Carl Rogers Dies; La Jolla Author, Psychology Leader

Carl Rogers, a well-known psychologist, author and promoter of world peace, died Wednesday of cardiac arrest after hip surgery. He was 85.

Rogers broke his hip in a fall last Saturday and had been hospitalized at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla. He died about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, an associate said.

Rogers was known for originating the “person-centered” approach to psychotherapy. He authored a best-selling book in 1961 called “On Becoming a Person.”

During his career, Rogers wrote more than a dozen books.

Born Jan. 8, 1902, in Oak Park, Ill., Rogers received his Ph.D at Columbia University and was awarded numerous honorary degrees, including degrees from universities in West Germany and the Netherlands.

He moved to the San Diego area in 1964 from Wisconsin, where he was a university professor of psychology and psychiatry. He settled in La Jolla, where he wrote books and psychological journal articles.

During the last several years, Rogers concentrated his efforts on furthering the cause of peace.

He convened a 1985 conference of high government officials from California in Austria and conducted workshops in 1982 and 1983 in South Africa. Last fall, he was invited by the Soviet Union’s Ministry of Education to hold workshops for Soviet professionals.

Rogers is survived by his wife, Helen; a daughter, Natalie, and a son, David.

No funeral service is scheduled. An associate said a “celebration of life” will be held Feb. 21 at Sherwood Auditorium in La Jolla.