Talk:Glasser's choice theory

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Why have the "external links" been removed from the article? I would like to see that edit reverted by an admin. frankatca Oct. 25, 2005

I find psychotherapy accurate but somewhat limiting since there is a VERY much broader use of Choice Theory, particularly in counseling and training. For example, see the soon-to-be created Better Choices, Inc. program described at: http://BetterChoicesNow.Org that is devoted entirely to the huge problem of reducing recidivsim, i.e. parolees returning to prisons, repeatedly. The Better Choices program is stictly one of education, NOT counseling and not therapy, i.e. TEACHING Choice Theory as a route to giving the largely angry and unhappy people who populate our prisons insight into building better relationships with the people who matter most in their lives, taking responsibility for their CHOICES, behavioral choices, that will make a difference in how they ACT and THINK, and ulitmately will save SOME percentage of them from returning to prison. As a society that matters: in Massachusetts where I live, just a 1% reduction in recidivism equates to something of the order of $1 million a year in savings to the state and its taxpayers.

frankatca

I categorized this under 'psychotherapy' instead of 'psychology' because from what I've read about it, most of its application is in therapy. Very few articles on psychology need to be at the top level category; most should fall under 'self', 'personality', 'memory', 'cognition', 'social psychology', 'psychotherapy', etc. Maybe 'psychotherapy' is the wrong subcategory?
I also categorized this under 'popular psychology' since nearly all the author's publications have been books, and very few peer-reviewed articles, at least according to PsycINFO and scholar.google.com.

--Johnkarp 18:00, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I categorized this under 'psychotherapy' instead of 'psychology' because from what I've read about it, most of its application is in therapy. Very few articles on psychology need to be at the top level category; most should fall under 'self', 'personality', 'memory', 'cognition', 'social psychology', 'psychotherapy', etc. Maybe 'psychotherapy' is the wrong subcategory?
I also categorized this under 'popular psychology' since nearly all the author's publications have been books, and very few peer-reviewed articles, at least according to PsycINFO and scholar.google.com.

--Johnkarp 18:00, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)

This is a tough call. Glasser himself would agree that Choice Theory has a place in counseling, and indeed he has a book on such, and by extension "therapy"; however that term is somewhat limiting. If you read his book CHOICE THEORY what you will find is a far more comprehensive theoretical basis for behavior that is overarching with respect to psychology, counseling and therapy.

It is fair to say that although Glasser is widely admired he is hardly taken as "seriously" as Jung, Freud, and a host of others. Most iconolclasts are fair game for traditionalists.
Dr. Glasser's most recent jeremiad is aimed at the psychiatric and mental health community in a small booklet published by the Glasser Institute entitled: Treating Mental Health as a Public Health Problem: A New Leadership Role for the Helping Professions. ( See: http://www.wglasser.com/A%20New%20Booklet%20with%20scanned%20booklet%20cover.pdf )

Where he says, in part:
"Since I wrote my first book in 1961 and gave it the title, Mental Health or Mental Illness, I have been thinking about the section of that book that I called Mental Hygiene. By using that term, I was following the dictionary definition of hygiene which is the establishment and maintenance of health. In this instance, mental hygiene would translate into mental health.
"But today, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers and counselors, all of whom call themselves mental health professionals, only pay lip service to that term. Mental Health, as an important concept, completely separate from mental illness, plays no part in what they actually do.
Relying almost completely on the DSM-IV, all these professionals use the medical model to diagnose and treat what they call mental illnesses and disorders.
"In the booklet I have just published, Treating Mental Health as a Public Health Problem, I do something mental health professionals rarely do. I define mental health as an entity completely separate from mental illness. Then I explain that as long as we use the Medical model we have been using for years, we will be unable to deliver the mental health so many people desperately need at a cost they can afford.
"What I will explain in the booklet is that there is another model much better suited to delivering mental health than the Medical model. This is the Public Health Model that has been successfully delivering physical health to millions of people for hundreds of years. I also explain how this model could be expanded into a low cost Public Mental Health Delivery Model that could easily be put into practice by all mental health professionals. All the Mental Health Associations that dot the country could use this model by hiring mental health professionals to deliver mental health without diagnoses and without drugs directly to people who contacted the Association.
"I urge all mental health professionals who are interested in delivering mental health directly to their clients to read this booklet..."

frankatca Frank Ferguson f2@cainc.com Feb. 19, 2005

I do not know whether this is an appropriate place to say, but to my knowledge, majority of people think of economics or decision analysis when they hear the term "choice theory".

Anonymous Apr 22, 2005

Suggestions

Dec 2015 - The big problem here is assuming-equating Glasser's Quality schools were like Summerhill, student free-for-alls with no structure. Anyone thinking this has not read much Glasser nor followed his career.

I think it's his second Quality School book, The Quality Teacher, which offers many examples from schools he supervised. He was an innovator of more humanism between teacher, students and learning--not a Summerhill radical.

I also eliminated many of the unnecessary and clumsy "that"s. Is every Wikipedia article required to have 100 unnecessary and stilted-sounding "that"s?

- Bruce Dickson, HealingToolbox.org — Preceding unsigned comment added by Healing toolbox (talk • contribs) 07:14, 19 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

In the list of 10 axioms, these two items should be clarified somehow. (The way they are currently written require a frame of reference which is [a] not provided within the article or [b] is known only to people who have studied the theory already.)

3. All long-lasting psychological problems are relationship problems.

- What is a "Relationship problem" exactly - does the theorist provide a definition of this?

10. All Total Behavior is designated by verbs and named by the part that is the most recognizable.

- Perhaps an example would help? Or some explanation of what is meant by "most recognizable"
- or perhaps some discussion about why we'd want to "designate" behaviour? (Must we designate our behaviours just in order to discuss or measure or analyse them? or is there some other purpose that we must "designate" our behaviour?)

I am writing this as a person who has just recently come to learn of the Choice Theory. As a newcomer, this article would be much better if the above items were clearer. Ciao.Regards. (talk) 21:51, 8 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hey! Another suggestion here: I think the article could be expanded to cover a wider range of topics, as well as improved in its relevance, if it were to discuss choice theory as it relates to stages of physiological brain development. Piaget has some interesting ideas that could be connected to this article, specifically his theories on Basic Cognitive Development. Junderland (talk) 19:38, 7 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Notability

Notability is an important criteria, but there are varying degrees and when something is of lesser notability to the general public but of marked notability in academic fields - particularly to those studying speech theory or psychology - it really should be given the benefit of the doubt. My two cents, I will leave it to the community to decide if this should be deleted or the question of notability removed. 22 Apr 2011. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.211.243.48 (talk) 15:47, 22 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I know this is sometimes used in therapy and what not, so perhaps it would be important to leave up for people to look up what it is? (What brought me here, in fact). Oh, I forgot to log in, but look me up as "zanotam" (I always forget how to do a name linky without using 149.169.107.36 (talk) 05:01, 27 November 2011 (UTC), sorry)[reply]

Veracity of statement

"Sudbury schools choose to recognize that students are personally responsible for their acts, in opposition to virtually all schools today that deny it." Really? When was the last time you spent time in other types of schools? As a current graduate teacher, I've taught in many types of schools in the last year from private, to religious, to state schools and this does not represent them in any way203.29.107.155 (talk) 05:11, 10 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

He does tend to make some sweeping statements to prove his points, doesn't he? I agree with his general premise, that it is better to respect the freedom of others as opposed to trying to manipulate them into compliance with a specific orthodoxy. This thinking has some flaws, of course, as some restraints have to be put on individuals for society to function. Letting murderers run around without restraint just doesn't work, but since most people are not murderers or rapists by default, respecting the free will of others within reason tends to result in better friendships, family relationships, etc. This based, of course, on purely anecdotal evidence with my own family in trying out Glasser's teachings as an experiment. Take it for what it's worth. PresidentLonestar (talk) 11:02, 24 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]

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while the final section does add some WP:NPOV to the article, most of it is written based on primary sources and with obvious non-neutral language like "the culmination of some 50 years of theory and practice" etc. Someone not using his real name (talk) 09:35, 28 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Looking on google books and scholar using the parameters Glasser + "choice theory" yields alot of primary sources. I am not sure whether there are sufficient secondary sources in peer-reviewed papers to justify its existence. Will look more tomorrow. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 14:35, 31 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]