Dr Glasser was born in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio.  Initially a chemical engineer, Dr Glasser moved into Psychiatry and developed Choice Theory.  Dr Glasser has a non-traditional view of mental illness, believing instead that we are all responsible for our own lives through the choices we make.  He dislikes the “labels” associated with mental illness, believing that they support a victim mentality, and allowing people the excuse, “I can’t, because I’m (whatever the mental illness label is).”

Of course, some mental illness is a result of brain damage, but Dr Glasser suggests most mental illness diagnoses become self-fulfilling prophesies.  He goes on to suggest that the quality of our Relationships is the root cause of most mental illness, primarily due to our misguided need to control others.

Dr Glasser’s Choice Theory has been applied in many different areas of life, and the video looks at Choice Theory in Education.  Choice Theory also differs from traditional psychiatry in that it focuses on the “here and now,” rather than an obsession with the past.