CHAPTER 11 REALITY THERAPY Theories of Counseling and

CHAPTER 11: REALITY THERAPY Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy Third Edition By Nancy L. Murdock Prepared by Marcy Stites

William Glasser (born 1925) Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -2

Case Study “Donald” Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -3

Highlights of Glasser and RT • Like others, grew out of Glasser’s dissatisfaction with traditional psychoanalytic theory • Born 1925, son of immigrant parents, Cleveland, OH – Board certified in psychiatry, 1961 – Ventura School for troubled girls and Reality Therapy (1965) • www. wglasser. com Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -4

Background (cont. ) • In 1996 Glasser radically revised RT theory to emphasize the importance of relationships • Changed theory underlying RT from control theory to choice theory • Robert Wubbolding (2011 a) heads Center for Reality Therapy • International Therapy Journal of Choice Theory and Reality Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -5

“Choice theory teaches that we are much more in control of our lives than we realize. ” Glasser, 1998 Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -6

Basic Philosophy • Essential nature of humans is positive • Social constructivist – “real world” is defined by consensual agreement • People are in the driver’s seat – they choose their own behaviors • Anti-psychotropic – one has choices Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -7

Human Motivation • Maximize pleasure and minimize pain – satisfaction of basic needs (survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun) Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -8

Central Constructs • Basic Needs – Survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun—are innate and universal – Love and belonging is the most important need • All behavior represents our best effort to satisfy needs • Quality World: set of mental images of need-fulfilling things or people – Begins shortly after we’re born and revised continuously over our lifetimes – Mother is the first person in the quality world Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -9

Continued… • Total Behavior: multidimensional nature of human behavior (acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology) – Acting and thinking are under our control and can be influenced by feelings and physiology – Choice Theory: 10 axioms – “we choose everything we do” ○ External control by the environment • 3 basic beliefs underlie external control • 7 deadly habits of external control • 7 caring habits Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -10

Goal • To meet our needs in a constructive mean Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -11

Theory of Person and Development • “Personality” based on relative strengths of a person’s basic needs • No formal theory of personality development – “seeds of unhappiness are planted early” – Parents or other powerful people are key to trust Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -12

Health • Healthy: are advocates of choice – Being happy without violating the rights – Able to satisfy their own needs – Having satisfying personal relationships Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -13 of others

Dysfunction is failure to satisfy one’s needs • “ing” • choosing behavior (i. e. , depressing) Make bad choices • Loneliness • Effectiveness in soliciting help • Avoids tougher alternatives – facing problems and risking rejection • Psychotic behavior seen as bad choices in attempting to meet needs • Dysfunction happens when individual feels disconnected from others • Three stages of healthy and unhealthy behaviors (Wubbolding, 2011 a) Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -14

Nature of Therapy • Assessment: none are used other than figuring out what relationship(s) is (are) problematic – Critical of formal diagnosis • Therapeutic Atmosphere – Counselor wants to become a picture in the client’s quality world – Meeting the client’s love and belonging needs – Displays empathy, genuineness, and positive regard – Active, focused on behavior and thinking – Centered in the present and reality based, short term – AB-CDE Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved • Roles – Counselors ask a lot of questions and challenge client to evaluate behavior – Resemble doctor-patient – Taught about choice theory – Client must accept responsibility in counseling sessions • Goals: make better choices – Reconnect to critical relationship(s) – Changing feelings for clients by making more effective acting and thinking choices 11 -15

Process of Therapy • RT is process oriented – what to do now and how the client can make new choices • Do not spend a lot of time on client’s symptoms, transference or countertransference • WDEP process: Wants, Direction, Effective, Plans • 8 -step approach to RT – Involvement – Focus on Present Behavior – Value judgment – Planning responsible behavior – Commitment to the plan – Accept no excuses – Do not punish – Never give up Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -16

Techniques • Teaching Choice Theory • Process of discussion leading to – Identifying problematic need-related behavior and choosing functional behavior – Questioning – Bibliotherapy – Doing the unexpected – Reframing – Humor – Self-disclosure – Metaphors – Physical activity and meditation – Allowing or imposing consequences Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -17

Evaluation of the Theory • Evaluation of the Theory – Relatively simple and easy to understand, possibly too simple – Faulted for ignoring social influences on behavior • Qualities – Operationalizing is difficult – Empirical support is weak • Research Support – Outcome studies have shown theory’s effectiveness – Methodological error in many of the studies, no randomly controlled trial • Theory-testing are few – Ryan and Deci (2008) and La. Fond (2000) Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -18

Individual and Cultural Diversity • Too Heterosexual • Subject • Needs to choice is problematic are culturally bound • Some research evidence suggests RT may be a very acceptable approach for diverse clients Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -19

Summary • People are motivated to meet their basic needs of survival, love and belonging, fun, freedom, and power. • Love and belonging is the most important • Dysfunction results in bad choices • Therapy is about planning for the client to choose a different way to meet their needs • Research base spotty, dated but likely it can be considered an effective psychotherapy approach Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -20

Conclusion Life is about meeting basic needs Murdock. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3 e. © 2013, 2009, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 11 -21