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Back in 2000, I was sitting in a classroom studying psychology theories. I had recently decided to change careers and was shifting from being a field archaeologist to a professional counselor. In class, we had talked about Freud of course, and we’d covered a little bit of Jung, we’d ventured into behavioral waters and talked about Skinner, and we dove a little deeper into Beck and Cognitive Theory. On this particular day, we were talking about a slightly lesser-known name (at least to me): William Glasser, M.D.
Glasser came up with Reality Therapy in the 1960s, and out of its practice, Choice Theory was born. Glasser posited that human beings were driven to meet some basic needs. He said that all behaviors, whether healthy or unhealthy were aimed at meeting needs for survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. Back when I was initially learning about Glasser, I was drawn to the importance that he awarded to choice. I was desperately seeking a way to understand my life that felt more empowered; I was tired of feeling like everything was happening to me. Choice Theory gave me a buoy in what was, at the time, a rough sea.
My love of the power of choice continues to move me today, but that’s not what I want to focus on. I want to look at one particular need that Glasser asserted as important. I have fully embraced it as a necessity, and I want to…
