How can an interpreter review a film(or a story) from viewpoint of Reality Therapy? Is there any film review( movie commentary or story commentary) from viewpoint of Reality Therapy?

-- Hooshmand Ebrahimi (yousefif@sums.ac.ir), April 05, 2000

Answers

This question just proves that there are always new angles on Choice Theory/Reality Therapy. As Choice Theory is in essence a theory of human behaviour it can be very useful as a framework for anything that examines the human condition. Here are a few ideas (from a not terribly literary person I must confess):

THE BASIC NEEDS: These give a wonderful structure for examining the motivations of the lead characters in a film, novel etc. There are works where one need has become the primary theme, say Power or Love for example. Relationships can be examined in terms of the Needs intensities of both sides. A needs intenstities analysis of the lead characters in "Gone with the Wind" would be a good example.

THE QUALITY WORLD: A study of the pictures in each of the characters' quality worlds has perhaps the most potential for a detailed analysis of a story. Not only the pictures themselves but the relationship between them (the "inner logic") and the extent to which pictures are shared accurately by people in a relationship.

TOTAL BEHAVIOUR: Any individual human behaviour can be looked at from the viewpoint of the four components (acting, thinking, feeling and physiology). The way Glasser sees human responsibility as covering all four components can give new insights into scenarios that others might interpret as stories of derangement, "guilty but insane" etc.

I am sure others can contribute more material on this question that comes all the way from Iran.

-- Brian Lennon (blennon@indigo.ie), April 05, 2000.

Looking at a story line and through the eyes of the indivivdual and trying a " needs intensity analysis "of the situation might also be useful. It might help to clarify the need that was driving individual patterns of behaviour. This could be a very useful system ,I think. It could help to understand the relationship between characters and responses to situations.

-- Hilary Scanlan (hilscan@iol.ie), April 07, 2000.

I notice there is a "literary" review in a journal article 1996-15 (2) PP61-70.(See journal list on http://indigo.ie/~irti It's called: "Quality Literature and Quality world The Great Gilly Hopkins mirrors control theory Psychology." I have noticed that people often choose to use critiques of Movies books and even popular songs and folk tales in their Cert week presentations as they seek to illustrate Choice Theory in action. I think this may be because Glasser himself constantly uses literature for the same purpose. He has drawn heavily on"The Bridges of Madison County" and on that old favourite "Gone with the wind" More recently he has talked at length of the movie "As good as it gets" but he has been using the character in "The Rain Man" as an example of a particularly weak love and belonging need for many years. When he began to talk of 'connectedness' the song: 'Love will build a bridge'became relevant and I particulary remember it being sung at convention in Galway.

-- ken lyons (kenlyon@gofree.indigo.ie), April 08, 2000.

Using movies or Television programs is a motivational way of teaching Choice Theory in the classroom. I have a class of 11 - 13 year olds here in Australia and have used the movie "Cool Runnings" to identify basic needs of the characters, their quality world pictures and the ways they achieved balance in their lives by meeting their needs. This movie has some wonderful quotes on the subject of quality. Our next analysis will be to look at the disfunctional lives of the characters of "Fawlty Towers".

-- Maree Nolan (jnolan1@vtown.com), September 29, 2000.

Maree I love your teaching style!!! The Faulty Towers comparison is great.

-- (smokescream@hotmail.com), June 28, 2002.