24. Describe the development of congruence and incongruence. Congruence is the way we come together, and have a similarity between other objects. Congruence may not be accurate with what actually happens throughout our life and also are experiences we may have differ from one another. This allows a to see there may become a difference in what a person’s ideal self is and what they actually experience. When there is a state of having an ideal self and an actual experience are closely related, this is when we know a figure of congruence is present. Unconditional positive regard is what congruence depends on for its development. Carl Rogers believed that to achieve self- actualization a person must be in a state of congruence. According to Rogers, we want a life that that we feel, experience, and finally behave in a way that is reflects our self- image. The farther apart that self- image and ideal- self are from each other, the less likely we are to have a higher sense of self- worth. When someone is in a state of incongruence they are said to be having a total opposite experience. This is meaning that the experience they are having is unacceptable to them and is distorted in there self- image. Incongruence is a difference between an actual experience and the self- image of the individual as what they seem to be represented by its experience. Although we want to see ourselves in a way that is that is similar to our self- image, we sometimes use defense mechanisms such as denial and/ or repression. This is used in order to feel less of a threat by what we would consider unwanted and unpleasant feelings. A person who has a self- concept that is incongruent with there real feelings and experiences will stand up for themselves because the truth really does hurt. cite--- McLeod, S. A. (2007). Carl Rogers. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-roger.html.