Reality therapy is based on the premise that people conduct themselves in certain ways in order to satisfy their needs (belonging, power, freedom, and fun, and survival) (Gladding, 2016). When people encounter problems, it is because one of these needs are not being met. Reality therapy is concerned with the cognitive and behavioral aspects of people, with the idea that people choose (the cognitive aspect) certain behaviors (the behavioral aspect) and that if people can become aware of their needs and find better ways to meet those need so that they do not practice destructive behaviors.
Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is similar to reality therapy in the way that it is also concerned with cognition and behaviors. However, this approach centers around events causing people to think a certain way, whereas reality therapy is more concerned with internal reasons (based on needs) influencing people’s thinking. The premise behind REBT is that people experience events that influence their thoughts, causing them to feel a certain way, and in turn, behave accordingly. When people practice faulty thinking, they become upset, resulting in nonproductive actions (Gladding, 2016). Therefore, the idea is that through the group process, people can learn …show more content…
Therefore, for those who are hesitant about communicating with others, they may not gain anything from this approach. Its simplicity can also be to the detriment of the group if leaders get stuck in following the suggested steps and leave little room for flexibility. Another limitation is its inability to see people as mentally ill. Some people have serious mental issues that need more than a change in thinking, if that is something that they are mentally not able to do due to their illness. Like some other theories, it also lacks research that proves its effectiveness (Gladding,