CHAPTER 11: REALITY THERAPY Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy Third Edition By Nancy L. Murdock Prepared by Marcy Stites

William Glasser (born 1925)

Case Study “Donald”

Highlights of Glasser and RT Like others, grew out of Glasser’s dissatisfaction with traditional psychoanalytic theory Born 1925, son of immigrant parents, Cleveland, OH Board certified in psychiatry, 1961 Ventura School for troubled girls and Reality Therapy (1965) www.wglasser.com

Background (cont.) In 1996 Glasser radically revised RT theory to emphasize the importance of relationships Changed theory underlying RT from control theory to choice theory Robert Wubbolding (2011a) heads Center for Reality Therapy International Journal of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy

“Choice theory teaches that we are much more in control of our lives than we realize.” Glasser, 1998

Basic Philosophy Essential nature of humans is positive Social constructivist – “real world” is defined by consensual agreement People are in the driver’s seat – they choose their own behaviors Anti-psychotropic – one has choices

Human Motivation Maximize pleasure and minimize pain – satisfaction of basic needs (survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun)

Central Constructs Basic Needs Survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun—are innate and universal Love and belonging is the most important need All behavior represents our best effort to satisfy needs Quality World: set of mental images of need-fulfilling things or people Begins shortly after we’re born and revised continuously over our lifetimes Mother is the first person in the quality world

Continued… Total Behavior: multidimensional nature of human behavior (acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology) Acting and thinking are under our control and can be influenced by feelings and physiology Choice Theory: 10 axioms – “we choose everything we do” External control by the environment 3 basic beliefs underlie external control 7 deadly habits of external control 7 caring habits

To meet our needs in a constructive mean Goal To meet our needs in a constructive mean

Theory of Person and Development “Personality” based on relative strengths of a person’s basic needs No formal theory of personality development “seeds of unhappiness are planted early” Parents or other powerful people are key to trust

Health Healthy: are advocates of choice Being happy without violating the rights of others Able to satisfy their own needs Having satisfying personal relationships

Dysfunction Dysfunction is failure to satisfy one’s needs “ing” choosing behavior (i.e., depressing) Make bad choices Loneliness Effectiveness in soliciting help Avoids tougher alternatives – facing problems and risking rejection Psychotic behavior seen as bad choices in attempting to meet needs Dysfunction happens when individual feels disconnected from others Three stages of healthy and unhealthy behaviors (Wubbolding, 2011a)

Nature of Therapy Roles Assessment: none are used other than figuring out what relationship(s) is (are) problematic Critical of formal diagnosis Therapeutic Atmosphere Counselor wants to become a picture in the client’s quality world Meeting the client’s love and belonging needs Displays empathy, genuineness, and positive regard Active, focused on behavior and thinking Centered in the present and reality based, short term AB-CDE Roles Counselors ask a lot of questions and challenge client to evaluate behavior Resemble doctor-patient Taught about choice theory Client must accept responsibility in counseling sessions Goals: make better choices Reconnect to critical relationship(s) Changing feelings for clients by making more effective acting and thinking choices

Process of Therapy RT is process oriented – what to do now and how the client can make new choices Do not spend a lot of time on client’s symptoms, transference or countertransference WDEP process: Wants, Direction, Effective, Plans 8-step approach to RT Involvement Focus on Present Behavior Value judgment Planning responsible behavior Commitment to the plan Accept no excuses Do not punish Never give up

Techniques Teaching Choice Theory Process of discussion leading to Identifying problematic need-related behavior and choosing functional behavior Questioning Bibliotherapy Doing the unexpected Reframing Humor Self-disclosure Metaphors Physical activity and meditation Allowing or imposing consequences

Evaluation of the Theory Relatively simple and easy to understand, possibly too simple Faulted for ignoring social influences on behavior Qualities Operationalizing is difficult Empirical support is weak Research Support Outcome studies have shown the theory’s effectiveness Methodological error in many of the studies, no randomly controlled trial Theory-testing are few Ryan and Deci (2008) and LaFond (2000)

Individual and Cultural Diversity Too Heterosexual Subject to choice is problematic Needs are culturally bound Some research evidence suggests RT may be a very acceptable approach for diverse clients

Summary People are motivated to meet their basic needs of survival, love and belonging, fun, freedom, and power. Love and belonging is the most important Dysfunction results in bad choices Therapy is about planning for the client to choose a different way to meet their needs Research base spotty, dated but likely it can be considered an effective psychotherapy approach

Life is about meeting basic needs Conclusion Life is about meeting basic needs