A core assumption of Person-Centered Therapy is that individuals possess internal resources for growth if properly supported. Which option best reflects this?

• A. People are inherently flawed and need guidance.
• B. Therapist must interpret unconscious content.
• C. Individuals possess internal resources for growth if properly supported.
• D. Therapy should be highly directive.

Answer: (C)

Person-Centered Therapy centers on the belief that people have internal resources for growth that can unfold when the right supportive conditions are in place. The therapist offers genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding, creating a nonjudgmental space where clients can explore their thoughts and feelings and move toward self-actualization. Because of this, the statement that individuals possess internal resources for growth if properly supported aligns exactly with the approach’s emphasis on the client’s inherent capacity to change when given supportive conditions. Other choices reflect different therapeutic orientations—seeing people as inherently flawed and needing guidance, focusing on interpreting unconscious content, or being highly directive—which contrast with the non-directive, resource-focused stance of Person-Centered Therapy.