applying choice theory to academic advising presented by leslie tod, ma and dr. christiane rinck...

Applying Choice Theory to Academic Advising

Presented by Leslie Tod, MA and Dr. Christiane Rinck from University of South

Florida, Tampa, Florida

Session #236 2011 NACADA National Conference All rights reserved by the authors. No citing, abstracting, or other usage is permitted

without permission

OverviewDefining Choice Theory and External Control

PsychologyDiscussing how we apply external control and the

seven deadly habits to academic advisingExamine 3 case studiesDiscussing how we can change to Choice Theory

to improve advising relationships and experiencesRevisit case studies to consider alternative scriptsInteract with colleagues to create scripts for

applying Choice Theory to their own advising interactions


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Defining Choice Theory“Choice theory teaches that all anyone or

anything outside of us can do is give us information…You may use any information you have to decide what you will choose to do, or look for more information to help you make a better decision, but, in the end, whatever you choose originates in your brain and you are responsible for it.” (Glasser, 2003, 76)


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Difference between Choice Theory and External Control Psychology External control psychology was coined by

William Glasser, M.D. to describe the coercive methods most of society employs when they wish to affect another’s behavior (2003).

This is the dominant force in most of our interactions with others.

These beliefs are fueled by what Dr. Glasser calls the ‘seven deadly habits of external control.’


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Seven Deadly Habits and their Application to Academic AdvisingCriticizing. Any time we have to tell students what

they are doing wrong it takes on criticism, even if we are telling them for ‘their own good.’

Blaming. A close second to the harm of criticizing is blaming (Glasser, 2003). In advising it is easy to sink into an ‘I told you so’ position.

Complaining. Sometimes students will misbehave, complaining about the behavior or complaining in general does not make people want to be around us.

Nagging. It is important as advisors that we ensure students have all the information they need and we stay on top of their progress. However, flooding them with reminders and notices creates a situation that they stop paying attention.


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Seven Deadly Habits and their Application to Academic Advising Threatening. Again, if a student misbehaves or doesn’t

follow through with a request, threats of consequences are of no consequence.

Punishing. Academic Advisors should not take on the role of gatekeeper or punisher. How can we support students if they see us as being able to ‘hurt’ them?

Reward to Control. Students can see themselves as jumping through hoops to get to the next stage in their degree progression. The result can vary, some rebel, some quit and some become game players. It is important for the academic advisor to reveal the process and explain the relevance of overcoming the obstacles, so that the student fully engages.


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Case StudiesHere are 3 case studies.

Consider how external control psychology is being used in each case.

Which of the Seven Deadly Habits are in operation?

Remember these approaches as we are going to discuss alternative behaviors after we cover the Choice Theory approach


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Case Study #1—External Control Georgia is a sophomore and had a bad semester. She is now

on academic probation and in order to register for courses must meet with her academic advisor. When Georgia arrives her advisor greets her with a stern look and says, “You are in a bad place right now. If you do not get back on track you will be dismissed from the university.” The student explains that she got involved in some social groups and overextended herself at the cost of her studies. The advisor replies, “You can’t continue doing all these activities and expect to get your grades up.” After hearing more of the lecture on time management, Georgia says, “Don’t I need you to sign something so I can register for classes?” The advisor signs off and the student leaves the office. Georgia does not seek out any further advising than what is required.


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Case Study #2—External Control Roberto is in his senior year and has not seen his advisor since his

junior year when he changed his major. He believes advising is a waste of time as the advisor in his first major never seemed to care and only told him what he could not do. Roberto assumes he has one semester of 12 hours remaining to graduate. When he meets his advisor he is told that he has 18 more hours. However, Roberto also works and has a schedule that restricts when he can take courses. This is one of the reasons he changed majors. He gets angry with the advisor and says “I can’t believe you people are doing this to me again.” He proceeds to tell the advisor all the “crap” he has had to deal with from this university and how no one seems to care. The advisor begins to get defensive and tells the student, “How can you expect us to help if you don’t ask questions in a timely fashion, I have done my part, it is your responsibility to get the information you need.” The student storms out and slams the door. It takes him three more semesters to graduate.


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Case Study #3—External Control Marcus wants to get into a class that is restricted. In order

to do so he must get written approval from the instructor for the permit. Marcus misses the class and does not get to meet with the instructor, but he really needs the class, so he goes to the advisor and says, “My instructor was supposed to arrange a permit for me to get into her class, can you arrange that for me?” The advisor reminds the student that written notification from the instructor is required for the permit and as soon as it is received the permit will be available for the student. The advisor calls the instructor to check on it for the student and the instructor says no permits have been request by any students. Meanwhile, the student goes down to another advisor to see if he might have more luck with someone else. Session #236 2011 NACADA National Conference

All rights reserved by the authors. No citing, abstracting, or other usage is permitted without permission

Applying Choice Theory to Academic AdvisingChoice Theory is healthy alternative that leads

to good relationships and educational outcomes. As academic advisors we can model choice

theory in our interactions with students to show how we see them as responsible for their own actions without telling them they ‘should’ be responsible for their own actions.

Choice theory can be modeled through seven alternative habits to those displayed in the external control worldview


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Seven Alternative Habits from Choice Theory Supporting. We know that our role requires us to

provide informational support to students, but we also know that it is the emotional support we provide that motivates the student towards their goals.

Encouraging. Finding the unique characteristics of a person they can draw on to move them towards success. Not the same as praise or rewards.

Listening. Holding back judgment. Being neutral and personally unaffected by what they share is most likely to bring about opportunities to get to the issues that may be blocking the student’s progression.

Accepting. From listening we have opportunities to show acceptance. Having an advisor show understanding can free the student from the burden of guilt, so they can get back to focusing on the choices available to make progress.


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Seven Alternative Habits from Choice Theory continuedTrusting. Letting students know we trust them to

make the best decisions with the information provided even though our experiences too often show us that students can make poor choices with good information. Allow them the experience of natural and agreed upon consequences.

Respecting. Respect cannot be demanded from students, nor can we make them ‘earn’ our respect. Modeling respectful responses is the best option.

Negotiating Differences. This is about creating a democratic environment for the student in which they see themselves as a stakeholder in decision making. Understanding our differences in terms of roles and abilities can aid the process.


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Case StudiesLook back at the previous case studies.

Consider how the situations could be different with a Choice Theory approach

Identify alternative scripts that apply the alternative habits


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Case Study #1—Choice Theory Georgia is a sophomore and had a bad semester. She is now

on academic probation and in order to register for courses

must meet with her academic advisor. When Georgia

arrives her advisor greets her with a warm welcome and

says, “How are things going? I noticed you are on Academic

Probation and was concerned.” The student explains that

she got involved in some social groups and overextended

herself at the cost of her studies. The advisor replies, “What

do you think you can do to get yourself back on track?” The

advisor listens carefully to Georgia’s solution, offering

informational and resource support. Georgia gets signed up

for classes and stays on track through regular meetings

with her advisor.Session #236 2011 NACADA National Conference All rights reserved by the authors. No citing, abstracting, or other usage is permitted

without permission

Case Study #2—Choice Theory Roberto is in his senior year and has not seen his advisor since his

junior year when he changed his major. He believes advising is a waste of time as the advisor in his first major never seemed to care and only told him what he could not do. Roberto assumes he has one semester of 12 hours remaining to graduate. When he meets his advisor he is told that he has 18 more hours. However, Roberto also works and has a schedule that restricts when he can take courses. This is one of the reasons he changed majors. He gets angry with the advisor and says “I can’t believe you people are doing this to me again.” He proceeds to tell the advisor all the “crap” he has had to deal with from this university and how no one seems to care. The advisor listens without judgment and says, “It sounds like you have had a tough time but really want to graduate. I want to help make sure you get to your goal, let’s work out a plan.” After negotiating options they come up with a plan that works. Roberto graduates a semester later and sends a thank you note to his advisor.Session #236 2011 NACADA National Conference

All rights reserved by the authors. No citing, abstracting, or other usage is permitted without permission

Case Study #3—Choice Theory Marcus wants to get into a class that is restricted. In order

to do so he must get written approval from the instructor for the permit. Marcus misses the class and does not get to meet with the instructor, but he really needs the class, so he goes to the advisor and says, “My instructor was supposed to arrange a permit for me to get into her class, can you arrange that for me?” The advisor says, “I am glad you followed up on this, it shows persistence. Let me know if you need any assistance in working that out with the instructor.”


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Creating Scripts for Choice Theory in Academic AdvisingThink of your most challenging student and

your most memorable interaction with themShare the interaction with the groupDid you apply External Control or Choice

Theory?If you applied External Control have group

members offer suggestions based on the Seven Alternative Habits from Choice Theory

If you applied Choice Theory , explain how it worked


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Next StepsStart applying Choice Theory and alternative

habits in your interactions with students Spread the word among colleagues and

consider forming Choice Theory groups to support one another in creating better scripts

Remember like all behaviors it is what you work on not where you are at that makes the difference


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BibliographyGlasser, W. (1998). Choice Theory: A New

Psychology of Personal Freedom. HarperCollins: New York, NY.

Glasser, W. (2002). Unhappy Teenagers. HarperCollins: New York, NY.

Glasser, W. (2003). Warning: Psychiatry can be Hazardous to your Mental Health. HarperCollins: New York, NY.


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Presenter Contact InformationLeslie Tod

[email protected]. Christiane Rinck

[email protected]


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mailto:[email protected]

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applying choice theory to academic advising presented by leslie tod, ma and dr. christiane rinck...

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