If there is something that we long for as human beings, it is quality relationships, being good with ourselves and perceiving that we have some control over our lives. As soon as any of these pillars fails, dissatisfaction, a feeling of emptiness and psychological discomfort arise, issues that William Glasser’s reality therapy addresses.
It is a technique that seeks to improve self-satisfaction, giving us tools to make better decisions.
This approach is as interesting as it is practical. It is a technique that seeks to improve self-satisfaction, giving us tools to make better decisions. The point is that, as a rule, only when we orient our steps and choices more accurately do we find what makes us happiest.
WILLIAM GLASSER
William Glasser (1925-2013) was an American psychiatrist known for developing choice theory and reality therapy throughout the 1950s and 1960s. His work is recognized by the American Psychotherapy Association (APA) and He even obtained the lifetime merit award from the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology.
Glasser is known, above all, for questioning the use of the classic clinical labels of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM. He rejected the use of psychotropic drugs in mental health and postulated that human well-being improves if they offer us tools to make the right decisions. This is the only way to satisfy our most basic needs.
Your book, Reality Therapy (1965), was a bestseller for providing a novel perspective on psychological thought. It was the one that advocated the ability to choose to improve our existence. His work left a positive mark in the field of mental health, business, and education.
OBJECTIVES AND TECHNIQUES
Relationship habits:
Reality therapy places special attention on the quality of social ties. They form an essential pillar in well-being or, on the contrary, in our discomfort. To do this, it focuses on analyzing the components mentioned below:
Connection habits:
- Support
- Listen
- Motivation
- Comprehension
Disconnection habits:
Perception of reality:
Each person filters reality in a way, starting from how they feel and also from their experiences. This is decisive to understand the origin of many discomforts and unhappiness. The present therapeutic model seeks to analyze the perception that the patient has about each aspect that surrounds him. That is the starting point from which to work.
It may interest you:
Dream catchers: help to keep good ideas and pleasant dreams
Analysis of purposes and control styles:
When it comes to achieving a goal or purpose, it is essential to understand how the person directs his efforts towards those objectives. There are those who assume that they barely have control over his reality. There are many who believe that circumstances determine us and that there is little to do about it.
Gasser therapy offers strategies for patients to assume an internal locus of control. That is to say, understanding that oneself is responsible for his own life and therefore, he can apply strategies in favor of what he wants.
The place of comparison:
The technique of the place of comparison aims to promote an idea in the human being: what you want must be close to what you have. In other words, be realistic and know our skills. Goals that are too fanciful lead—almost always—to failure. Instead, goals that are in tune with capabilities will be more successful.
INDICATIONS
Reality therapy is used in various clinical settings with remarkable effectiveness. Its main benefit is, without a doubt, providing patients with resources to improve their personal responsibility. Since this dimension is the cornerstone of many areas of life, we can certainly imagine its applications.
For example, in an investigation carried out, improvement was seen in people with schizophrenia. Dimensions such as self-esteem, coping with stress and internal locus of control were optimized. However, let’s see right away in which other scenarios this therapy is useful:
- addictions
- Family therapy
- troubled couples
- Improved school performance
- Patients with personality disorders
- Personal development and achievement of work objectives