Chapter 58: Control, Choice, and the Fulfillment of Fundamental Human Needs: William Glasser’s Humanistic Vision of Individual, Classroom, and Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Support

From the broadest perspective, Glasser’s work in the general field of K-12 student behavior and discipline must be viewed as located along a spectrum of work done over many years by numerous practitioners and scholars. In some quarters, this area of practice and research has been called “group management techniques” (Brophy, 1982). One broad approach to this field has emphasized group relationships and has studied academic group work as a mechanism for preemptively addressing classroom behavioral issues. Another approach has centered on behavioral modification and has undergone a shift in emphasis over the years. Earlier forms of this approach emphasized shaping the behavior of individuals through material reinforcements. Later forms were developed with the behavior of whole groups in mind (i.e., classes of students) and moved away from the idea of eliminating misconduct in favor of rewarding good academic performance. This resulted in a shift away from controlling behavior through the use of external stimuli and toward teaching individuals to control themselves (Brophy, 1982).