iUniverse Blog

The iUniverse revised edition of Control Theory

iUniverse author William Glasser, the world-renowned psychiatrist who employed a nontraditional, somewhat controversial approach, sadly passed way August 23 last. He was 88.

William Glasser was the initiator of two very significant theorem. The Reality Therapy and the Choice Theory. These ideas, which focused on the individual in terms of personal choice, responsibility and personal transformation, were considered controversial by the mainstream profession.

Glasser deviated from conventional psychiatrists by warning the general public about the potential detriments caused by the profession of psychiatry in its traditional form, because of its overriding propensity to diagnose a patient with a mental illness and then prescribe medications to treat that particular illness when, in fact, the patient may have been behaving in that way because they were extremely unhappy,which is not necessarily a psychiatric disorder. Significantly Glasser also applied his theories to much broader social issues, such as education and marriage, to name but two.

He wrote more than twenty books, including Choice Theory and Eight Lessons for a Happier Marriage; and he self-published Take Charge of Your Life, a revision of his 1984 book Control Theory, with iUniverse in March of this year. In Take Charge of Your Life, Glasser offers a real model of empowerment. The book demonstrates how one can become part of the equation that adds joy and connectivity to the world today and to the world of tomorrow. As he said:-

“We choose everything we do, including the misery we feel. Other people can neither make us miserable nor make us happy. Choice theory teaches that we are much more in control of our lives than we realize. What others taught, in effect, was that you aren’t responsible for your miserable problems because you are the victim of factors and circumstances beyond your control. I object to that.”

Glasser was also president of the non-profit organization, the William Glasser Institute and lived with his wife, Carleen, in Los Angeles, California. iUniverse Publishing would like to offer our deepest condolences to Carleen and to the rest the Glasser family.

To see the full obituary of William Glasser please visit the New York Times and to learn more about William Glasser’s many notable achievements, please visit his website.