Creating a 'Good Life'

The Good Lives Model (GLM) is a prominent theory in rehabilitation, developed by Professor Tony Ward, a renowned psychologist, and colleagues over the past two decades. It offers a unique perspective that departs from traditional approaches by emphasising the pursuit of a ‘good life’ for individuals who engage in harmful online behaviour, or are at risk of this. 

Core Principles:

  • Strengths-Based Approach: Unlike models that solely focus on risk factors and deficits, the GLM adopts a strengths-based perspective. This means it acknowledges and builds upon the positive qualities and resources individuals possess.
  • Human Rights & Entitlements: The GLM is grounded in the ethical principle of human rights. It recognises that while offenders (and would-be offenders) have committed crimes and hold obligations to respect the wellbeing of others, they are also entitled to the same considerations as any individual, including the right to pursue a fulfilling life.
  • Focus on Desistance: The model’s primary goal is not simply to reduce recidivism rates, but to support individuals in achieving ‘desistance’ from crime. This involves not only avoiding criminal behaviour but also actively building a meaningful and prosocial life.
  • Collaboration & Individualisation: The GLM emphasises collaboration between the offender (or would-be offender) and the intervention provider. This allows for the development of individualised plans that cater to the specific needs, values, and aspirations of each person.
  • Creativity: It is important that we have activities in our lives that we feel good at. In order to feel good about ourselves, we need to have a sense of achievement. This can also help with our self-esteem. This doesn’t mean actually being the best in comparison to others, but feeling that we are doing the best we can in whatever we do.
  • Excellence in work: This can also involve feeling like we have ‘mastered’ activities and skills-training that are important to us in the work place. Additionally, it can include creativity, i.e. being able to create/make new things, come up with new ideas, or be artistic or practical in some way.
  • Excellence in play: This is about how people spend their time and the range of activities in which they are involved. It is important for people to see that all activities are worthwhile and for people to have activities which offer elements of fun, excitement, challenge and achievement. This might involve hobbies, work, and exercise. This also about balance of activities (e.g. work/ life balance).
  • Spirituality: Whoever we are, it’s important for us to feel like we understand our purpose in life. This could stem from religion, but it doesn’t have to. This could be something like being a good friend, being a good brother / sister or contributing to your community in some way.
  • Inner peace: This is about feeling peaceful and comfortable. It means that we should feel free from difficult feelings, and that we should know how to deal with these feelings if we have them. This also means feeling safe, physically and emotionally.
  • Life: This is about how we live our lives in terms of our physical health (exercise, diet, feeling comfortable with our appearance) and emotional health (looking after ourselves inside).
  • Relatedness: This is about having intimate, romantic and familial relationships.
  • Excellence in Agency: This is about feeling like we can manage and control our lives. The ability to make decisions and to feel as though you have a say in your life is very important. This is also about being able to manage the way you behave and the way you feel (e.g. knowing what to do if you have had a bad day). This is also about being able to make decisions and solve everyday problems in life.
  • Knowledge: This is about having knowledge and understanding so we feel informed about our world, so that we feel we understand what is going on around us. Knowledge can come from life experience, what we learn at school, from books or from the media. It does not mean being clever, but feeling as though we know what we need to in order to feel ok in the world.
  • Community: This is about having a sense of belonging and responsibility to the social group you live in. This also includes a sense of fitting in. It is important that we have a group of people where we feel we fit. Belonging might stem from friends, family, colleagues, religious group or another group of people.
  • Pleasure: feeling good in the here and now. 
All human beings are goal-orientated and are predisposed to seek a number of ‘Primary Goods’. Primary goods can be defined as states of mind, personal characteristics, activities or experiences that are sought for their own sake. If these primary goods are achieved they are likely to increase psychological wellbeing. These are personal to the individual and therefore will differ according to the
kind of person the individual would like to be. 
 
Secondary goods are the means through which the primary goods are obtained. For example, a primary good of happiness may be achieved through the secondary good of a positive personal relationship. 
 
This model views harmful online behaviour and online sexual offending as a socially unacceptable and often personally frustrating way of attempting to obtain or pursue primary goods. It suggests it is not the primary goods offenders strive for which are unacceptable (e.g. sexual gratification, high self-esteem, acceptance), but the methods by which they are sought (e.g. inappropriate use of the lnternet).
 
This model highlights the need to be aware of one’s own internal or external obstacles that frustrate or block the acquisition of primary goods. If the acquisition of these primary goods is blocked, then there is an increased likelihood that the primary goods may be obtained by illegitimate means instead. The aim is to create the internal and external conditions necessary to obtain and secure these primary goods – legitimately.

It is important to recognise that the problem lies within the secondary goods (i.e. the means of
obtaining primary goods) rather than the primary goods themselves. Engaging in harmful online behaviour is part of an illegitimate way of meeting legitimate needs. This model highlights that in order to avoiding lapsing into illegal or harmful online behaviour, it is necessary to instead sort out legitimate, positive and helpful ways of meeting primary goods.

It is particularly useful to consider this in terms of Internet offending. There are a whole host of reasons as to why individuals commit such offences. For example, (to name just a few), to obtain sexual gratification, to increase feelings of control, to gain a sense of ‘mastery’ over an activity, or to increase feelings of being accepted and liked or valued. All of these examples are legitimate needs (primary goods) many people seek within their life. However, the means by which they are obtained (secondary goods) by internet offenders are unacceptable and illegal. It is therefore necessary as part of a person’s efforts to avoid any harmful online behaviour to first identify the need (primary good) which the this behaviour is intended to meet, and second, identify appropriate means (secondary goods) of meeting these primary goods in the future.

Exercise 1

Reflect on why you believe you engage in harmful online behaviour. Think about what purpose the behaviour served for you. What needs did it meet?

Exercise 2

List each of the Primary Goods in the Good Life Model above – ex: excellence in work and play. Then reflect on and list the corresponding Secondary Goods for each Primary Good.

Exercise 3 – Part A

Consider your life right now. On a scale of 1 (low) to 7 (high), rate how well the essential needs (primary goods) identified below are being met. Next to each rating, write down an example that justifies the rating. Finally, indicate whether you feel this need is/was in some way, being met through harmful online behaviour.

 

1. Do you have a sense of achievement?

Do you have activities in your life that you feel good at? What is your general feeling of accomplishment from day to day? 

 

2. Are you satisfied with how you spend and divide your time?

Are you satisfied with your job? Do you have a range of other worthwhile activities in your life that you enjoy and give you a sense of fun, excitement and challenge?

 

3. Are you spiritually connected?

Do you feel secure with an understanding of your meaning and purpose in life?

 

4. Are you at peace and feel comfortable with your life?

Do you feel free from difficult feelings and know how to deal with these feelings when you have them? Do you feel physically and emotionally secure?

 

5. How healthy do you feel?

Do you tale care of your body physically? Are you emotionally healthy?

 

6. Are there people who are important to you and whom you are important/

Is there at least one person with whom you can be yourself? Do you have a sense of belonging and fitting?

 

7. Do you have a sense of autonomy and control?

Are your views heard and do you feel you have a healthy influence over events? Can you manage the way you behave and the way you feel?

 

8. Are you secure in your knowledge and understanding?

Do you feel as though you know what is needed in order to feel ok in the world?

Exercise 3 – Part B

All though all of these needs are important, some will be more important to you than others. Identify which needs are priorities in your life. Revisit each of these needs and rate them from 1 (high priority) to 3 (low priority).

Exercise 3 – Part C

Select your highest priority need that was being met through your harmful online behaviour. Focusing on this one need, think about:

1. What specifically makes this need important in your life?

2. Do you have any ideas of how you could meet this need without engaging in harmful online behaviour?

Exercise 4

  1. Understanding the “Good Life”: Explore your own personal concept of a “good life.” This includes identifying your values, goals, strengths, and interests.
  2. Developing a “Good Lives Plan”: Based on the understanding of your “good life,” develop a personal plan, outlining the specific steps and strategies to achieve your goals while addressing your needs and risk factors.
  3. Implementing and Monitoring the Plan: Identify what support you need to implement and sustain the plan over the long term. Actively engage in implementing the plan, with ongoing support and monitoring. This support can involve various interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, skills training, and addressing social and emotional needs.