ABOUT PCT
WHAT IS PCT?
PCT stands for Perception Control Theory - first developed by Will Powers.
What separates the RTP from most other behaviour support programs is that it is underpinned by Perceptual Control Theory (PCT).
According to PCT, our behaviour is a result of our perception; therefore, in order to amend our behaviour we need to first understand the root cause of it.
PCT was first developed in the 70's by Will Powers, who was a medical physicist and an independent scholar of experimental and theoretical psychology.
PCT suggests alternatives for trying to deal with the ‘cause’ of disruptive behaviour.
PCT teaches us that people are designed to control their perceptions, and that their behaviours are an outcome of their goals/wants/needs.
Examples:
1) We turn the steering wheel of our car (behaviour) to keep the car on the road (want)
2) We go to work (behaviour) to help students/to get paid (want)
3) A student talking to another student in class (behaviour) to ask for a pen/attention (want)
Put simply, our behaviour is a direct result of us trying to achieve a perceived purpose.
Another example; if you are in a class and you do not have a pen this might be of such importance to you that you call out to somebody to borrow one. Therefore you were not calling out to be rude or disruptive; you were trying to fill a need that was important to you.
However, it is important to recognise that calling out is a disruption to the learning environment but not necessarily a deliberate display of poor behaviour. Therefore the student needs to be alerted to the unintentional consequences of their calling out and reminded that further disruption will require them to be referred to the RTC.
It is imperative that we remember PCT when conducting negotiations with others and to remind ourselves that everyone perceives things differently.
Perceive, Compare, Act (PCA)
All living organisms (in our case humans) are perceiving their existence in their environment, comparing it to how they want it to be and acting to get what they want.
Humans create their understanding or PERCEPTION of the world, (everyone's perception will be different depending on their own experiences). Our BEHAVIOUR acts as a vehicle for the mind to get what it WANTS.
We have three (3) possible options when entering into another person's PCA.
1) We can act as a 'disturbance' (stopping someone from getting what they want)
2) Act as a 'means of control' (helping them get what they want)
3) Have no influence (any attempt to influence is ignored)
Three (3) things are essential to keep in mind when helping children become more responsible.
1st - Any attempt to control children is antagonistic to how they are designed and to their learning to think responsibly.
2nd - For a discipline process to be effective, those using it must treat students the same way as those having difficulty in an academic subject: in a non-punitive, non-controlling atmosphere, with understanding respect and patience.
3rd - Students need to be taught to look within themselves and decide how they want to be, and then how to structure ways of achieving their goals.
Considering things the PCT way;
We must understand that there will always be behaviours in any environment that one or more people find objectable.
We are never going to get to the point where everyone is behaving 'desirably' all of the time.
Once we understand that we can not CONTROL another person's behaviour we can use our time to influence and promote them to take responsibility for their own lives rather than use punishment, threats, criticism, or whatever, to get them to change their actions or behaviours (The Responsible Thinking Process).
https://responsiblethinking.com/what-is-rtp/simple-explanation-of-pct/
SUMMARY OF PCT:
Perceiving, comparing and acting share a special relationship. They are going on all the time and affecting each other simultaneously. This simultaneity makes it completely arbitrary to separate cause and effect.
Perception is how our minds experience the outside world.
Our brains compare what we perceive vs. internal preferred or desired 'reference levels.'
Behaviour is the control of perception.
When a perception is 'under control,' we do nothing.
When a perception is 'out of control,' we act in ways to bring it back under control as quickly as possible.
How Your Perception Can Affect Communication
The Influence of Perceptual Sets
