult.

Modelling authenticity to promote this in young people

By demonstrating authenticity, adults can set an example for students to follow, supporting positive mental health and flourishing. Modelling genuine expression can include:

1. Admitting mistakes and showing vulnerability when appropriate
2. Expressing honest opinions while respecting diverse viewpoints
3. Demonstrating active listening and genuine empathy in interactions

Being authentic doesn’t mean saying exactly what you are thinking all of the time, and not worrying about how it might impact others. For teachers in schools, they have to balance being authentic and remaining appropriate professionals. But being authentic means opening up with purpose – being vulnerable because it would create connection or understanding in that moment.

So by being authentic, an individual can own their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and take more care with what they do and say, fostering great respect and openness with others – even with whom they disagree.

With the provision of authenticity by adults, young people in schools can learn to celebrate diversity, the natural expression of others, and their own, true selves.

Authenticity and transparency in young people’s relationships

Authentic relationships for young people can significantly and positively impact mental health and wellbeing. The following table illustrates the benefits of authenticity:

By experiencing authenticity at school, young people can develop in a supportive environment that nurtures growth, mental health, and overall wellbeing.

Barriers and Solutions

The Rogerian Core Conditions offer a powerful framework for creating a supportive and effective learning environment. By embracing empathy, unconditional positive regard, and authenticity, adults in educational settings can foster meaningful connections with their students and promote healthy growth. These principles encourage an approach to education where learners feel valued, understood, and empowered to explore their potential.

However, this actually providing these conditions is easier said than done.

Overcoming barriers to implementation

Implementing Rogerian core conditions can face significant barriers, particularly in educational settings.

Providing these conditions are difficult a lot of the time because it is tiring. It requires a management of one’s own emotions and active listening, and for teachers and pupils who are typically burnt out and tired, this can be incredibly hard.

Because of this, it is imperative schools look to be creative with how they can support teachers and students alike, given the time and financial restraints put on them by the current educational system in the UK. This might include outsourcing extracurricular support for the pupils that are in particular need.

BM Active offers this support to teachers and young people in schools with the direct provision of these core conditions through physical activity and conversation.

If you would like to know more about BM Active’s physical-activity-based intervention, you can read about it or get in touch through our website: https://www.bmactive.co.uk/