Choice Theory and Reality Therapy

Question 1

Give a brief overview of Choice theory and reality therapy

Answer 1

Reality therapy is a form of counseling that views behaviors as choices.
It states that psychological symptoms occur not because of a mental health condition,
but due to people choosing behaviors to fulfill their needs.

Question 2

Who is associated with reality and choice therory?

Answer 2

William Glasser

Question 3

What are the key concepts of reality therapy and choice theory?

Answer 3

Posits that all humans have 5 basic needs
(survival, freedom, fun, power, and love/belonging)
that we attempt to satisfy through our behavioral choices.
- drive for love and belongingness is most prominent

It is through the development of close, caring relationships that we can most effectively fulfill our other needs and achieve happiness

According to choice theory, almost all behavior is chosen, and we can only control our own behavior

Within reality therapy, there is much emphasis on a person learning to develop a strong internal locus of control (i.e., belief that one can attain desired results through one’s choices) and a strong sense of responsibility for one’s behavior.

Like CBT, reality therapy tends to be focused on the present, problem and solution oriented, and time limited

The only person you can control is yourself

Question 4

What is the view of human nature in choice theory and reality therapy?

Answer 4

Suggests that we are not born as blank slates waiting to be externally motivated by the world
around us, but rather, we are born with five genetically encoded needs that drive us
all our lives – survival or self-preservation; love and belonging; power or inner control;
freedom or independence; and fun or enjoyment.

Question 5

WHat is the focus of choice theory and reality therapy?

Answer 5

Helping clients to prioritize their wants and uncover what is most important to them.

Emphasizes the importance of meaningful relationships in fostering emotional health, through way of focusing on the unsatisfying relationships or lack of relationships that clients have.

Emphasis of therapy is on actions – when clients change what they are doing, they often change how they are feeling and thinking.

Question 6

WHat are the goals of reality therapy and choice theory?

Answer 6

Like CBT, a main goal in reality therapy is to aid clients in gaining
new perspectives and techniques that will help them to manage
challenges on their own.

To help clients get connected or reconnected with the people they have chosen to put in their quality world.

To help clients to learn better ways of fulfilling all of their needs, including achievement, power or inner control, freedom or independence, and fun.
o Our basic human needs help to focus treatment planning and in setting short- and long-term goals.

To help clients make more effective and responsible choices related to their wants and needs.
o Teach clients how to fulfill their needs.

Question 7

What is the role of the therapist in reality therapy and choice theory?

Answer 7

1. To emphasize choice and responsibility
2. To reject transferance
3. To focus on keeping therapy in the present
4. To avoid focusing on symptoms
5. To challenge traditional views of mental illness
6. To teach clients how to engage in self-evaluation by raising the question is what you are choosing to do getting you what you want and need?
7. To challenge clients to examine what they are doing rather than making the evaluation for them.
8. To assist clients in evaluating their own behavioural direction, specific actions, wants, perceptions, level of commitment, possibilities for new directions, and action plans.

o Outcome = increased happiness, better relationships, and a sense of inner control over one’s life.

9. To convey the idea that no matter how difficult life maybe, there is hope.
   o By instilling hope, clients feel that they are no longer alone and that change is possible.
10. To creatively address a range of concerns and options is partnership with the client.

Question 8

What is the client experience in choice theory and reality therapy?

Answer 8

Clients are asked to consider the effectiveness of their choices, especially
in how these choices impact their relationships with significant people in their lives.

Clients are challenged by the therapist.
- Clients can expect to experience some urgency in therapy – time is important as each session may be the last.

Question 9

WHat is the client therapist relationship in reality therapy and choice theory?

Answer 9

Reality therapy emphasizes an understanding, supportive, and trusting relationship.

Therapeutic alliance is the foundation of an effective outcome.

Counsellor must be fully present – physically, mentally, emotionally, and behaviourally.

Requires involvement between the client and therapist.
o For this to occur, the therapist must have certain personal qualities, including warmth, sincerity, congruence, understanding, acceptance, concern, respect for the client, openness, and the willingness to be challenged by others.

For therapeutic interventions to work effectively, a fair, firm, friendly, and trusting environment is necessary.

Counsellor works to help clients gain a deeper understanding of the consequences of their current behaviours.

Question 10

WHat are the methods, techniques, and procedures of choice theory and reality therapy?

Answer 10

Procedures That Lead to Change (maintaining successful relationships)
- Reality therapists operate on the assumption that we are motivated to change when…
1. We are convinced that our present behaviour is not meeting our needs.
2. We believe we can choose other behaviours that will get us closer to what we want.
- Therapists begin by asking clients what they want from therapy, while also inquiring about the choices that clients are making in their relationships.
o They looks for and define the wants of the client, while also looking for any key, unsatisfying, present relationships (typically with children, parents, spouses, or employers).
- They then move on to ask clients what behaviours can you control?
o The emphasis is on encouraging clients to focus on what they can control.
o Once a client understands that the only behaviour, they can control is their own, then therapy beings progressing.

WDEP System
**see google docs

Question 11

What are the strengths and limitations of reality therapy and choice theory from a diversity perspective?

Answer 11

FIND

Question 12

What is a limitation of reality therapy from a diversity perspective?

Answer 12

It may not fully take into account some of the real environmental forces that operate against them in everyday life.
- Gives only limited attention to helping people address environmental and social problems.
o Racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, etc limit many individuals in getting what they want from life.
- Some therapists too quickly assume that clients have the ability to take charge of their lives.
o Some people have fewer choices available to them because of oppression.
- Some clients are reluctant to assert their own needs.
o If a client is from a culture where group needs are put ahead of individual one’s, the therapist will likely need to soften reality therapy to effectively work with the client.

Question 13

What are the strengths of reality therapy from a diversity perspective?

Answer 13

FIND

Question 14

Give a brief descirption of relaity therapy

Answer 14

Reality therapy is a relatively new theory that has grown in popularity among counsellors since the mid 1960’s. It is applicable to individuals, groups, community agencies, and schools. It is popular because it is understandable, non-technical, based on common sense, solution-oriented, and time-efficient. The man responsible for the theory is William Glasser, who was born in 1925 and is still active and involved in his work. Reality therapy is based on the concept of internal locus of control, whereby the inner world of the individuals strongly determines which behaviours they choose. Reality therapy’s common sense approach makes it easy to learn and use by a wide variety of people (Shilling, 1984).

Question 15

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the lesson you should be able to:

describe the key concepts of the Reality approach;
describe the aspects of the theory as they pertain to the general descriptors listed in Lesson 1;
outline the therapeutic process with respect to the role of the therapist, the client, and the relationship between them.
Readings

The textbook reading for this lesson is Chapter 11 of Corey’s Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. Read the chapter before you begin to do the work in the lesson to get an overview of the theory. Then, supplement the textbook material by reading the articles by Howatt (2001) and Nystul and Shaughnessey (1995).

Question 16

What are the basic concepts of reality therapy?

Answer 16

Autonomy
Commitment
Identity
Success identity
Failure identity
Reality
Self worth
Value Judgement
WDEP system

Question 17

What are the basic assumptions of reality therapy?

Answer 17

All human beings have five basic needs: survival, love, freedom, power, and fun. Each person is self-determining. According to Glasser, “all of us have a set of learned behaviours at our disposal. We also have the ability to create new ones” (Howatt, 2001, p. 10). Reality therapy supports the idea that people are in control of their conscious behaviour. All conscious human behaviour is internally motivated.

Question 18

What is the heredity of reality therapy?

Answer 18

Heredity/Environment: The need for identity is inherited. Reality therapy recognizes genetic traits and the importance of our genetic endowment and physiology (Glasser & Wubbolding, 1995). At the same time, the environment gives people the opportunity to choose and control their behaviours. Given the proper environment, a person will develop normally.

Question 19

What are the cognitions of reality therapy?

Answer 19

Cognitions: We generate thoughts and self-statements that control our behaviour. The role of cognitions in choice theory is also reflected in the emphasis on education as the basis of informed choices.

Question 20

What are the motivations of reality therapy?

Answer 20

Motivation: Self-motivation is based on satisfying physiological and psychological needs. Motivation comes from positive reinforcement of feelings by close interaction with significant others.

Question 21

What is the time orientation of reality therapy?

Answer 21

Present: The focus is on the present. According to Glasser, a successful identity cannot be acquired without being aware of one’s present behaviour. The past is not changeable. It is action, not insight or past experiences or unconscious motivation, that is the primary focus in reality therapy. Past behaviour is addressed in reality therapy insofar as it impacts on present choices or future behaviour. The future is addressed in terms of the commitment to carry out a plan in the present.

Question 22

What is the view of human nature in reality therapy?

Answer 22

Humans have the capacity to make use of their own potential for learning and growth. Each person is self-determining and operates on a conscious level. Development of human personality is seen as an attempt to fulfill five innate drives: belonging, power, fun or enjoyment, freedom, and physical survival. “Reality therapy teaches that human beings choose behaviors. When choices are made, people discover that the result attained is desirable or undesirable. They thus discover whether their behaviors are effective or ineffective in satisfying their needs” (Glasser & Wubbolding, 1995, p. 300).

Question 23

Does Reality therapy use holistic/atomistic explanations?

Answer 23

Holistic/Atomistic: Reality therapy, based on choice theory, attempts to incorporate all aspects of behaviour and to view the individual imbedded in a social context.

Question 24

Does Reality therapy use External/Internal Determinants: explanations?

Answer 24

External/Internal Determinants: The emphasis is on individual needs and the individual’s choices. At the same time, there is a recognition of the role played by external factors in satisfying the individual’s needs.

Question 25

Does Reality therapy use Nomothetic/Idiographic explanations?

Answer 25

Nomothetic/Idiographic: The theory emphasizes the uniqueness of the individual. We define ourselves as unique, separate individuals.

Question 26

Does Reality therapy use Longitudinal/Cross Sectional: explanations?

Answer 26

Longitudinal/Cross Sectional: Choice theory favours a cross-sectional analysis of behaviour. The theory incorporates doing, thinking, feelings, and physiology into the so-called ‘total behaviour’.

Question 27

Does Reality therapy use Tension Production/Reduction: explanations?

Answer 27

Tension Production/Reduction: Reality therapy follows a tension reduction model, whereby the counsellor helps clients feel more liberated and empowered as they increase their ability to make choices, control their behaviour, and fulfill their needs.

Question 28

What is the observer frame of reference in reality therapy?

Answer 28

Internal/External: In reality therapy the counsellor encourages and teaches the client how to evaluate his or her own behaviour. Constructive choice of more effective behaviours can be attained only after an explicit client self-evaluation of his/her current wants, behaviours, and perceptions.

Question 29

What is the basis for inference in reality therapy?

Answer 29

Success in reality therapy is demonstrated by a commitment to a behaviour plan or an observable behavioural change.

Question 30

What is the basis for psychopathology in reality therapy?

Answer 30

According to Glasser (1972), when people habitually fail to fulfill their needs effectively, they develop a failure identity. Examples of ineffective or out-of-control behaviours are: giving up, choosing negative symptoms, such as: anti-social actions, negative thinking, negative feelings (depression), negative physiological conditions (psychosomatic disorders), and, finally, adopting negative addictions, i.e., behaviours that produce a short-term sense of belonging, power, fun, and freedom (drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, etc).

Question 31

What is the basis for healthy personality for reality therapy?

Answer 31

A healthy individual possesses a willingness as well as a range of skills for meeting the five needs of belonging, power, fun or enjoyment, freedom, and survival in positive ways. Glasser (1972) refers to this kind of a person as having a success identity.

Question 32

What is the role of the therapist in reality therapy?

Answer 32

The counsellor is seen as a model and a teacher who focuses on establishing a relationship with the client. The counsellor is active, direct, practical, and didactic. An important part of the reality therapist’s role is “helping clients develop, extend, clarify, examine, and verbally describe their specific wants related to belonging, power, fen, and freedom” (Glasser & Wubbolding, 1995, p. 309).

William Glasser (1965) stressed that individuals must feel good about themselves, that they must feel that they are worthy individuals, capable of fulfilling their needs in positive ways. Reality therapy rests on eight fundamental principles, which the therapist follows as guidelines in helping clients. These principles are:

Become involved with the client in a caring and personal way.
Emphasize present behaviour rather than feelings and focus on the here-and-now.
Help the client make a value judgement about what he or she is currently doing.
Assist the client in making a workable and realistic plan for life change.
Obtain a commitment from the client to carry out the plan.
Accept no excuses for the client in the event of non-performance.
Administer no punishment but don’t interfere with reasonable consequences.
Never give up.

Question 33

What are implications for the helping relationship for Reality therapy?

Answer 33

Reality therapy is a relatively brief and action-oriented approach to change that can be applied to a variety of client populations. Reality therapy has proven particularly effective in education, the classroom setting, and work with adolescents. Although there are formal training programs set up by various branches of the William Glasser Institutes, this approach can be easily incorporated into the current practice of many educators and counsellors. Reality therapy is a form of treatment that builds on the client’s strengths.

Question 34

What are the goals for helping of reality therapy?

Answer 34

One of the goals of reality therapy is to help clients accept responsibility and take control over their behaviour. Another goal is to help clients reduce irresponsible self-defeating behaviour and develop a positive self-image.

Question 35

What are hte techniques and methods of reality therapy?

Answer 35

The task of the counsellor is to help the client identify the self-defeating characteristics. The focus is on the behaviour, the client/counsellor relationship, and the present. Counselling is seen as a process of involvement, communication, and instruction. Warmth, understanding, and genuine concern are essential in the counselling process. Using the WDEP (Wants, Doing, Evaluation, Planning) system, the reality therapist helps clients develop more need-satisfying behaviours.

Question 36

Activities
Assume that your client, Mary, is an over-dependent mother, 33 years old, with three children, and married for 10 years. Her husband ‘takes care of her’, always making the decisions and keeping her dependent. She is now beginning to feel stifled and wants to do things for herself, but feels guilty for thinking this way. She says she is now feeling trapped and yet does not want to hurt her husband or children. She comes to you for help.
Where would you begin with Mary?
How would you apply reality therapy to help her?
Your client, who is fifteen, is skipping school regularly. You challenge him about evading responsibility. He tells you that school is meaningless for him and that he would rather meet with his buddies, who have all dropped out of school.
What are some ways in which you could work with this adolescent, even though he has decided he will continue to skip school?
Self Reflections
What does involvement mean in reality therapy? How can a helper know if he or she has a genuine involvement with the client?
Do you agree with the emphasis on what (description) instead of why (explanation)? How does therapy differ with these two emphases?
What aspects of this approach would you like to incorporate into your own style of counselling?
How would Glasser view transference?
How does Glasser deal with the past in therapy?
Discuss the role of commitment in the process of reality therapy.
Explain the change in the name of the theory underlying reality therapy, from control theory to choice theory.