The purpose of this paper is describe and discuss William Glasser's Reality Therapy. Specifically, the paper describes the therapeutic modality, discusses the population for which it is most helpful, and presents a description of its basic techniques and evaluative methods.
The therapeutic theory and methods of William Glasser (see: Glasser, 1965, 1969) evolved out of work with young people and was constructed in response to the problems he encountered in his interactions with young people. Glasser found that despite the wide variety of young people with which he worked--a client population that varied from regular school children to girls in a reform school--the biggest problems confronting the teens were depression and anger. Accordingly, he developed a therapeutic modality designed specifically to treat young people suffering from these conditions. This is the general client population which maximally benefits from Glasser's Reality Therapy.
Reality therapy is a form of psychotherapy that differs markedly from the traditional psychoanalytic and client-centered approaches. The treatment approach calls for the therapist to focus on the present while actively and deliberately encouraging the young person to: (1) make a value judgement about his or her behavior; (2) develop a plan that will achieved the desired goal; and (3) be committed to the plan (Glasser, 1965, 1969; Barr, 1974). It can be seen by this delineation that the approach is oriented toward problem-solving.
Reality therapy was developed upon the assumption that people are responsible for their own actions and that responsible behaviors on their part will result in their happiness. It is help that in behaving responsibly, young people are operating in a manner that will satisfy their basic need for involvement and self-worth, and will do so in a manner that is not harmful to others. This mode of operation leads young people to feel good about themselves.