THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR (R. Dreikurs 1982) Behaviour For Learning Strategies Keith Naunton There are many times where we seem to behave more angrily, sadly, helplessly (etc.) than an incident deserves. Most serious thinkers about human behaviour suggest that our behaviour often comes from deeper feelings which can be triggered by petty incidents. Dreikurs conducted research into goals of human behaviour e.g. He said four goals could be categorised as “misdirected” or mistaken What is about to shown is a thinking model: one may not agree with the categories but it provides a framework when thinking about undesirable behaviour The next four slides explain what each of the misdirected goals mean. After we have done this we will go on to discuss what the implications are for teaching. Some notes are contained in the appendices

WHY DO STUDENTS DO WHAT THEY DO? DON’T ASK THEM! This can be a tortuous route. Do they know until we tell them? Rudolph Dreikurs

Attention Seeking Displayed Inadequacy Revenge Seeking Power Seeking “It is impossible to understand a person correctly unless one recognises the purpose of their behaviour” (R. Dreikurs 1982) Revenge Seeking Power Seeking There are many times where we seem to behave more angrily, sadly, helplessly (etc.) than an incident deserves. Most serious thinkers about human behaviour suggest that our behaviour often comes from deeper feelings which can be triggered by petty incidents. Dreikurs conducted research into goals of human behaviour e.g. He said four goals could be categorised as “misdirected” or mistaken What is about to shown is a thinking model: one may not agree with the categories but it provides a framework when thinking about undesirable behaviour The next four slides explain what each of the misdirected goals mean. After we have done this we will go on to discuss what the implications are for teaching. Some notes are contained in the appendices

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR “The first impulse to negative behaviour is nearly always wrong because it is precisely what the pupil wants, therefore fulfilling the expectation and reinforcing the negative behaviour.” Maurice Balson 1992 This is a brief summary of an appendix. The suggestion is that the “gut” reaction very often serves to reinforce undesirable behaviour. Reprimanding the attention seeker gives the child lots of attention: their goal. Power seekers enjoy power struggles, it is their goal. Power seekers often make teachers feel challenged and the natural response is to defeat the power seeker. Defeat the power seeker and they often try another way of getting power. Revenge seekers often want others to feel as bad as they do. Punishing them severely confirms how bad they are in their own minds. Students displaying inadequacy may have given up on education. They are highly skilled at being ignored, if teachers give up it fulfils the child’s expectations and does nothing to change the feelings of worthlessness.

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR Attention Seeking The pupil has a fear of abandonment: they only belong if they get noticed Attention seekers dread being ignored. They don’t mind what sort of attention they get (positive or negative). Use a flip chart to write down what participants think attention seeking behaviour might be. Examples of attention seeking behaviour include: Talking out of turn Tapping, whistling Not working Interfering with others Rocking on the chair Failure to comply with rules Teachers feel frustrated and worn out by the sheer number of minor inappropriate behaviours They feel they spend too much time on one child and that others are missing out Teachers report that frequent reprimands stop the behaviour in the short term.

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR Attention seeking: Meet and greet Let the pupil know you are thinking about them even when they do not have your direct attention Avoid giving attention to minor misbehaviours (use strategic responses) Acknowledge positive changes in behaviour Try to ensure that you talk to the pupil for a few minutes each lesson Apply logical consequences NB Dreikurs 90% of misbehaviour is for attention

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR Power Seeking The pupil has a need show they have power. This may be because they have little power over their lives and they have a need to feel significant. They are often described as challenging authority and often try to set the agenda by their actions. Use a flip chart to write down what participants think power seeking behaviour might be. Examples of power seeking behaviour include: Refusal to comply with requests Always having the last word Walking away when being reprimanded Walking around the classroom Walking out of the classroom Bullying others Teachers report that they are in frequent confrontations which they want to win, but usually lose. Teachers realise that confrontation does not change the behaviour but are wary of losing face in front of other pupils.

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR Power seeking Try to avoid confrontations Negotiate boundaries Indicate a choice is available Ignore attempts to divert your responses Give opportunities to exercise legitimate power Defer consequences e.g. wait until the end of the lesson

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR Revenge Seeking pupil feels that the way to belong is to be disliked. They may feel really bad and want others to feel as they do. They belong if they induce hostility. They often feel worthless, disliked , stupid, rejected and powerless. They seek revenge to hurt, to get even and to punish others. Use a flip chart to write down what participants think revenge seeking behaviour might be. Examples of revenge seeking behaviour include: Unprovoked attacks on others Hitting etc in front of teachers Refusal to show remorse or apologise Destroying things e.g. other children’s work Stealing things The goal of revenge can be identified by the feelings of the teacher: teachers often feel deeply hurt by the behaviour and wonder how a pupil could be so vindictive. The instinct might be to impose severe punishments and this may lead to permanent exclusion.

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR Revenge seeking: Model ‘appropriate’ for unwanted behaviour Avoid retaliation type responses Explain that inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated and rehearse appropriate behaviour Offer help and encouragement Use restorative justice to deal with incidents of bullying

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR Displayed Inadequacy Sometimes called task avoidance or withdrawal. The pupil wishes to avoid further hurt, humiliation or frustration and achieves this by impressing teachers with their stupidity, helplessness or incompetence. They seek excuses, hide behind a display of inadequacy. They are very skilled at getting teachers to ignore or give up on them. Use a flip chart to write down what participants think avoidance behaviour might be. Examples of avoidance behaviour include: Frequent whining about difficult tasks Continuous requests for help completing tasks Task avoidance If the teacher feels like giving up then it is a good bet that the pupil is displaying inadequacy.

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR Displayed inadequacy: Relax pressure and praise effort Express faith in abilities Set small targets and record success visually Encourage pupil to self monitor Encourage (do not continuously point out mistakes)

THE MISDIRECTED GOALS OF BEHAVIOUR How do we eat the elephant? The elephant is a metaphor for the pupil’s behaviour. Eating it appears daunting, but we have to make a start somewhere. Changing behaviour can take ages so don’t expect a miracle cure. Dreikurs can provide a solution and at the very least it helps show a way forward. One piece at a time!