Glassers Control Theory

By Taylor Hartey Informational Paper I. Topic and Relevance Dr. William Glasser is an American psychiatrist. During the 1970s Dr. Glasser developed a concept called Control Theory. In 1996 Glasser renamed Control Theory to Choice Theory because of confusion with another perceptual control theory by William T. Powers, developed in the 1950s (Choice Theory, 2009). Instead of diagnosing a patient with a mental illness, Glasser took a deeper look into the needs of the individual. He believed that the perceived mental illness was just a result of the patient acting out of unhappiness, not a brain disorder. Glasser does not believe in the concept of mental illness unless there is something organically wrong with the brain that can be confirmed by a pathologist (TWGI, 2010 ). He came to the conclusion that we are genetically social creatures who need each other. As a result, he postulated that the cause of almost all psychological symptoms is our inability to get along with the important people in our lives (TWGI, 2010). Control Theory states that behavior is caused not by an outside stimulus, but by what a person wants most at any given time (Glasser, 1999). The basis of Control theory is that all people are driven by five basic needs. The first being Survival or the need for nourishment, clothing, shelter, and the need to reproduce. The second need is Power or the desire to feel significant, competent, and successful. The third need is Love and Belonging or the feeling of being connected with others. The fourth need is Freedom or an individual right to act according to his or her own will. Freedom also includes the need for ones own personal space. The last

need is Fun or the ability to find happiness, pleasure, and enjoyment in life. Glassers Control Theory focuses on personal choice, personal responsibility and personal transformation. This theory demonstrates how people can find similarities and differences in the quest to fulfill needs. In order to have a healthy productive teaching/learning atmosphere in any given classroom a systematic control system is necessary (Charles, 2008). However students will try to resist what someone else makes them do. The students and teachers needs, rules, and expectations should be discussed in the beginning of the year. Creating a warm and positive environment in the classroom with mutual respect is optimal. The classroom should be a place where there is no threat to the childs need of survival. It should be a safe and secure environment. The classroom should also be a place where the student gets a sense of belonging and togetherness as opposed to seclusion. This environment should help to develop self control and self - discipline within each student. II. Review of Literature: If we embrace Choice Theorys concepts, then our function should be more to educate and help others self-evaluate the effectiveness of their own behavior (Oliver, 2006). In a study where a Choice Theory counseling group embraced students who displayed disciplinary problems, children of prisoners experienced academic and social challenges. Professional school counselors are in an ideal position to provide theory-based interventions to support children of prisoners. Choice theory provides a compelling conceptual framework to help school counselors understand students whose parents have been incarcerated (TFL, 2008). The choice

theory framework also facilitates school counselors' promotion of school settings in which students (a) can experience a safe and happy environment, (b) feel a sense of belonging, (c) make appropriate choices, and (d) control their academic and social achievements (Wubbolding, 2007). Children who experience untimely, unexpected, or abrupt disruptions in their relationships with primary caregivers may develop insecure attachments or connections and destructive patterns of relating to others (Edwards, 1998; Poehlmann, 2008). Students were examined to the extent of which choice theory increased high school students' perceptions of satisfaction in four areas of psychological need: belonging, power, freedom, and fun (Loyd, 2005). The students were educated regarding principles of choice theory and instructed how to apply the principles in real-world life situations. Following this instruction, significant increases were found in the students' perceptions of satisfaction in three of the four psychological needs of choice theory: power, freedom, and fun. Although this educational process had a sustaining effect on students' perception of satisfaction in the three areas, their perception of satisfaction for belonging was not significantly increased. A more recent investigation of choice theory was employed with parents in a parent training program (Fulkerson, 2007). Parents were made aware of the basic psychological needs of their children, goals associated with their children's behaviors, and effective communication skills for improving family relationships. This therapeutic approach was effective in promoting positive behaviors among children with social-emotional and behavioral problems. The approach also contributed to a positive restructuring of the relationships these parents had with their children

(Fulkerson, 2007). Choice Theory explains that young adolescents make ineffective behavioral choices in an attempt to fulfill their basic needs (Loyd, 2005). III. The Connection: Every student has different interests, learning abilities and wants. The teacher should get to know each student as an individual, and determine each students interest and abilities. Each student should know the rules and the results of breaking them. To ensure comprehension regular classroom meetings should be scheduled. Meetings bring everyone together in a positive manner. They can mutually work to understand each other and resolve problems. Relationships and behavior can be discussed in a situation where everyone is heard and treated respectfully, providing the sense of Love and Belonging. Rules should not be overwhelming. They should be fair and as straightforward as possible to ensure a positive learning environment. Students should be able to explain why the material they are learning is valuable and important to life. All students want to belong - misbehavior is directed at mistaken goals: attentiongetting, power-seeking. As a teacher, try to understand the goal for the students misbehavior. Make it abundantly clear to students how they should behave by giving examples of both positive and negative behavior (Glasser, 1998). Do not accept excuses for bad behavior. Ask, "What choices did you have? Why did you make that choice? Did you like the result? What have you learned? (Allen, 1996).

The teacher should provide reasonable consequences for both good and bad behavior. Positive consequence should be provided for good behavior and good work. Likewise, negative consequences should be provided for bad behavior and poor work. The students can help to decide what appropriate actions should be taken for both a positive and negative situation. Teachers should help students learn to make good choices, since good choices produce good behavior. Students are rational beings capable of controlling their own behavior. IV. Recommendations: I would definitely implement Control Theory into my classroom. I believe it is important for the student to feel that they do have a say in what and how they are learning. This creates a level of mutual respect between the student and the teacher. There were many examples of how this could be implemented into the classroom. Merely by having the students help with rules gives the students a sense of power and voice. Providing regular meeting times and discussions to the class can keep the lines of communication open between the student and teacher. Many times common sense is not used in the classroom. Punishments are given that far exceed the crime, or good behavior goes unnoticed altogether. With this system, good behavior is recognized and rewarded appropriately and bad behavior has a consequence. V. Conclusion: Ultimately the teacher wants to wean the students from outside authority imposed control (Glasser 1969). According to Dr. Glasser, You cannot make anyone do what he or she does not want to do. We can only teach him a better way and encourage him to try i t. The

student can take a greater responsibility for his actions and make the proper behavior choices. The student should be able to answer or at least think about the following questions: What do I want? What am I doing to achieve what I want? Is it working? And what are my plans or options (Glasser, 1998)? When control theory is used effectively, students can have a say in what they learn and teachers can discuss content and method with the student. Thus, how and what students learn stems directly from their basic needs (Choice Theory, 2009). Finally, the idea that we can be responsible for our own behavior and are not controlled by outside forces, provides an environment for positive behavior change. This encourages movement toward acceptance and the embracing of diversity. When people learn to apply the principles of Choice Theory, they are taught how to more consciously self-evaluate so that the behaviors they choose have the best chance of helping them achieve what they want in ways that are responsible. IV. References
Allen, T. Ph.D., (1996). Developing a Discipline Plan for You. http://www.humboldt.edu/~tha1/discip-options.html Charles, C.M. (2008). Building Classroom Discipline. (9th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education. Choice theory. (2009, December 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. February 17, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Choice_theory&oldid=331702186 Edwards, O.W. (1998). Helping grankin--Grandchildren raised by grandparents: Expanding psychology in the schools. Psychology in the Schools, 35, 173-181. Fulkerson, M. (2007). Description of the intensive in-home family service program. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26, 31-32. Glasser, W., (1999). Choice theory: a new psychology of personal freedom. New York: Harper Collins.

Glssser, W. (1969.) Schools without Failure. New York. Harper and Row. Glasser, W. (1998). The Quality School. New York. Harper Collins.

Oliver, K. (2006). Choice Theory Central. http://www.choicetheorycentral.com/ Poehlmann, J. (2005). Children's family environments and intellectual outcomes during maternal incarceration. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 1275-1285. Loyd, B. (2005). The effects of reality therapy/choice theory principles on high school students' perceptions of needs satisfaction and behavior change. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 25, 5-9. The William Glasser Institute (TWGI). (2010). Chatsworth, CA. http://wglasser.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=27

The Free Library (TFL). (2008). Professional school counselors using choice theory to meet the needs of children of prisoners. Farlex. American School Counselor Association. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Professional+school+counselors+using+choice+theory+to+meet +the+needs.com Wubbolding, R. E. (2007). Glasser quality school. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice, 11, 253-261.