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Abstract
An old cub scout saying states that "We need to keep things simple and make them fun, and then before we know it, the job will be done." Notably, William Glasser seemed to be aware of this saying as he sought to create Choice Theory and Reality Therapy. Truly, he consistently sought to help others to better relate to their experiences, and then guided them regarding how they might more readily take efficient control of their lives. This brief overview simply seeks to explain how all of this can be simply done.
INTRODUCTION
Often times, we blame other people or things for our own misery. "The kids are driving me crazy." "My husband makes me so mad." "Being sick is making me depressed." When saying these things, many do not realize that they are actually choosing how they feel, and that these people or things are not causing their emotions. According to choice theory (formerly known as control theory), we choose all of our actions and thoughts, based on the information we receive in our lives. Other people or things cannot actually make us feel or act a certain way (Glasser, 1998)
Choice theory, developed by Dr. William Glasser, evolved out of control theory, and is the basis for Reality Therapy (Howatt, 2001). Control theory,on the other hand, was developed by William Powers and it helped explain many of Dr. Glasser's beliefs, but not all of them. Dr. Glasser spent 10 years expanding and revising control theory into something that more accurately reflected his beliefs, what we now know as choice theory (Corey, 2013). Although reality therapy is based on choice theory, it was actually reality therapy that was coined first in 1962. It wasn't until some 34 years later, in 1996, that Glasser announced that the term "control theory" would be replaced with "choice theory". The rationale for the name change was that the guiding principle of the theory has always been that people have choices in life and these choices guide said life (Howatt, 2001).
Glasser believed that people needed to take more responsibility for their behavior and that reality therapy could help them do this. The essence of choice theory and reality therapy is that we are all responsible...