Choice or Reality Theory - Research Paper Example

Choice Theory INTRODUCTION When you are born onto this planet you have a responsibility to yourself. Everything you do is a choice. Whether you choose a disease like schizophrenia, you choose to react or act in certain ways or you choose to eliminate certain people from your life, it is all a choice. Choice theory is about making the choice to live your life to the fullest so that you can have personal freedom. Many people look for personal freedom and never find it because they are always looking outside themselves for something that they already have inside them. By understanding that everything you do in life is a choice, you can choose to have a full life or continue to live in misery. These are the basic concepts that William Glasser, M.D. writes about in his book, Choice Theory. He has expanded on his original work with Reality Therapy to show that an individual has within them everything they need to be happy. For some people it is difficult to think that we all have made choices because our society relies on the idea that we are victims of circumstances. If we believe that any situation that we are in happened because of a series of choices many become discouraged. The cries of "I could not have chosen...." whatever the "bad" situation is has no bearing on the discussion with Choice Theory. Instead, this theory can point out how an individual developed their ability to be miserable from the situations outside themselves and help them make different choices for their life. ORIGINS OF CHOICE THEORY William Glasser had been writing about Reality Therapy and most people feel that he is the father of this method. Reality therapists believe that it is very important for an individual to understand that their problems stem from a relationship in their present that is not satisfying to them or they lack any type of relationship (Corey, 2008, p. 316). Within this framework clients are shown that the greatest problem is their inability to get close to other people whether it is in a single relationship or one with others around them. Reality Therapy is about changing the behavior that keeps people away into behavior that brings people to the client. This means that they can learn how to build a more satisfying life. Behavior is chosen to deal with the unsatisfying relationship(s) and it continues to cause them problems. Glasser took reality therapy one step further and realized that client situations cannot be put into test tubes and they cannot be put into a specific diagnosis that describes their behavior. Instead, he saw that many people needed to have different types of people working with them. As an example, Corey points out that Glasser saw mental illness and Alzheimers disease and brain injuries as conditions that needed to be seen and worked with through a neurologist instead of a therapist (p. 317). This was a very important step towards finding choice therapy. Reality therapy has been able to be used in a variety of settings that include social work, counseling, education, crisis intervention and rehabilitation. Each situation can be different but the bottom line is that the client learns about his reality as it is situated now, and then therapist begins to teach them how to improve their situation by choosing a different outlook on life. KEY ELEMENTS OF CHOICE THEORY According to Corey (2008), choice theory proposes that we as individuals have several needs that have to be attended to in order for us to be happy. These needs are "genetically encoded" and they are the needs for survival, love and belonging, power or achievement, freedom or independence and fun. He states that these five needs drive the individual forward in their lives (p. 317). Glasser (1998) states that through choice theory people learn to make better choices about these needs because they generally are unhappy without them being met. "Choice theory teaches that we are much more in control of our lives than we realize. Unfortunately most of the control is ineffective" (p. 4). Glasser sees that most people are unhappy in life because of the choices they make and that they all share the same problem: "they are unable to get along well with the people they want to get along well with" (Glasser, p. 5). Although this seems simplistic he goes on to show how this is true. At The William Glasser Institute choice theory is explained very simply. He states that "all we do is behave, that almost all behavior is chosen and that we are driven by our genes to satisfy [the] five basic needs" (The William Glasser Institute). The Five Needs Central to this theory is the five needs and Glasser explains them. It is essential to the research because there are several levels that are explained through these five needs: The need for survival is the intrinsic need for every human to do something to encourage their longevity. This can be everything from eating well to having sex. This is the motivation for many people to do the things that will keep them from being hungry, hurt, or sad.. The interesting point about this need is that as humans have evolved, they also needed to have good relationships and love came into play. Therefore love became a separate need away from survival. Freedom is a need that came out of the need to not be dominated by other people. Because we needed more than just a survival need it made our lives more complicated than those of the animals (Glasser, p. 32-33). Love also translates into belonging according to Glasser because humans need the closeness from other people as well as sex. Although most relationships start out well, many end up not doing so well because people are not able to really define what love is to them. They understand it as a feeling but they do not understand it as a process. The challenge is that relationships rely on what Glasser calls "external controls" which means that individuals may not be able to love each other in the way they want. That is, some people are able to give more than others in this situation. The problem comes in when everyone is trying to control everyone else; this is why choice theory (according to Glasser) is so important (Glasser, p. 36). Although many people do not want to admit it, the human being also has an instinctual movement towards power. Power is linked to the need to survive and we are the only power driven species on the planet. "It is this need for power that very early displaces survival and governs the lives most of us choose to live" (Glaser, p. 37). This power can translate into greed and the need to have a better status in life which can create problems within relationships. Again the external world comes into play when people want to control situations, control others and do the things that we know as the best for them to do. Often power is what destroys marriages, destroys relationships with friends or family members and creates a space where some people go after more power than they need (Glasser, p. 39). Freedom is something that most people cherish but do not see that they have all the time. When freedom is threatened, people get upset and it is usually threatened by someone trying to tell them what to do. Again, external control comes into view and it is difficult for people to stand up to someone who is attempting dominance over them. This also creates a loss in an individuals creativity. Freedom is important to creativity because "creative people who feel free to create are rarely selfish; they get a lot of pleasure from sharing their gift" (Glasser, p. 40). This is important to moving our society forward and towards helping others develop their own sense of freedom. As it is shown here everything goes back to behavior. As Glasser said, we are always striving to behave in some manner. When we are using external controls to manage our behavior we are always unhappy. When we realize (some through choice theory) that we have a choice in every area of our lives, many people begin to make sense of their lives and find the purpose they have always wanted. Behavior Choices in Choice Theory Most people would agree that although we have some choices in the world that we do not choose everything. Most people have been trained to understand the external world controls what we can and cannot do. As an example, many people go to therapy because of things that happened in their past that they feel powerless to overcome. Many people spend most of their lives being victims of circumstances or victims of their past. They spend a lot of time worrying, being afraid, anxious and depressed. With choice theory these behaviors are no longer options. Instead, a person has to take responsibility for their life, their actions and everything that happens to them in the past, present and future. "Every total behavior is our best attempt to get what we want to satisfy our needs" (Corey, p. 318) and this is a very important aspect of what we do on a daily basis. Glasser believes that every behavior is made up of components: acting, thinking, feeling and physiology and that these four components follow our actions, thoughts and feelings (Corey, p. 318). Our behaviors come from the inside not the outside which to Glasser means that each individual has the capacity to choose their own destiny. What happens in choice theory is the individual learns to take total responsibility for how they feel at any given time. They also take responsibility for their actions, thinking, and feelings. By doing so they can control their way of acting or reacting to certain situations. This does not mean that the individual becomes cold and distant but rather they understand how to make better choices throughout their life. By taking control of themselves they no longer rely on the external world to determine their behavior or how they live. The point of most therapy is for the individual to make changes. The counseling setting allows for a comfortable and safe space for the individual to change their way of thinking and in the process change their lives. Glasser suggests that those people who practice choice theory will change their negative and controlling behaviors into more positive and productive ones. In relationships, they change from Seven Deadly Habits to Seven Caring Habits. The caring habits bring people into strong relationships: Seven Caring Habits Seven Deadly Habits 1. Supporting 1. Criticizing 2. Encouraging 2. Blaming 3. Listening 3. Complaining 4. Accepting 4. Nagging 5. Trusting 5. Threatening 6. Respecting 6. Punishing 7. Negotiating differences 7. Bribing, rewarding to control (The William Glasser Institute, "Choice Theory"). As people continue to learn and use this behavior, they become calmer and more peaceful inside themselves. To summarize, Choice theory believes in the following axioms: The Ten Axioms of Choice Theory 1. The only person whose behavior we can control is our own. 2. All we can give another person is information. 3. All long-lasting psychological problems are relationship problems. 4. The problem relationship is always part of our present life. 5. What happened in the past has everything to do with what we are today, but we can only satisfy our basic needs right now and plan to continue satisfying them in the future. 6. We can only satisfy our needs by satisfying the pictures in our Quality World. 7. All we do is behave. 8. All behavior is Total Behavior and is made up of four components: acting, thinking, feeling and physiology. 9. All Total Behavior is chosen, but we only have direct control over the acting and thinking components. We can only control our feeling and physiology indirectly through how we choose to act and think. 10. All Total Behavior is designated by verbs and named by the part that is the most recognizable. (William Glasser Institute, 2009, "Choice Theory"). Today, Glasser works directly with choice theory in his reality therapy so that he can help each individual move forward. All of the reality therapy he does is rooted in choice theory (William Glasser Institute, 2009, "Reality Therapy"). REALITY THERAPY AND CHOICE THEORY: INTEGRATION To study choice theory it is important to also add the integration of reality therapy in the way that Glasser sees it. Generally speaking in the therapeutic process the goal of reality therapy is to bring people back together. It is to connect people back into their reliationships or help them find new ones. The other goal is to help clients find better ways to get their needs instead of the negative ways they chose in the past (Corey, p. 321). Choice theory brings into reality therapy the idea that there is no reason to focus on those things that a client cannot control; instead, they must focus on those things that are under their control within the relationship with the situation that brought them to therapy (Corey, p. 319). This brings into position the first axiom that the only person that you can control is yourself. This is very important for people to recognize within reality therapy so they can build upon this concept. An individual who comes into this type of therapy has to be ready to deal with themselves and their issues because they will not be able to whine inside their reality therapy sessions. Instead, a reality therapist will focus on the following: 1. Choice vs. Responsibility -- the basic premise is that since an individual chooses everything they have to be responsible for what they choose. Clients learn that they make every choice for themselves and the therapist is there to help them see their choices. As an individual moves towards more positive choices their world will change as will their total behaviors. This brings them into an understanding of the internal world vs. the external. 2. The rejection of transference -- although transference is often a part of the therapeutic process, in reality therapy the counselor acts allows their own "self" to come through. In this way, if a client attempts transference the counselor can directly address the situation and bring the individual back into perspective. 3. The therapy stays in the present moment -- traditional therapy moves the client to work in the past rather than in the present. Because of this most people who come to a reality therapist may think that this is where their problems arose. With choice theory it is a matter of understanding that you might have had problems in the past that create current problems but that they do not become a victim of the past unless they choose it (Corey, p. 320). The past is relevant in talking about success or positive relationships but not in blaming or staying stuck. 4. Symptoms are removed -- in traditional therapy clients may be asked about their feelings and how it reacts to what is going on. Glasser sees this as a way to keep the client stuck. Instead, in choice theory the individual . Glasser notes that challenges that people have in the present are based on the relationships they are experiencing in the present so this should be the focus. When individuals and therapists get stuck in the symptoms it makes people believe they will be "okay" if they can just get symptom free; this does not happen because the individual always has to deal with themselves wherever they are now. 5. A new view of mental illness -- many people believe that they are mentally ill if they have to see a therapist. Glasser rejects this idea and instead embraces the fact that therapists are too heavily involved with the DSM-IV for diagnosis and treatment of an individual which can be detrimental to the individual. Instead, he sees choice theory as a way to help individuals through any situation. APPLICATION AND THERAPEUTIC PROCESS IN CHOICE THEORY Glasser proposes that all challenges that an individual has can be resolved with choice theory. This means that the therapist acts more as a mentor and helps the client learn how to evaluate themselves by using the question, "Are your behaviors geting you waht you want and need?" (Corey, p. 321). This allows the client to challenge their own beliefs and systems to see whether they are working and those that are not working can then be changed. This also helps the individual find the inner controls they need. Clients are led with questions like "Is what you are doing getting you closer to a new person if you are currently disconnected from them?" (Corey, p. 322). This is all in favor of bringing the individual into their knowledge of themselves as quickly as possible. There have been several studies where choice theory has been applied to specific groups. Many people have also developed their own idea of choice theory. As an example, Robert Wubbolding has also developed his own version of choice theory and he works on getting people to come together with many questions. In a video session he showed the way that reality therapy works with a family. In the therapy session he showed eloquently about how the family had fallen apart and how it was attempting to come back together (Wubbolding, 2009, "Video"). Much of the situation was showing that the family was very angry because dad is never around anymore. It is a good example that shows what Glasser stated that reality therapy can be "applied to anyone in a group or as an individual who has a psychological problem in any cultural context" (Corey, p. 330). Many Christians have adopted an aspect of choice theory called rational choice theory. There was not a lot of information on this topic but it seems that those who are practicing this type of counseling are working with the idea that people do not always make rational choices and therefore they must learn how to make choices that are more rational for their circumstances. This method has received a lot of criticism. As an example, James V Spickard (1998) says that rational choice theory and religion is a social theory. The proponents of this theory are using rational choice theory to predict spending behavior of religious people (p. 2). Sharot (2002) suggests that although many people have used this theory to help define religion, there are too many generalizations and misconceptions that come into the theory (p. 1). Stoll and Petersen studied rational choice theory to look at church membership and understand the decline and increase and why this happened. This was a way at looking at peoples behavior. They found that many churches think that by bringing in new programs it will grow their church. What they found to be true is that pastors have to directly recruit members to see what it is that they value in the church (p. 13). They found that in a church with limited resources this direct approach works best. Choice Theory and Reality Therapy Across Cultures Corey makes several good points about the use of this type of therapy across cultures. He mentions that it is important to make sure that the therapist has a thorough understanding of the culture in order to work with this therapy. As an example, there culture may not have a word for something like "accountability" so there may need to be more description about it. Also some of the words that are used or questions that are asked may have a cultural difference. As an example, in Japan when someone says they will "try to" do something it means a firm commitment. The therapist will need to understand this if they are working in this culture. When working with people who are in poverty or who have experienced difficulties with discrimination or racism the counselor has to be able to understand that the individual may not think these things are a matter of choice. This means that the counselor needs to understand that this may be an issue to address in a different way so that the individual will feel understood. Advantages and Disadvantages of Choice Theory It is this researchers opinion that choice theory could work for many different people but the therapist has to be committed to using it as Glasser created it. Unfortunately many people feel that it is "harsh" or that an individual does not choose certain situations. This issue has become a standard way that people criticize the theory and it should be noted that there is a lot of literature that is now seen in quantum physics and other material that supports what choice theory is saying -- that we choose our situations and we can make a different choice at any time. According to Corey, the advantages of choice theory include: 1. It has a short term focus 2. It deals with the conscious behavioral problems 3. It includes self-evaluation, a plan of action and a commitment to follow through 4. Clients are not perceived as helpless or hopeless 5. The therapist helps the client stay focused in the no moment and helps them make choices that move them forward instead of keeping them stuck in the past. (Corey, p. 334). Disadvantages include: 1. It does not adequately emphasize the role that concepts like insight or the unconscious have in therapy. 2. Does not emphasize the power of the past or the effects that trauma may have on early childhood. 3. It does not take into account repressed conflicts 4. Dreams are not valued as a way to work with internal conflicts. (Corey, p. 335). It just seems that it is important for a therapist to have this as an aspect of work with people as one more way to help their clients. Glassers Dream Glasser is working towards a society that will adopt choice theory as important. He is working towards creating a Quality Community where everyone takes a part in what they are doing and they interact with one another by making choices to come together with positive and close relationships (Glasser, p. 309). He has outlined how this could work in his book and he also has several ideas as to how choice theory can work in a variety of settings. Choice Theory in Education Instead of creating and continuing education where discipline and rules are a part of the day, teachers and the school teach children about making choices. They educate them on the basis of this theory and then work with them in order to help them move forward. Discipline becomes less of a problem because the school is now focused on changing the system rather than attempting to change the child (Glaser, p. 269). He has created a program to help schools become "Quality Schools." Choice Theory in The Workplace Glasser suggests that the team method of working in a workplace is more effective because everyone gets a say in the choice of where the project they are working on will end up. Instead of one boss saying what should happen, everyone has a hand in this process. By doing this Glasser has seen that workers are more enthusiastic in the workplace and they are not managed anymore but become an intricate part of the team. Workers are repsonsible to theri own work and they must inspect what they have done for the quality. The focus is on continual improvement instead of focusing on a job that has not been done well (Glasser, p. 201). In truth, choice theory seems to have application to any process and any group. It can be used with reality therapy as a way to make sure people are moving forward but it can also be used in the workplace and in education for the same purpose. CONCLUSION William Glasser was talking about a concept that many people have studied today. In movies like, "The Secret" and "What The Bleep Do We Know?" the concepts that Glasser is teaching have been illustrated to the general public. Whether an individual wants to take responsibility for their own circumstances will be something that is always under scrutiny because as Glasser says, people are used to dealing with the outside "external" world and putting everything outside themselves. Most people feel that they are victims of circumstances that could have been resolved if they had made a different choice. Regardless of the situation each of us could look at our lives to see the type of choices weve made. We could see that there are some choices we are proud of but others that we could say may have been better if we had made a different choice. Glassers choice theory brings this out in most people and it can be seen how it would lead to personal freedom. In a sense, he is suggesting that we as a society stop dealing with the external world and understand that we have what we need to solve our problems within ourselves. This seems to be the basis of his theory and of the work that he is currently doing through the William Glasser Institute. References Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Eighth Edition.CA: Thomson. Glasser, W. (1998). Choice Theory. NY: Harper Collins Publishers. Sharot, S. (2002). Beyond Christianity: a critique of the rational choice theory of religion from a Weberian and comparative religions perspective. Sociology of Religion , Retrieved April 12, 2009 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/ mi_m0SOR/is_4_63/ai_96254890/. Spickard, J. V. (1998). Rethinking religious social action: What is "rational" about rational-choice theory? Sociology of Religion, 59(2), 99-115. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from ProQuest database. (Document ID: 30772550). Stoll, L.C. and Petersen, L. (2008). Church growth and decline: a test of the market-based approach. Review of Religious Research, 49(3), p251-268, Retrieved April 12, 2009 from EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier database (AN: 31833542). The William Glasser Institute. (2009). Choice theory. Retrieved April 10, 2009 from http://www.wglasser.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&It emid=27. Wubbolding, R. (2009) Reality therapy in family counseling. Video/DVD clip. Retrieved April 9, 2009 from http://www.realitytherapywub.com/videoclip.htm. Read More