1. in general, agreement, harmony, or conformity.

2. a match between psychological attributes and behavior.

3. in the phenomenological personality theory of Carl Rogers, (a) the need for a therapist to act in accordance with his or her true feelings rather than with a stylized image of a therapist or (b) the conscious integration of an experience into the self.

4. in environmental psychology, see person–environment interaction. —congruent adj.