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6. Illusory goals and hidden beliefs: better understanding of behaviors

Mindly Team

Created on September 23, 2025

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Transcript

00:15

hello !

I am Brainy and I am here to guide you through this activity. First, a small quiz will be offered to discover what you know about the topic we will discuss.

Next, you will watch a video, prepared by experts, which will help deepen your understanding of the key concepts.

Finally, a second quiz will allow you to check everything you have learned, accompanied by a series of tips to help you implement these educational tools.

Let's go, we start!

00:15

Illusory goals and hidden beliefs: better understanding student behaviors

Quiz

BEFORE

Here is a 10 question quiz to explore the mirage goal grid, a tool from positive discipline that helps us understand behaviors and attitudes differently.

COMMENcER

1/10

QUIZ before

2/10

Quiz before

When a student seeks to attract attention, they are probably trying to...

3/10

Quiz before

Among these statements, which one corresponds to the thought of Alfred Adler, the founder of Positive Discipline?

4/10

Quiz before

Match each behavior to the possible intention behind it (drag and drop):

Observed behavior

Attract attention

Take control

Prove inability

Take revenge

5/10

QUIZ before

6/10

Quiz beforehand

What is the main mission of the student according to positive discipline?

7/10

QUIZ before

In positive discipline, the term “mirage goal” is used to refer to:

8/10

Quiz Before

What does the child's "private logic" mean?

9/10

Quiz before

The teacher can identify the mirage objective by observing…

10/10

QUIZ before

A student who refuses all effort and says they are incapable probably tries to…

QUIZ before

Quiz

AFTER

Here is a 10 question quiz based on the video you just watched.

START

1/10

QUIZ afterward

What is the best first step to identify a mirage goal?

2/10

Quiz afterwards

Vengeance behavior in the student often masks a belief of the type:

3/10

QUIZ afterwards

What is the most helpful answer for a student seeking to take control?

4/10

QUIZ after

Match each adult emotion to the likely mirage goal:

What I feel towards the student

Annoyance

Helplessness, discouragement

Frustration or challenge

Wound, resentment

5/10

QUIZ afterward

Complete this quote from Jane Nelsen: “Where you think you need to ____, it is often much more effective to ____.”

6/10

QUIZ afterwards

What is the common goal of all inappropriate behaviors according to positive discipline?

7/10

QUIZ afterward

What does the mirage goal grid allow?

8/10

QUIZ after

How to support a student who has a belief of incapacity?

9/10

QUIZ afterward

What educational stance is encouraged by positive discipline?

10/10

QUIZ after

Complete the sentence: Inappropriate behaviors are not conscious choices, but rather ________ to an unmet need.

QUIZ after

Mirage Target

Attract Attention

Child's Private Logic

Observe the Mirage Target

TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Do not take the student's behavior as a personal attack

Use your emotions as a decoding tool

Train yourself and cooperate with your colleagues

Remember that change takes time

Provide helpful responses instead of reacting impulsively

ONLINE RESOURCES

Mistaken Goal Chart – Positive Discipline Association

"Break the Code of Misbehavior" - Positive Discipline

“Positive Discipline” by Jane Nelsen

“Research-Backed Strategies for Better Classroom Management”

“Classroom Management Strategies for Disruptive Behavior” - Study.com

See you soon for new challenges!

Observe the mirage objective

To detect the mirage objective, you need to carefully observe emotional signals, repetitions, and blockages.

“Classroom Management Strategies for Disruptive Behavior” - Study.com

It helps uncover the underlying reasons for the disruption, such as seeking recognition or control, aligning with the “decode the belief behind the behavior” approach of mistaken goals.

“Research-Backed Strategies for Better Classroom Management”

When students misbehave in class, finding positive ways to address their behavior can be difficult. Research shows these approaches are most effective.

Do not take the student's behavior as a personal attack

A student who provokes, opposes, or withdraws does not act against you, but to try to regain a sense of importance or belonging. ➡️ Breathe, step back, and ask yourself: "What is he trying to tell me through this behavior?"

Train yourself and collaborate with your colleagues

Using the grid is more effective when shared as a team. ➡️ Organize feedback sessions, analyze situations, and attend discipline training in class to enrich your professional perspective.

Offer helpful responses instead of reacting impulsively

Reacting with punishment or annoyance maintains the cycle of misunderstanding. Prefer a targeted educational response: – offer a role to the student seeking attention, – provide a choice framework to the one seeking power, – show unconditional interest to the student seeking revenge, – encourage the slightest progress of those who feel incapable.

Mistaken Goal Chart – Positive Discipline Association

A practical one-page PDF tool that helps educators and parents identify which mistaken goal might be behind a child’s misbehavior, based on how the adult feels and how the child responds to correction.

Use your emotions as a decoding tool

In positive discipline, your feelings are a valuable indicator for identifying the mirage goal. ➡️ If you feel annoyed, challenged, hurt, or powerless… it’s often a sign of a hidden need in the student.

Remember that change takes time

Identifying a mirage goal does not solve the problem overnight. It’s the consistency in your attitude, listening, and repeating positive actions that will restore trust. ➡️ Consistency is more valuable than perfection.

Child's private logic

The concept of private logic (or subjective logic) comes from caring education movements and in particular from the approach of Alfred Adler and positive psychopedagogy. It refers to the way a child interprets reality based on their experiences, emotions, and personal beliefs.

"Break the Code of Misbehavior" - Positive Discipline

This article from the Positive Discipline website explains how to understand and respond to misbehavior by uncovering the underlying mistaken belief the child is acting on.

Mirage objective

A mirage objective is a formulation or behaviour that appears to be a clear request, but diverts from the real goal, often unconscious or poorly expressed.

Attracting attention

Attracting the child's attention: capturing without forcing. Attracting and maintaining a child's attention is essential to promote learning, listening, and relationships. But this requires respecting their rhythm, needs, and natural curiosity.

“Positive Discipline” by Jane Nelsen

This foundational book introduces the core principles of Positive Discipline, emphasizing respectful, firm, and kind interactions with children. It includes a detailed explanation of mistaken goals, such as attention-seeking, power struggles, revenge, and assumed inadequacy.