Understanding Reality Therapy: A Metaphorical Approach

Background (people who already know what RT is can skip to paragraph 2): I started learning about Reality Therapy just this year. I was attracted to this prespective because I believe that people choose their behavior, rather than behavior being the product of outside forces that MADE the person feel, think or behave this way. People can become more aware that they are actually making choices on some level, and this awareness can form the basis for more need-satisfying and effective behaviors. These basic beliefs lie at the core Reality Therapy (RT), which is a rich body of psychological theory created through the work of Dr. William Glasser, M.D. and his students throughout the world. Robert Wubbolding's contribution, through his Metaphorical Approach, is to show how certain metaphors can give quick insights into the meaning of various aspects of RT. Example: "Chrysler Dealership": A Chrysler dealer went broke during the 70's when imported cars flooded American markets. He found a bottle from which a Genie emerged and gave him one wish. He wished for "a foreign car dealership in a large city." Instantly, he found himself the proprietor of a Chrysler dealership in Tokyo! This story goes at once to the heart of several issues around effective personal goal-setting and visioning. Such a metaphor can be used to better understand RT concepts (I learned several new ones), and to teach those concepts to others in settings such as counseling, workplace or classroom. Best thing about the book- The insights (ahas!) that I got- a variety of effective metaphors for personal insight, teaching and learning. Worst thing about the book- some of the concepts aren't "really" metaphors, but are acronyms (WDEP), which aren't as much fun, but can be useful mnemonic devices for keeping RT concepts available to recall. All metaphors are numbered, and it's easy to read.