Ellis’s ABC Model Flashcards
What is Ellis’s ABC Model?
The idea that an individual develops depression when an event activates (A) irrational beliefs (B) and thoughts, which produce the emotional consequence of depression
What does the A stand for in Ellis’s ABC Model?
Activating Event
What does the B stand for in Ellis’s ABC Model?
Beliefs
What does the C stand for in Ellis’s ABC Model?
Consequence
What did Ellis believe caused depression?
The irrational beliefs and thoughts triggered by an activating event- not the event itself
What are 3 irrational beliefs Ellis identified?
- Musturbation: the belief we must always succeed and achieve perfection
- Utopionism: the belief life is always meant to be fair
- I-can’t-stand-itis: the belief its disastrous when anything doesn’t go smoothly
What is Ellis’s version of CBT called?
REBT: Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy
Why isn’t Ellis’s ABC Model generalisable?
It doesn’t explain instances of depression that don’t follow an activating event
Why does Ellis’s ABC Model have good explanatory power?
It explains why people often develop depression after unfortunate events, such as bereavement or losing a job