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Good Day, Super Star Students! Welcome to Comprehensive Health! What a privilege it has been to read your discussion posts, reflect on your assignments, and to get to know you as a unique person. Thank you!
As you know, using our Comprehensive Health book, Chapter 3, and other online resources, you have read information, written posts, and interacted with course materials that relate to Self-Esteem and Mental Health.
By chance, have you ever felt (1) annoyed or irritated, (2) powerless or challenged to prove your power, (3) hurt or angry, or (4) discouraged or helpless? Do you know others who have experienced these emotions? Have you ever wondered why we feel these emotions or how to deal with those who express these emotions?
Today, I want to introduce you to Rudolf Dreikurs and his theory about why we and others may feel particular emotions which then cause us to act in negative ways. Dreikurs was a child psychiatrist and educator who lived from 1897-1972. He believed that we are motivated by our need to belong and our desire to find our place in the social world.
Succinctly stated in Wikipedia, Dreikurs suggested that �human misbehavior is the result of feeling a lack of belonging to one's social group. When this happens we act from one of four "mistaken goals": undue attention, power, revenge or avoidance (inadequacy).�
He believed that if students felt like valuable contributors in the classroom, then they would learn to cooperate reasonably without being penalized or rewarded.
What is unique about his theory is that he believed that we could tell the purpose of someone�s words or actions by the way that WE FEEL during that interaction. This is a powerful thought and a potentially powerful tool as we evaluate how we feel as we interact with others. Let�s look at these four particular areas of emotion identified by Dreikurs.
First, think about a time you felt irritated or annoyed or you irritated or annoyed another. Dreikurs says that the purpose behind this behavior is to get attention. Since one of our most basic and fundamental needs is to belong, to feel connected with others, and to feel valued, we seek attention, even negative attention, by being annoying or irritating. So the next time you feel irritated or annoyed or are being irritating or annoying, ask yourself, �Does someone need attention?�
Second, think about a time you or someone you knew felt powerless or challenged to prove their power. Dreikurs says that the purpose behind this behavior is to gain power or control. He mentions that one of our basic needs is to feel that we can influence and control our environment. We want to get what we want at least some of the time. When we don�t, we can become rebellious and defiant. So the next time you or someone you know rebels or acts defiantly, ask yourself, �Does someone need to feel in control?�
Third, think about a time you or someone you knew felt hurt or angry. Dreikurs says that the purpose behind this behavior is revenge. He believes that we try to protect ourselves when we think we are being attacked or threatened. When we feel victimized and our feelings are hurt, we may seek revenge to make the other person feel as bad as we do. So the next time you or someone you know seems hurt or angry, ask yourself, �Does someone want revenge?�
Fourth, and last, think about a time you or someone you knew felt discouraged, helpless, or sorry for a particular individual. Dreikurs says that we feel this way because we are avoiding a responsibility or task. Since we do not want to feel inadequate or look bad, we don�t even try. In fact we often withdraw from overwhelming situations to avoid feeling worse about ourselves. So, the next time you or someone you know feels discouraged, helpless, or sorry for the person involved, ask yourself, �Does someone feel overwhelmed by a required task?�
In summary, Dreikurs believes that we are motivated by our feeling to belong and our desire to . find our social place in the world.
He theorizes that we may (1) annoy and irritate to get attention; (2) defy or rebel to gain control; (3) seek revenge to make others feel as bad as we do; or (4) avoid assigned tasks or withdraw to avoid looking bad or feeling inadequate. He goes on to say that these actions often cause others to feel (1) annoyed and irritated; (2) powerless; (3) hurt or angry; or (4) discouraged, helpless or feeling sorry for someone else..
Now that you have learned about his theory, you will have the opportunity to experiment with it. Refer to your syllabus for information about the experimental activity assignment and the accompanying discussion post. If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact me. Thank you!