Reality Therapy: A New Approach to Psychiatry

A landmark in psychotherapy, Reality Therapy outlines a positive approach to helping the emotionally distressed. Attacking the whole concept of "mental illness" and orthodox Freudian methods, Dr. Glasser contends that the "mentally ill" are unable to satisfy their needs realistically and behave irresponsibly because they "deny the reality of the world around them." As a therapeutic method, Reality Therapy emphasizes moral values. It does not concern itself with the patient's past, but with his present and future. The therapist, says Glasser, has the task of teaching his patients to "acquire the ability to fulfill their needs and to do so in a way that does not deprive others of the ability to fulfill their needs.