Essay: Choice Theory/Reality Therapy Review

Choice theory was created by Dr. William Glasser in the 1990s, and is the foundation for his therapeutic approach, reality therapy which he created in 1965. Unlike other popular theories, choice theory teaches that human behavior is internally motivated and it is driven by five basic needs; survival, loving and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. Dr. Glasser also believes that choice theory replaces the seven deadly habits of external psychology; criticizing, blaming, complaining, nagging, threatening, punishing, and bribing, with seven caring habits. The seven caring habits of choice theory are; supporting, encouraging, listening, accepting, trusting, respecting, and negotiating differences. Glasser rejected Freudian approaches as he did not believe in unconscious behavior. Glasser thought that “blaming” the unconscious, takes the responsibility away from the person. This same thought process is why Glasser also rejected formal diagnosis, stating,

“They are only necessary for insurance purposes and place the blame on the illness, not the actions of the person”.

Glasser also denies transference; he believes the feelings the client is portraying towards the therapist are true and not a projection. Glasser teaches that all behavior is chosen, and is an attempt to meet one of the aforementioned basic needs, with love and belonging being the most important (William Glasser Institute, 2017). Dr Robert Wubbolding, a follower of Glasser, has authored over 13 books on reality therapy and now travels the world, teaching its techniques.

Ten Axioms

Choice theory has ten axioms, or statements, that are believed to be the premise of human behavior. The ten axioms of choice theory are;

1. The only person whose behavior we can control is our own. This is pretty self-explanatory. Glasser believes that you choose your own behavior, no one can make you behave a certain way. If one understands choice, they can control their behavior. During a lecture on choice therapy, the professor presented a video by Taylor Swift, Look What You Made Me Do. The professor used this video as an example of what Glasser is so passionate about, YOU control your own actions and behaviors, no one can make you do anything.
2. All we can give another person is information. What that person does with the information given to them, is up to them. A famous idiom that can be related to this axiom is, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
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. Many people do not want to dwell in their past. While Glasser agrees that it determines who you are today, working on whatever the problem is NOW is more productive.
6. We can only satisfy our needs by satisfying the pictures in our Quality World. Our quality world is full of things people, places, and experiences that satisfy our five basic needs.
7. All we do is behave. Whether it is good or bad, all actions are behaviors.
8. All behavior is Total Behavior and is made up of four components: acting, thinking, feeling and physiology. These components are best explained through a sketch of a car: Our basic needs; survival, loving and belonging, power, freedom, and fun, are the engine that drive our total power car. Our wants (steering wheel), influence our acting and thinking, which control which way the car travels.
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. Our feelings and physiology follow suit behind our actions and thinking. If one were to focus more on feelings, they would lose control of their “car” as we cannot control feelings. (Roy, 2016)
10. All Total Behavior is designated by verbs and named by the art that is the most recognizable.  According to Glasser, a person chooses to depress, they are not depressed. Remember, thinking and acting control feelings and physiology. (William Glasser Institute, 2017). Dr. Quentin Hunter explained this as “verbing”.

WDEP System

The WDEP system is an efficient way for counselors to help their client set goals to work on their problems. WDEP stands for Wants, Doing, Evaluation, and Planning. Glasser created some essential questions to go along with each letter in the acronym;

WANTS: What do you want?

DOING: When you act this way, what are you thinking?

EVALUATION: Is your behavior helping you get what you want?

PLAN: Is your plan/goal achievable? What do you need to do to make your world as you imagined it could be?

Another way to look at the WDEP acronym is;

WANTS: How hard do you want to work at solving the problem or gaining better sense of control?

DOING: Where is the accumulation of your current choices taking you?

EVALUATION: Is the overall direction of your life taking you closer or further away from your goal?

PLAN: Do you want to try something different? What else can I do? What will I do? These questions make the client responsible for their own destiny. While the therapist is there to advocate for and cheer on the client, the client is the expert in their own lives. Counselors are not parents, teachers, or cops, but they should always be consistent, courteous, calm, determined, and enthusiastic for Choice/Reality therapy to work.

Pros and Cons

While the choice theory and reality therapy are successful tools in helping clients treat issues like relationship problems, stress, anxiety, and depression, it should not be utilized to assist those with serious mental illness, childhood trauma, or intellectual disability. Reality therapy is only successful with clients that understand the concept of choice. The client must also be committed to working through their problems without depending on the therapist too much.  Reality therapy tends to focus on the symptoms, not the underlying issue (GoodTherapy.org, 2017).

Multiculturalism

While choice theory and reality therapy are sensitive to cultural differences and take into consideration the various cultures of its clients, there are some instances where it can seem a bit insensitive. Some clients have experienced discrimination due to their race, disability, sexual orientation, etc., and reality therapy/choice theory may not take into account the environmental factors that may affect the outcome of their therapy.

End Goal

The end goal of reality therapy using the choice theory is behavior modification, enhanced living, better decision-making skills, and improved relationships through accepting personal responsibility for ones’ thoughts, feelings, and actions. There are games that use the WDEP model to teach adolescents and young adults how their behavior affects their thoughts and feelings. The most popular WDEP card game is a fun opportunity to practice the relationship between cause and effect. The basic premise of WDEP, or Choice Therapy, is that in every situation we have a choice in how we respond. In the card game teens decide ways to make problems or situations better or worse/ bigger or smaller, therein growing their ability to identify helpful problem-solving behaviors versus unhelpful behaviors. It appears to be a successful technique that is gaining popularity around the globe.