What Does It Mean to Be a Fully Functioning Person?
- Brainz Magazine
- Sep 9
- 11 min read
Blending Person-Centred therapy with coaching and DBT, Aleksandra Tsenkova helps people worldwide heal trauma, unpack emotional wounds, and step into confidence.
Have you ever met someone who seems truly alive, open, authentic, and at ease with themselves? They’re not perfect, yet they move through life with a sense of trust, confidence, creativity, and presence that feels inspiring. Carl Rogers, one of the most influential humanistic psychologists, described the optimal human condition as becoming a fully functioning person. His method to psychotherapy, the humanistic, person-centered approach emphasizes human freedom and offers this vision of the fully functioning person as its alternative view of human potential. On the opposite pole of being a rigid ideal, this is a way of living that’s available to all of us when we begin to trust ourselves and embrace growth.
Becoming a fully functioning person is not about reaching a flawless, static, or final state, but about embracing life as an ongoing journey. It is a continuous process of growth and existential experience, grounded in the acceptance of the present, where the individual strives to unfold their full potential. This path involves change, rupture, frustration, and a rich palette of emotions, an adventure marked by openness, authenticity, trust, and discovery. A fully functioning person lives in the present moment, is engaged with others, sincere in relationships, and unafraid of judgment. For Rogers, such a life reflects inner freedom, creativity, and a readiness to face new challenges. Because they are always in motion, adapting to new situations, their behavior cannot be rigidly predicted, instead, it is expressed through ongoing self-actualization and adaptive, life-affirming actions. In the sections that follow, we will explore the qualities Rogers saw as central to this way of being and how they can guide us toward living more freely today.
Living fully: The core of Rogers’ idea
Carl Rogers believed that people have an innate tendency to grow and thrive when they are in the right environment, one filled with empathy, acceptance, and understanding. For him, the fully functioning person is not someone chasing perfection but a person living authentically, embracing the flow of life, and allowing themselves to continually evolve.
In On Becoming a Person (1961), Rogers reflects, “My experience is that people have a basically positive direction. Life, at its best, is a flowing, changing process in which nothing is fixed. I find that when life is richest and most rewarding, it is a flowing process. To experience this is both exhilarating and somewhat frightening. I find that I am at my best when I can let the flow of my experience carry me in a direction which appears to be forward, toward goals which I can only dimly define, as I try to understand those goals.” This naturally raises the question. How can we know if we are fully functioning adults? Rogers offers a remarkably clear answer. In The Good Life and the Fully Functioning Person (1953), he outlined three defining characteristics, openness to experience, living in the existential present, and trust in one’s own organism. Later research expanded these original three into five characteristics. Let’s look at them!
The five characteristics of a fully functioning person
1. Openness to experience
Carl Rogers emphasized that the process of becoming a fully functioning person begins with openness, the ability to allow, feel, and accept what is happening within and around us, without immediately retreating into defense. Simply put, openness to experience means not being closed off. In the person-centered approach, this is associated with the absence of rigidity, stiffness, and defensiveness (Di Malta et al., 2024).
Instead of denying or avoiding feelings, a fully functioning person faces them honestly, even the uncomfortable ones. This willingness to remain open creates space for deeper self-understanding and richer, more authentic connections with others. When a person is completely open, without internal resistance or defenses, emotions can move freely through the nervous system. In this sense, openness is not just a mental state but also a bodily and emotional experience of fluidity.
Smith and Lane (2023) highlight that in such a state of “free flow,” individuals feel a sense of peace in being in touch with their subjective feelings and in fully inhabiting them. They are open not only to fear, discouragement, and pain, but also to courage, tenderness, awe, and the rest of the emotional spectrum. They don’t simply feel emotions, they live them. Rogers (1961), Beaty et al. (2016), and Kackenmester, Dörfel & Smillie (2020) all stress that the absence of barriers or rigidity is the key condition that makes such full experiencing possible. With openness, people become more attuned to their inner processes and are able to navigate them freely.
Openness to experience also means openness to new experiences. Of course, the degree of readiness for novelty varies from person to person. For some, it might involve a bold life change, such as shifting careers or seeking out an intense adventure. For others, it could be as simple as trying a new genre of books or experimenting with a different style of clothing. Whatever the form, each new experience adds richness and depth, transforming the personality and expanding the layers of lived experience.
In this sense, fully functioning people not only allow new experiences but also embrace the change they bring. Each time we open ourselves to something new and to the emotions it stirs, we create space for growth and transformation.
2. Existential life: Living in the present moment
Rather than becoming trapped in regrets about the past or anxieties about the future, a fully functioning person engages fully with what is happening here and now. This presence creates space for joy, spontaneity, and resilience (Karomat, 2023).
For Rogers, existential living means inhabiting the present moment, experiencing life as it is, without escaping into defense mechanisms, stereotypes, or societal expectations. In practice, a person who lives existentially does not merely exist, they are present, with themselves, in their relationships, and in the world around them. They accept life as a whole experience, remaining open to change and growth. This quality makes the fully functioning person flexible, authentic, and able to meet the complexity of life without fearing the uncertainty that existence inevitably brings (Di Malta et al., 2024). To understand this more deeply, it helps to return to the root of the word existentialism. Its root is "exist." From this comes the question, What does it mean to exist? To which the most natural answer is, to be. But how can one truly be? Reframed, the question becomes, When can a person truly be? The answer is when they are here and now. To say “I am” is to acknowledge, I exist in the present moment. The present itself is the clearest evidence of our existence.
Thus, existential living, at the heart of the fully functioning person, is inseparable from the present (Coleman, 2022). To live existentially is to live here and now.
3. Trust in the organism: In the self
A fully functioning person listens to their inner voice and trusts their instincts. Instead of rigidly following external rules or conforming to societal expectations, they make choices that align with their authentic values.
So what happens when a person truly trusts themselves? The answer is confidence, authentic self-esteem that arises not from external validation but from an inner sense of reliability. In the process of person-centered therapy, this confidence grows as individuals learn to base their decisions not on external judgments but on trust in their own organism.
Rogers (1959) and Karomat (2023) describe people who trust their organism, or their true self, as seeing themselves as a trustworthy instrument for making decisions, finding direction, and achieving meaningful results. The more one learns to rely on this inner compass, the greater their confidence becomes. Put simply, I believe in myself because I trust myself. Conversely, a lack of trust in the organism inevitably weakens faith in one’s own abilities.
This inner trust also unlocks something invaluable, the freedom to take risks and explore new possibilities without being paralyzed by fear of failure. The deeper the trust, the more courageously one approaches life, meeting challenges with resilience, curiosity, and authenticity.
4. Experiencing freedom of choice
Closely linked to the quality of trust in the organism is the experience of freedom of choice. When a person is confident, they recognize their active role in shaping behavior and take responsibility for their actions. They know they have control over themselves and the ability to create change. This belief in personal power leads them to act in ways that are consistent with their inner sense of rightness, relying on their own judgment as a guiding principle (Rogers, 1953, 1961).
As a result of this inner trust and confidence, the fully functioning person is no longer dictated by external social norms or rigid conventions. Instead, they navigate life according to their own authentic sense of right and wrong. Importantly, this does not mean ignoring external factors. On the contrary, self-confident individuals integrate all available data when making decisions, social expectations, their own often complex and conflicting needs, memories of past situations, and the uniqueness of the present moment (Renger et al., 2021).
Although this information is multi-layered and complex, the fully functioning person relies on their whole organism, their entire being, to weigh each stimulus, need, and desire according to its intensity and significance. After this internal process of evaluation, they choose the course of action that best satisfies their needs in the present situation.
In doing so, they experience a profound sense of agency in shaping their own path. Even when faced with limitations, they recognize their freedom to choose their actions, their attitude, and the meaning they give to their experiences.
4. Creativity and adaptability
In Rogers’ view, creativity is not limited to artistic talent. Instead, it reflects flexibility, openness, and the ability to approach life in new and meaningful ways. Fully functioning people adapt, innovate, and contribute positively to the world around them.
Rogers (1961) describes this state vividly, “This leads to excitement, boldness, adaptability, tolerance, spontaneity, and lack of rigidity, creating a foundation of trust. To open your spirit to what is happening now in this present process, whatever its structure.” Such a way of being may feel frightening, but it is also alive, colorful, and profoundly creative. And precisely because it is creative, it is free.
This creative freedom also translates into maximum adaptability, the ability to shape one’s personality in response to present experiences rather than being constrained by rigid models from the past (Gupta & Duncan, 2023, Neville & Tudor, 2023). In other words, it means living fully in the present without distorting it to fit preconceived ideas about who we are. Our sense of self evolves through the here and now.
For the father of the person-centered approach, the fully functioning person embodies this freedom, which manifests as enhanced creativity. At this stage of personal development, creativity becomes a way of adapting to life and its circumstances without surrendering to external expectations (Karomat, 2023). In this sense, creativity is both freedom and abundance, a natural expression of living authentically.
Why it matters in today’s world
In an age of social media perfectionism, burnout, and constant comparison, Carl Rogers’ vision of the fully functioning person is more relevant than ever. Today, we are often pressured to present flawless versions of ourselves, curated images, polished achievements, and carefully managed impressions. Against this backdrop, becoming fully functioning is not about meeting an impossible standard, but about letting go of masks and returning to authenticity.
By embodying openness, presence, and trust, we strengthen our resilience against external pressures and carve out space for genuine fulfillment. A fully functioning person is not afraid of mistakes but welcomes them as part of the human journey. In the spirit of existential living, mistakes are experienced in the here and now as opportunities for growth rather than sources of shame.
Because they trust themselves, fully functioning people know that setbacks do not define them. Instead, they approach challenges with confidence in their ability to learn, adapt, and keep moving forward. This mindset not only reduces the weight of external judgment but also creates the freedom to live more boldly, more creatively, and more meaningfully in an uncertain world.
Conclusion: A lifelong journey
The fully functioning person is not a destination but an ongoing process of growth. Each step toward openness, presence, and authenticity brings us closer to living the kind of life Rogers envisioned, one that is meaningful, resilient, and fully alive.
In On Becoming a Person (1961), he reflected on how his clients were not “arriving” at a final state but moving along a continuum of openness, authenticity, and deeper contact with themselves. To be fully functioning, then, is not to have “achieved everything,” but to embrace life as a continual unfolding. It is less about reaching a fixed stage and more about committing to an ongoing process of development and change (Diez, 2024, Di Malta et al., 2024).In this sense, the fully functioning person is always becoming. It is a way of life, not a final destination. A lifelong journey into greater wholeness, freedom, and authenticity.
Note
When considering the characteristics of the fully functioning person, it feels natural to think of contemporary influencers, thought leaders, and popular voices who speak about authenticity, emotional intelligence, living in the present, and personal growth. In many ways, our society has already embraced these humanistic ideas as both fundamental and almost expected. Yet it was Carl Rogers who first articulated them clearly and courageously, decades before they became fashionable. He was the one who gave hope that each person holds an inner strength, and that the path to a fulfilling life is both real and attainable. My hope is that this and my previous and following articles will inspire more people to rediscover Rogers and his contributions. By getting to know him and his work more deeply, we can recognize that many of today’s ideas about personal development are rooted in his enduring legacy.
This article draws on themes explored in greater depth in my debut book, a heartfelt and inspiring journey into the person-centered approach, coming this October, exclusively on Amazon.
Read more from Aleksandra Tsenkova
Aleksandra Tsenkova, Psychotherapist, Coach, Author
Aleksandra Tsenkova supports individuals on their healing journey by integrating Person-Centred therapy, coaching, and DBT. She helps people process emotional pain, recover from trauma, and rebuild inner trust to step into their confidence. With a deep belief in each person’s capacity for growth, she creates space for powerful self-discovery and lasting transformation. Her work is grounded in a passion for empowering others to reclaim their voice and unlock their potential. Through her writing, Aleksandra invites readers into meaningful conversations about healing, resilience, and personal freedom.
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