According to Dr. William Glasser, there are four basic psychological needs that motivate behaviour. All individuals are motivated by needs. According to Dr. Glasser, when children choose to misbehave, they are not doing so just to disobey you or drive you crazy. They are choosing their behaviour to meet a need. I describe it as, children are behaving their feelings, and it may be due to the fact that they are not feeling fulfilled and happy. Let's look at each of the four basic needs in detail so that we will develop an understanding of what they are and what part they play in behaviour. The four basic needs of the students according to William Glasser are:
1. The Need for Love and Belonging
This is the strongest of the basic psychological needs. The need to love and be loved, to belong and have friends, is almost as strong as the need to survive. When we feel unloved and alone, we are profoundly sad. Parents of teenagers are very familiar with this need. A 15-year-old boy often expressed it as, "I want to be with my friends." And, as with all teenagers, his need for belonging and friendship usually takes precedence over chores, homework or most anything.
It is vitally important that you as parents support your children to fulfil this need. When parents are too busy or do not know how to do this themselves, their children will and do suffer. It is important to help children to socialize at a very young age. Then they will be able to take this on themselves. The teacher must support them. For they are dependent on us until they go to high school and then some more years after that...
2. The Need for Power
This is the most misunderstood of the psychological needs because we tend to think of power in a negative sense, as power over other people. The power that Dr. Glasser is talking about is a personal power, a sense of self-worth that comes from accomplishment and recognition.
The need for power is also the need to feel that we are in control of our...