1. The Dreikurs Model: Confronting Mistaken Goals
Rudolf Dreikurs
The Dreikurs Model:
Confronting Mistaken Goals

2. is a discouraged child.”
“A misbehaving child
is a discouraged child.”
-R. Dreikurs

3. Biography Born 1897 in Vienna, Austria
Medical Degree from University of Vienna
Associated with renowned psychiatrist, Alfred Adler
U.S. in 1937
Director of Alfred Adler Institute in Chicago
Expert in classroom behavior

4. Dreikurs’ Main Focus Students want recognition Key Ideas:
Discipline is not punishment. It’s teaching students to impose limits on themselves.
Democratic teachers provide firm guidance and leadership. Allow students to have a say.
All students want to belong, want status and recognition.
Misbehavior is mistaken belief that it will give attention they want.

6. Dreikurs’ Main Focus Key Ideas Cont.
Misbehavior is associated with four mistaken goals: attention getting, power seeking, revenge seeking and displaying inadequacy
Teachers should identify mistaken goals and then act in ways that do not reinforce them.
Teachers should strive to encourage students’ efforts, but avoid praising their work or character.
Teachers should teach students that unpleasant consequences will always follow inappropriate behavior.

7. The Nature of Discipline
Discipline is essential to smooth functioning in schools and society. Adults conceive either children behave or they walk all over you. Most people think of discipline as punishing actions. Children feel discipline are rules to show who is in charge. They view it as a complex game with rules they don’t understand.
The Nature of Discipline
Good discipline has little to do with punishment (physical pain, humiliation, isolation and revenge). Discipline requires freedom of choice and the understanding of consequences. It isn’t imposed by authority figures, but on themselves.

8. Discipline in the Classroom
Students are responsible for their own actions.
Students must respect themselves and others.
Students have the responsibility to influence others to behave appropriately.
Students are responsible for knowing what the rules and consequences are in their classrooms.
Dreikurs believe that democratic teachers are most
effective in establishing discipline.

10. The Autocratic Teacher
Force their will on students.
Motivate with outside pressure instead of stimulating motivation from within.
Attitude and approach generates more misbehavior than it prevents.

11. The Permissive Teacher
Generate problem behavior because the atmosphere they allow in not based on everyday reality.
Students do not learn rules.
Students believe they run the show.

12. The Democratic Teacher

13. Democratic Teacher Neither permissive nor autocratic.
Provide firm guidance and leadership by establishing rules and consequences.
Teach that freedom is tied to responsibility.
Conditions that foster a democratic classroom:
Order
Limits
Firmness and kindness
Student involvement in setting rules
Leadership from teacher
Inviting cooperation
Sense of belonging
Freedom

14. Four Mistaken Goals Attention Seeking Power Seeking
Students misbehave for attention.
Want teacher to pay attention to them.
Disrupt, ask special favors, need constant help.
Feel that defying adults in the only way they can get what they want.
“If you don’t let me do what I want, you don’t approve of me.”
Arguing, contradicting, lying, temper tantrum, hostility

15. Four Mistaken Goals Revenge Seeking Display Inadequacy
“I can only feel significant if I have the power to hurt others. Hurting others makes up for being hurt.”
Set themselves up for punishment.
Victory to be disliked.
Students feel helpless, failures.
Withdrawn
Play stupid, refuse to respond to motivation or participation.

16. Can you spot the “Attention Seeker”?

17. What can Teachers do? For Attention Seekers For Power Seekers
Go on giving, or refuse
Should ignore behavior
Strive to give attention when they are not demanding it
Don’t get involved in power struggles
Withdraw as authority figure
Redirect students’ ambitions to be in charge (make decisions or give them responsibility)

18. For Displaying Inadequacy
What can Teachers do?
For Displaying Inadequacy
For Revenge Seekers
Provide support and encouragement through classmates
Set up situations that exhibit talents or strengths
Persistence and patience!
NEVER give up on these students
Offer encouragement and support for the smallest efforts
Be sensitive to their own reactions to these students (don’t display defeat or frustration)

20. Encouragement
Facilitates feelings of being a contributing and participating member of a group.
Helps students accept themselves as they are.
Draws on motivation from within and allows them to be aware of their strengths.

21. Pointers for encouraging students
Always be positive
Encourage students to strive for improvement, not perfection
Encourage effort.
Emphasize strengths; minimize weakness
Teach them to learn from mistakes
Encourage independence
Pointers for encouraging students

22. Pointers for encouraging students
Have faith in students abilities
Help overcome obstacles
Send positive notes home
Allow students to help classmates so they can appreciate their own strengths
Display work
Be optimistic and enthusiastic
Set up guaranteed success situations
Pointers for encouraging students

23. Logical Consequences All behavior produces a corresponding result.
Good behavior brings reward.
Must be explained, understood and agreed upon.
Be consistent!