Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

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Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

• Albert Ellis

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Cognitive Behavioral Approaches are Diverse

• Over 20 Cognitive-Behavioral theories
• They share the following attributes

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Shared Characteristics of C-B

• Corey (p. 297)
• 1. Collaborative relationship between the
  therapist and client
• 2. The premise that psychological distress is
  largely a function of disturbed thinking
• 3. Focus on changing the thinking to produce to
  produce desired changes in affect and behavior

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Shared Characteristics

• 4. Time limited and educational treatment with a
  focus on specific and targeted problems
• 5. Based on psychoeducational model, homework,
  client has responsibility to assume an active
  role in and out of therapy
• 6. Uses a lot of cognitive and behavioral
  strategies for change in the client

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REBT

• Kottler (2002)
• REBT Ellis wants his theory to be
  comprehensive (cognitive, humanistic,
  constructivist, brief, and behavior)

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Ellis

• From his studying and reading, found that
  happiness comes from 2 sources
• 1- Unconditional self-acceptance irrespective of
  any specific performances
• 2- A high frustration tolerance to deal with
  disappointments

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Five Dysfunctional Beliefs

• 1. Life isnt fair -
• 2. Its awful
• 3. I cant stand it -
• 4. I must get what I want
• 5. Im incompetent

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ABC Theory

• A - Activating Event
• B - The Irrational Belief - (exaggerations,
  dogmatic demands, self-evaluations)
• C - The Emotional Consequence -
• D - Disputing the Irrational Beliefs -
• E - New Emotional Effect

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When Using Disputing

• Listen carefully to what the person says
• Decode the underlying thinking that is
  represented in the verbalizations
• Identify the core irrational beliefs implicit in
  the statements
• Challenge the validity of assumptions that are
  clearly the result of distortions and
  exaggerations.
• Use humor

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Corey on Disputing

• Detect Debate Discriminate

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Thoughts

• When you think, you feel and act when you feel,
  you think and act and when you act, you think
  and feel
• (Corsini Wedding, 2001, p. 171).

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Thoughts

• Epicurus stated, People are disturbed not by
  things, but by the view which they take of them
  (Corsini Wedding, 2001, p. 173).
• Adler stated, a persons behavior springs from
  his ideas. (Corsini Wedding, 2001, p. 173).

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Thoughts

• The essence of effective psychotherapy according
  to REBT is full tolerance of oneself and of
  others as persons, combined with a campaign
  against ones self-defeating ideas, traits,
  performances.

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Thoughts from Albert Ellis.

• If you think and work hard at understanding and
  contradicting musturbatory belief systems, you
  can make amazing curative and preventative
  changes.