From the modern philosophical view, Rogers' formulation of congruence and incongruence in which the chief concern is if experience and symbol correspond, is too naive. In this paper I consider congruence as an attitude of the subject involved in the process of recognition. When one faces the object with attentive and sincere attitude, fresh symbolization is brought about from what Gendlin called experienced meaning, which I argue is the presence of the object. The congruent attitude that is needed in therapy involves such attentiveness and sincerity. In contrast, incongruence problematic for therapy is seen when one uses language not for recognition but for action such as attacking someone. In therapy the relationship between the client and the therapist should include a recognitional aspect in which they face the object sincerely being alone in the presence of someone, not in a manner of action in which their communication is direct. Lastly, I argue the importance of taking on something belonging to oneself such as feelings and decisions as one's own, and of accepting the responsibility for it. © 2013 World Association for Person-Centered &amp
Experiential Psychotherapy &amp
Counseling.