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Abstract
Persons in the helping professions often express difficulty accepting choice theory that underlies reality therapy as well as the delivery system itself. This article is a summary and extension of a keynote address and presents several frequently raised questions/objections followed by possible responses to them. Explored in the article are whether we live in a world of external control, the place of choosing behaviors in choice theory/reality therapy, the use of diagnosis, and the effect of trauma.
Objections to and criticisms of choice theory/ reality therapy are not new. Nevertheless, as the ideas founded and developed by William Glasser, MD are further augmented, more widely practiced and increasingly taught in universities around the world new objections, criticisms and questions surface in the educational and academic worlds. Consequently there is an ongoing necessity to answer such inquiries and provide clarifications. This article summarizes and extends the author's keynote presentation at The William Glasser Institute Midwest Region July 8, 2011 in Schaumburg, Illinois. Several responses and amplifications helpful for addressing a variety of critiques and inquiries are provided below.
Historical Note
Glasser has continued to develop his ideas since the publication of his first books (I960, 1965, 1968). He added control theory as the basis of reality therapy and as an explanation of all human behavior (1980, 1984). Subsequently, he changed the name of the theory to choice theory because of the added emphasis on human behavior as a choice (1998). Furthermore, reality therapy constitutes the delivery system for choice theory and is his most well known contribution to the helping professions. Wubbolding's writings (2000, 2011) extend the principles of choice theory and reality therapy, while many others have contributed their specializations to the implementation of choice theory and the practice of reality therapy to such areas as parenting (Buck, 2000), education (Sullo, 2007) and management (Pierce, 2007), couples counseling, (Robey, Wubbolding & Carlson, 2012), (Olver, 2011), and corrections (Myers & Jackson, 2002).
Below are four inquiries and implied reservations about choice theory/ reality therapy presented in training sessions, in university classes, and in conversations with members of the helping professions.
Question 1
When you look at the world through the lens of choice theory what kind of world presents itself?
Response: The conventional...