Choice Theory - by William Glasser (Paperback)

About the Book

The world-renowned psychiatrist and author of the bestselling "Reality Therapy" offers the culmination of his work--a revolutionary theory that holds that we are all intrinsically motivated by the pleasure that occurs when we satisfy our instinctual needs for survival, love, power, freedom, and fun--and that the only behavior we can actually control is our own.

Book Synopsis

Dr. William Glasser offers a new psychology that, if practiced, could reverse our widespread inability to get along with one another, an inability that is the source of almost all unhappiness.

For progress in human relationships, he explains that we must give up the punishing, relationship-destroying external control psychology. For example, if you are in an unhappy relationship right now, he proposes that one or both of you could be using external control psychology on the other. He goes further. And suggests that misery is always related to a current unsatisfying relationship. Contrary to what you may believe, your troubles are always now, never in the past. No one can change what happened yesterday.

From the Back Cover

In "Choice Theory," Dr. William Glasser offers readers a new and far more effective way to get along with the people in our lives. He explains convincingly that, barring severe poverty or untreatable illness, unsatisfying or disconnecting relationships are the source of almost all crime, addiction, and mental illness, as well as marital, family, and school failure. For progress in human relationships, he explains that we must give up the punishing, relationship-destroying external control psychology that is by far the dominant one in the world. in one of this century's most significant books on psychology, Dr. Glasser offers us choice theory, a noncontrolling psychology that gives us freedom to sustain the relationships that lead to healthy, productive lives.

Review Quotes

"A few weeks after I received this book, I showed it to my television audience and said, 'This is a fabulous book.' I was impressed with its clarity, its many examples, and how we can all use it to improve our marriages, get along better with our families, and persuade our children to do well in school. Choice theory, as Dr. Glasser explains it, is a new psychology of health and joy."-- Dr. Robert H. Schuller, Founding Pastor, Crystal Cathedral Ministries ""Choice Theory" is absolutely superb both in its ideas and in the way that it is presented in this book. It is in a class of its own in clarity and depth of understanding and is exceedingly helpful in clinical practice."-- Dr. Robert Lefever, director of the PROMIS Recovery Centres, UK "Bill Glasser has always demonstrated insight and understanding in describing human behavior. In "Choice Theory he has deepened his perspectives and shows the reader alternatives of appropriate behavior. This book is the best of Dr. Glasser's distinguished works--a must for people in the helping professions."-- Richard L. Foster, educational consultant and former superintendent of schools (Berkeley, CA)