Thomas Gordon (psychologist)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Thomas Gordon was an American clinical psychologist, colleague of Carl Rogers
. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in teaching communication skills and conflict resolution methods to parents, teachers, leaders, women, youth and salespeople. The model he developed came to known as the Gordon Model or the Gordon Method, a complete and integrated system for building and maintaining effective relationships.
Dr. Gordon strongly believed that the use of coercive power damages relationships. As an alternative, he taught people skills for communicating and resolving conflicts that they can use to establish or improve good relationships at home, school and at work. These skills, which include Active Listening, I-Messages and No-Lose Conflict Resolution, are now widely known and used by people around the world.
He first applied some of these methods in the 1950s as a consultant to business organizations. Then in 1962, he introduced Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.), a course which is widely recognized as the first skill-based training program for parents. He taught the first class to a group of 14 parents in a Pasadena, CA cafeteria. The courses proved to be so popular with parents that he began training instructors throughout the U.S. to teach it in their communities. Over the next several years, the course spread to all 50 states.
In 1970, Dr. Gordon wrote the Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) book which gave many more parents access to this new parenting philosophy. As a result, people in many parts of the world became interested in making the program available in their countries. To date, the P.E.T. book (revised in 2000) has been published in 33 languages and sold over five million copies. Over a million people have participated in the course in 45 countries around the world.
As P.E.T. became known in the educational world, many schools wanted their teachers to learn the same skills so he developed the Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T.) course and in 1974, wrote the Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T.) book (with Noel Burch). The T.E.T. course has been offered around the world as a model that eliminates authoritarian teaching and punitive discipline in the classroom.
Although it was a new idea in the 1950's, Dr. Gordon's Leader Effectiveness Training (L.E.T.) program became more popular in the 1970's with the increasing acceptance of participative management in the U.S. This course has been taught in hundreds of companies, including many of the Fortune 500. He is recognized as a pioneer in developing a model of democratic and collaborative leadership and identifying the effective communication skills it requires.
In recognition of his contributions to the betterment of humanity, Dr. Gordon was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, 1998 and 1999. In addition, both the American Psychological Foundation and the California Psychological Association presented him with lifetime achievement awards.
Gordon Training International in Solana Beach, California, the company he founded in 1974, continues his work.
. Other skills from his program are Active listening
and the use of I-message
s.
Besides P.E.T., Dr. Gordon and his organization has introduced Gordon workshops for leaders (L.E.T.), adults (Be Your Best), youth (Y.E.T and Resolving Conflicts at School), teachers (T.E.T.), salespeople (Synergistic Selling).
Carl Rogers
Carl Ransom Rogers was an influential American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology...
. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in teaching communication skills and conflict resolution methods to parents, teachers, leaders, women, youth and salespeople. The model he developed came to known as the Gordon Model or the Gordon Method, a complete and integrated system for building and maintaining effective relationships.
Dr. Gordon strongly believed that the use of coercive power damages relationships. As an alternative, he taught people skills for communicating and resolving conflicts that they can use to establish or improve good relationships at home, school and at work. These skills, which include Active Listening, I-Messages and No-Lose Conflict Resolution, are now widely known and used by people around the world.
He first applied some of these methods in the 1950s as a consultant to business organizations. Then in 1962, he introduced Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.), a course which is widely recognized as the first skill-based training program for parents. He taught the first class to a group of 14 parents in a Pasadena, CA cafeteria. The courses proved to be so popular with parents that he began training instructors throughout the U.S. to teach it in their communities. Over the next several years, the course spread to all 50 states.
In 1970, Dr. Gordon wrote the Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) book which gave many more parents access to this new parenting philosophy. As a result, people in many parts of the world became interested in making the program available in their countries. To date, the P.E.T. book (revised in 2000) has been published in 33 languages and sold over five million copies. Over a million people have participated in the course in 45 countries around the world.
As P.E.T. became known in the educational world, many schools wanted their teachers to learn the same skills so he developed the Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T.) course and in 1974, wrote the Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T.) book (with Noel Burch). The T.E.T. course has been offered around the world as a model that eliminates authoritarian teaching and punitive discipline in the classroom.
Although it was a new idea in the 1950's, Dr. Gordon's Leader Effectiveness Training (L.E.T.) program became more popular in the 1970's with the increasing acceptance of participative management in the U.S. This course has been taught in hundreds of companies, including many of the Fortune 500. He is recognized as a pioneer in developing a model of democratic and collaborative leadership and identifying the effective communication skills it requires.
In recognition of his contributions to the betterment of humanity, Dr. Gordon was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, 1998 and 1999. In addition, both the American Psychological Foundation and the California Psychological Association presented him with lifetime achievement awards.
Gordon Training International in Solana Beach, California, the company he founded in 1974, continues his work.
Gordon Method
The method emphasizes effective communication and conflict resolution using the win-win strategyParent Effectiveness Training
Parent Effectiveness Training is a parent education program based on the Gordon Model by Thomas Gordon. Dr. Gordon taught the first P.E.T. course in 1962 and the courses proved to be so popular with parents that he began training instructors throughout the United States to teach it in their...
. Other skills from his program are Active listening
Active listening
Active listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret, and evaluate what they hear. The ability to listen actively can improve personal relationships through reducing conflicts, strengthening cooperation, and fostering understanding.When interacting,...
and the use of I-message
I-message
In interpersonal communication, an I-message is an assertion about the feelings, beliefs, values etc. of the person speaking, generally expressed as a sentence beginning with the word "I", and is contrasted with a "you-message", which often begins with the word "you" and focuses on the person...
s.
Besides P.E.T., Dr. Gordon and his organization has introduced Gordon workshops for leaders (L.E.T.), adults (Be Your Best), youth (Y.E.T and Resolving Conflicts at School), teachers (T.E.T.), salespeople (Synergistic Selling).
On-line articles
- Children Don't Misbehave by Thomas Gordon, Ph.D.
- The Power of the Language of Acceptance by Thomas Gordon, Ph.D.
- How Children Really React to Control by Thomas Gordon, Ph.D.