Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) Flashcards
Group Leaders: Wesley, David, & Aubrey
You feel the way you think…
It is not the events taking place in our lives that upset us…It is the beliefs that we hold that cause us to become depressed, anxious, enraged, etc.
The Goals for Most of Us Include…
- Being happy whether we are alone or with others
- Getting along with others
- Being well informed and educated
- Having a good job with good pay
- Being able to enjoy our leisure time
When these goals are blocked, we can…
Respond in ways that are healthy and helpful
We can respond in ways that are unhealthy and unhelpful…
Our reaction to having our goals blocked, or even the possibility of having them blocked is determined by our beliefs
For Example….The ABC Model teaches us how our beliefs cause our emotional and behavioral responses.
A. Something happens (activating event)
B. You have a belief about the situation (belief)
C. You have an emotional reaction to the belief (consequence)
3 Basic Musts (& their causes):
- I must do well and win the approval of others or else I am no good. (CAUSES ANXIETY)
- Other people must treat me fairly and in exactly the way I want them to treat me. If they don’t, they are no good and they deserve to be punished. (CAUSES RAGE)
- I must get what I want, when I want it and I can’t stand not getting what I want. (CAUSES SELF-PITY)
The goal of REBT is to…
…help people change their irrational beliefs into rational beliefs.
Accomplished by DISPUTING (the “D” of the ABC Model)
Disputing:
“Why must you win everyone’s approval?”
“Where is it written that other people must treat you fairly?
“Just because you want something, why must you have it?”
When members answer these questions they see how irrational their beliefs are and can begin to change the frequency , intensity and duration of the beliefs…
REBT provides members with “Insight”
- When we are upset we mainly are upset with ourselves by holding inflexible beliefs
- No matter when and how we start upsetting ourselves, we continue to feel upset because we cling to our irrational beliefs
- The only way to get better is to work hard at changing our beliefs.
REBT helps group members to…
Develop unconditional self-acceptance
Develop unconditional other-acceptance
Develop unconditional life-acceptance
Unconditional Self Acceptance
I have my good points and my bad points
There is no reason why I must not have flaws
Despite my good points and my bad points, I am no more or less worthy of a human being
Unconditional Other Acceptance
Other people will treat me unfairly from time to time
There is no reason why they must treat me fairly
The people who treat me unfairly are no more or less worthy of a human being
Unconditional Life Acceptance
Life doesn’t always work out the way I’d like it to
There is no reason why life must go the way I want
Life is nearly always bearable
