ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the underlying psychology based on a long-standing theory of brain functioning which is rooted more in the field of engineering than in psychology. It focuses on the principles of Reality Therapy. The chapter describes the Choice Theory, as used by practitioners of Reality Therapy, and summarizes in five main principles. This is our psychological need to love and care for other people and, importantly, to believe that we are loved and cared about ourselves. In his book Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom, Glasser emphasises the importance of this need by stating that unsatisfactory or non-existent 'connections' with people are the source of almost all long-term human problems. Because of the emphasis on thinking and action, Reality Therapy – the delivery system of Choice Theory – is appropriately called a comprehensive cognitive behavioural therapy. Choice Theory, if seen as a psychological 'system', is indeed a loop.
