The Principles of Choice Theory

The Principles of Choice Theory

Question 1

The choice theory was formulated by Dr. William Glasser, a psychiatrist who stipulated human beings are born with genetically coded needs, which make the basis of the five principles of choice theory.

1^st principle

Human behaving is coded in their genetic make and is controlled by five motivations; these are survival or self-preservation, fun or enjoyment, love and belonging, power,  and lastly, freedom, and independence.

2^nd principle

During growth and development, humans develop wants that are related to the five needs stipulated by Glasser (Wubbolding, 2015). These want to grow and become part of our “quality world.’  In most cases, the experiences that people find interesting or fun turn to become their wants.

3^rd principle

This principle stipulates that our behavior is referred to as ‘total behavior’ and includes feelings, psychology, and physiology, among others.  In most cases, therefore, responsive behavior is elicited whenever we feel our ‘quality world’ is out of balance.

4^th principle

All behavior is based on a purpose in the sense that we make choices that try to meet one or more of the five needs.  In this respect, people tend to shape their environment to meet the requirements of their ‘quality world.’

5^th principles

Behavior is shaped by the desire to meet at least one want, and one needs from the ‘quality world’ of a person. In this respect, the choices made that determine behavior are derived from the lack of total fulfillment of all the needs hence motivation to fulfill the unfulfilled wants. (Corey, 2017)

Question 2

The fourth principle, ‘all behavior is based on purpose,’ seems to be the most challenging to impart on a client.  People tend to believe that meeting their needs is the primary motivation. This at times clashes with the needs of other people, it isn’t very easy to convince a client that they need to ensure their behavior that is based on the fulfillment of their needs should take into consideration the needs of other people (Wubbolding, 2015).  This is especially difficult if the desire to fulfill these needs is really strong.

Question 3

Motivations are derived from the desires that people pursue, such as the five needs stipulated by Glasser in the choice theory. The motivations, in this case, are to achieve at least one of these needs in an attempt to shape their quality world through the environment to attain happiness.  The behaviors of people are explained through their choices in try to achieve these five needs based on the fact that different people have a diverse level of desire to meet these needs (Corey, 2017). This, therefore, means that the end goal for all the choices and behavior is to be happy.  I also think that human motivations are drawn from the needs of the people. In most instances, people’s choices are affected by what they want and the strategy they plan to employ to achieve it in the long run.

References

Corey, G.  (2017).  Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy.  Boston, MA:  Cengage Learning.

Wubbolding, Robert E. (2015).  The Voice of William Glasser: Accessing the Continuing Evolution of Reality Therapy.  Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 37(3), 189-205.doi: 10.17744/mehc.37.3.01

References

Irvine, J. (2015). Enacting Glasser’s (1998) Choice Theory in a Grade 3 Classroom: A Case Study. Journal of Case Studies in Education, 7.

Corey, G. (2017). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Australia : Cengage Learning,