RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY Flashcards
a type of psychotherapy introduced by Albert Ellis in the 1950s. It is an action-oriented approach focused on helping people deal with their irrational beliefs and learning how to manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in a healthier and more realistic way.
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)
REBT can be particularly helpful for people living with a variety of issues, including:
● depression
● anxiety
● addictive behaviors
● phobias
● overwhelming feelings of anger, guilt, or rage
● procrastination
● disordered eating habits
● aggression
● sleep problems
irrational beliefs
Demandingness
Awfulizing and catastrophizing
Low frustration tolerance
Global ratings of self and others
Believing events “must”
or “should” be a certain way. Eg. “My partner absolutely must love me all the time or it’s intolerable.”
Demandingness
Exaggerating the negativity of an event (when things go wrong it is awful and terrible). Eg. “Failing this test means I’ll never get a good job and my life is ruined.”
Awfulizing and catastrophizing
Believing you can’t stand or cope with discomfort. Eg. “I can’t bear feeling sad or anxious.”
Low frustration tolerance
Judging your people’s worth including one’s own based on a single event. Eg. “Getting rejected means I’m a total loser.
Global ratings of self and others
irrational demands
demands on oneself
demands on others
demands on conditions of your life
These are ego demands in the form of, “I absolutely must do well and get approval or else I’m no good.”
Demands on Oneself
These are grandiose demands in the form of, “You absolutely must treat me well or else you’re no good.”
Demands on Others
These are discomfort demands and
frustration tolerance demands in the form of, “My life absolutely must be fair, easy, and hassle-free or else it’s no good.”
Demands on the Conditions of Your Life.
MAIN BELIEFS OF REBT
● Humans are inherently rational, meaning they have an innate capacity to think logically and solve problems. However, they also have a tendency towards irrational thinking.
● Dysfunctional emotions and behaviors often result from irrational beliefs.
● People can learn to identify and dispute irrational beliefs on their own. This enables them to develop more rational thinking processes and healthier emotions/behaviors.
ABCs of REBT
Activating Event/Adversity
Belief
Consequences
The event or situation that triggers
a negative reaction or response
Activating Event/Adversity
The irrational thought that you
might have about an event or
situation
Belief
Often distressing emotions that
result from the irrational thoughts or beliefs
Consequences
DEFs of REBT
dispute
effect
feeling
This involves actively challenging
the irrational beliefs identified in the previous step.
Dispute
This refers to developing a more
rational and adaptive belief system.
It involves replacing irrational
beliefs with more realistic and
helpful thoughts.
Effect
By disputing irrational beliefs and
adopting a more effective
philosophy, individuals can
experience healthier emotions and
behaviors.
feeling
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS
all or nothing thinking
overgeneralization
catastrophizing
should statements
emotional reasoning
labeling
mental filter
Viewing outcomes or traits as absolute rather than on a spectrum. Eg. “If I’m not perfect, I’m a total failure.
All-or-nothing thinking
Broadly applying beliefs beyond the specific situation. Eg. “All men are selfish jerks.”
Overgeneralization
Exaggerating or imagining the worst case scenario. Eg. “Getting a bad grade means I’ll flunk out and have a terrible life.”
Catastrophizing
Unreasonable rules about how you or others “should” behave. Eg. “People should always be kind to me.”
Should statements
Mistaking feelings for facts. Eg. “I feel stupid in math class, so I must be bad at math.”
Emotional reasoning
Assigning rigid judgments of
self or others. Eg. “I made a mistake – I’m an idiot.”
Labeling
Dwelling on the negatives
while ignoring the positives. Eg. “My date said I looked nice but didn’t seem interested. He must have hated me.”
Mental filter
Techniques of REBT
Cognitive Restructuring
Disputing Irrational Belief
Reframing
Mindfulness Practices
Behavioral Activation
This technique involves identifying and challenging irrational or unhelpful thoughts, and replacing them with more rational and constructive ones.
Cognitive Restructuring
This method teaches people to recognize and challenge irrational thoughts by examining evidence that contradicts these beliefs.
Disputing Irrational Beliefs
involves looking at situations
from different viewpoints to foster a more balanced and intelligent understanding
Reframing
Through mindfulness, individuals learn to become aware of their thoughts and emotions, helping them to think more clearly in challenging situations.
Mindfulness Practices
This technique involves engaging in
activities that align with rational thoughts, improving mood and motivation.
Behavioral Activation
ACTIVITIES AND EFFECTIVENESS
Shame attacking exercises
Imagery
Mindfulness
Journaling
Bibliography
Meditation
Role Playing
Doing embarrassing activities intentionally to challenge beliefs that we “must” avoid sham
Shame attacking exercises
Visualizing feared outcomes
coming true but coping well to challenge beliefs about catastrophe
Imagery
Observing thoughts
non-judgmentally to gain distance from irrational beliefs.
Mindfulness
Writing about irrational beliefs
and more rational alternatives.
Journaling
Reading books with REBT
principles to reinforce learning.
Bibliotherapy
Practicing ___ to
reduce reactivity to thoughts
meditation
Practicing healthy
responses to situations through imaginary roleplay
Role Playing
