William Glasser (psychiatrist)
William Glasser was an American psychiatrist known for developing innovative psychological theories, particularly choice theory and reality therapy. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he initially pursued a career in chemical engineering before transitioning to psychology and earning a medical degree in 1953. His clinical experiences, especially during his residency and at a reform school for girls, shaped his belief that individuals have the power to control their actions and emotions, challenging traditional views in psychiatry that emphasized past experiences and chemical imbalances.
Glasser's seminal works, including "Mental Health or Mental Illness" and "Reality Therapy," emphasized the importance of personal choice in achieving happiness and improving relationships. He argued that many psychological issues stem from relationship problems rather than individual pathology, and he advocated for a focus on present circumstances rather than past traumas. Despite facing criticism for his rejection of medication and his unconventional views, Glasser's ideas found traction among educators, therapists, and various professionals, leading to the establishment of training centers in his name. He passed away in 2013, leaving a legacy that continues to influence discussions around mental health and personal agency.
William Glasser (psychiatrist)
Psychiatrist
- Born: May 11, 1925
- Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
- Died: August 23, 2013
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Education: Case Western Reserve University; University of California, Los Angeles
Significance: Dr. William Glasser developed reality therapy and choice theory psychology. He founded an international institute to teach his methods.
Background
William Glasser was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the son of Betty and Ben Glasser; his father repaired clocks and watches. Glasser wanted to succeed in a field that would provide him with a good income, so he studied at Case Western Reserve University and earned a degree in chemical engineering in 1945.
Although he had achieved his goal, he found he did not like chemical engineering. He was disappointed in his career and returned to university a few years later. He earned a second bachelor's degree, this time in psychology, at Case Western, followed by a medical degree in 1953. He moved to Los Angeles, California, to complete his residency at a Veterans Administration hospital. He disagreed with the approach professionals took toward patients there, he said later. He believed patients were treated as victims who had no control over their futures or circumstances. This viewpoint, he said, led the leadership at the hospital to dismiss him as soon as he had completed his residency.
Glasser's first job in psychiatry was at a reform school for girls. He used many of his experiences at the Ventura, California, facility as case studies for the theories he formulated and wrote about later. He also drew on his time at the Veterans Administration hospital, where he first began to develop his ideas.
Life's Work
Glasser opened a private practice in Los Angeles in 1954. He maintained this practice until 1986. He published his first book, Mental Health or Mental Illness, in 1962.
In 1965 he published Reality Therapy. The work sold 1.5 million copies. In this and subsequent self-help books, Glasser said people could be happy by making choices about their actions. Choosing certain behaviors would strengthen relationships, which would boost one's chances of being happy, he maintained.
Glasser disputed much of what was accepted practice in psychology. He placed no importance on one's past experiences. He also rejected the idea that chemical imbalances were a factor in mental illness. Instead, he promoted the concept of total behavior. According to this idea, humans choose only their own actions and thoughts, which are the only things within an individual's control. These individual choices and actions result in feelings, which determine one's chances of happiness. According to Glasser, humans deeply desire control. To gain this power, individuals act in ways that may instead bring them unhappiness, for example, in destructive behaviors that they may not even recognize. Many of these choices involve relationships, especially attempts to control or change others' behavior.
In the late 1970s, Glasser worked with theoretician William T. Powers to develop control theory. According to this theory, which Glasser later revised and renamed choice theory, humans compare their lives and experiences with those of other people. This need to compare leads to unhappiness.
Choice theory has ten axioms:
- The only person whose behavior one can control is his or her own.
- All one can give another person is information.
- All long-lasting psychological problems are relationship problems.
- The problem relationship is always part of one's present life.
- What happened in the past has everything to do with what one is today, but one can only satisfy his or her basic needs right now and plan to continue satisfying them in the future.
- One can only satisfy his or her needs by satisfying the pictures in his or her Quality World.
- All one does is behave.
- All behavior is Total Behavior and is made up of four components: acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology.
- All Total Behavior is chosen, but one only has direct control over the acting and thinking components. One can only control his or her feelings and physiology indirectly through how he or she chooses to act and think.
- All Total Behavior is designated by verbs and named by the part that is the most recognizable.
Glasser's reality therapy addresses the issues in his theory of choice. The focus of the therapy is on human relationships, specifically an individual's connections to others, as a way to correct problems and help one become happy. Reality therapy focuses on present relationships rather than on the past, and downplays any negatives such as symptoms or emotions. Clients are helped to change their actions as a way to change the way they feel.
Many in the mental health community rejected Glasser's ideas. Other professionals viewed his approach as too simple to account for often complex mental health issues. Schizophrenia, for example, is a serious condition that appears to be related to brain chemistry, which is often addressed with medication. Glasser rejected the use of medication in treatment. In other fields, such as education, his ideas were often controversial. For instance, he said no student should ever be given a failing grade, because this would cause the child to lose faith in himself or herself and give up. In his 1969 book, Schools without Failure, he explained that through reality therapy, children should be encouraged to develop a plan to succeed and follow through; should the student fail to complete the plan, he or she would repeat the process until the student succeeded.
Glasser died of respiratory failure at his home in Los Angeles on August 23, 2013. He was surrounded by his family. Glasser was eighty-eight years old.
Impact
Many professionals, including teachers, drug counselors, and therapists, adopted Glasser's approach to psychiatry. Many were trained at his William Glasser International centers. Glasser objected to many classifications of mental diseases as well as the widespread use of medications in treating people. He rejected the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the standard book used by mental health professionals in the United States. His methods have been adopted by parents, personal coaches, members of the clergy, and in divorce and child custody mediation. Critics, however, have discounted his theories, especially in light of research into chemical imbalances in the brain and their apparent relationship to mental illness.
Personal Life
Glasser's first marriage ended in 1992 with his wife's death. He later remarried. Upon his death, Glasser was survived by a son, Martin; a daughter, Dr. Alice Glasser; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; a sister, Janet; and a brother, Henry. Another son, Joseph, preceded him in death in 1998.
Bibliography
"Biography." William Glasser Institute – US, wglasser.com/about-us/biography/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
Buck, Nancy S. "William Glasser, MD 1925–2013." Psychology Today, 26 Aug. 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/peaceful-parenting/201308/william-glasser-md-1925-2013-8. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
Glasser, William. Choice Theory. HarperCollins, 1998.
Glasser, William. "Development of the Ideas." William Glasser Institute, wglasser.com/images/glasser‗forms/develop‗ideas.pdf. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"Reality Therapy." William Glasser Institute – US, wglasser.com/our-approach/reality-therapy/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"The Ten Axioms of Choice Theory." William Glasser Institute, www.glassermsr.com/the-ten-axioms-of-choice-theory/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
Vitello, Paul. "William Glasser, 88, Doctor Who Said One Could Choose Happiness, Is Dead." New York Times, 4 Sept. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/us/william-glasser-88-psychiatrist-who-promoted-mental-health-as-a-choice-dies.html?mcubz=0. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"William Glasser (1925–2013)." GoodTherapy.org, 7 July 2015, www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/william-glasser.html. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
Woo, Elaine. "'Reality Therapy' Psychiatrist." Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2013, articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/28/local/la-me-william-glasser-20130828. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.