Roger believed that our self-esteem develops from interactions with our parents during childhood. A person's self-esteem will affect their relationships with friends, partners, or work (McLeod, 2007). Roger believes that we should feel positively regarded by others. Positive regard is how we are judged and perceived by others. Unconditional positive regard is when a person feels free to make choices and mistakes without fear of losing that positive regard. Conditional positive regard occurs when a person believes that they will only be viewed positively when they act or behave in a way that a parent or other person deems appropriate. If a person regularly seeks approval, then, according to Rogers, they will likely receive only conditional positive regard (McLeod, 2007). The closer the ideal self and the actual self are to each other, the higher a person's sense of self-worth. Our ideal self is who we want to be, and the real self is who we are. When there is an imbalance between who we want to be and who we are, a person may develop defense mechanisms to attempt to alter their true self (McLeod,