Choice Theory

Also known as: Reality Therapy

framework · psychology · organizing-schema

Glasser's framework of human behavior driven by five basic needs.

Choice Theory (originally Control Theory) and its therapeutic application Reality Therapy were developed by William Glasser, with Reality Therapy presented in his 1965 book of that name and Choice Theory codified in Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom (1998). Choice Theory holds that all behavior is purposeful and chosen (rather than caused by external events) in service of meeting five genetically-encoded basic needs: Survival (food, shelter, safety), Love and Belonging, Power (achievement, recognition), Freedom (autonomy), and Fun (enjoyment, learning). Each individual builds a 'quality world' of specific people, things, and ideals that meet their needs, and behavior is generated to close the gap between the quality world and current perception. Reality Therapy applies the framework clinically through the WDEP procedure (Wants, Doing, Evaluation, Planning) to help clients evaluate whether their current behavior is meeting needs and to plan more effective alternatives. The framework has been widely applied in education, addiction treatment, and counseling.

Originators

William Glasser high

Year / Decade

1965 (Reality Therapy); 1998 (Choice Theory codification) high

Primary sources

Glasser, W. (1965). Reality Therapy: A New Approach to Psychiatry, Glasser, W. (1998). Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom, Wubbolding, R.E. (2000). Reality Therapy for the 21st Century high

Band notes

Glasser's framework has practitioner adoption but limited rigorous empirical research.

Core components

Five basic needs: Survival, Love and Belonging, Power, Freedom, Fun
All behavior as chosen and purposeful
Quality World (mental images of need-meeting people, things, ideals)
Total behavior (acting, thinking, feeling, physiology)
WDEP procedure (Wants, Doing, Evaluation, Planning)
Reality Therapy as clinical application
Critique of external-control psychology

Primary use case

Reality Therapy clinical application; education (Glasser Quality Schools); addiction treatment; school counseling; pastoral counseling; coaching; basis for Glasser's later 'lead-management' approach to organizational leadership.

Common criticisms

Empirical research on Reality Therapy outcomes is limited compared to evidence-based therapies
the five-needs taxonomy is asserted rather than empirically derived from independent factor-analytic work
'all behavior is chosen' framing oversimplifies the substantial empirical evidence on automatic, habitual, and unconsciously-determined behavior
can foster harsh moralism (mental illness as choice) when applied beyond its appropriate scope
Glasser's broader 'mental health is about choice' rhetoric in his later work was contested and harmful when applied to severe mental illness
Reality Therapy's directive style is not a fit for all clinical populations
commercial William Glasser Institute training varies in rigor.

Lineage

Siblings: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Self-Determination Theory