Wk 4 - REBT Flashcards
What does REBT propose is the main contributor to problems?
Moral Obligations / Moralistic Thoughts
- people think in terms of absolute “musts” (too rigid)
- internalization of rules and standards from our social interactions
What is the key assumption of REBT?
constructivist assumption - reality is created by the self. it’s people’s views of events that disturb them.
What is the ABC of R
EBT?
Antecedent event - activating experience, can be internal or external
Beliefs - about the antecedent event
Consequences - can be emotional or behavioral
According to REBT, what are the 2 types of beliefs we can have?
- Rational beliefs
- Irrational beliefs
What are the characteristics of rational beliefs?
- logical, empirically supported, useful/pragmatic
- generally leads to mild to moderate emotions
- 4 types (non rigid, no-awfulizing, discomfort tolerance, acceptance)
What are the characteristics of irrational beliefs?
- illogical or unrealistic
- rigid “musts and shoulds” which is very demanding on the self or others
What is REBT’s argument of health and dysfunction?
Health
- ability to think flexibly (not in rigid absolute terms)
Dysfunction
- rigid thinking (musts and shoulds) very demanding on self and others
- illogical and unrealistic
What are the two key mechanisms of change in REBT?
1) Modifying irrational beliefs and acting in line with the new way of thinking.
2) Unconditional acceptance of the self, others, and situations
- humans are imperfect, we have to accept it
- situations are not perfect all the time. we have to tolerate frustration and accept it.
According to REBT, how should you modify irrational beliefs? (3 steps)
1) take responsibility for the beliefs
2) understand the impact of Beliefs (Bs) on consequences (Cs)
3) work hard to change these unhelpful “musturbatory” beliefs
According to REBT, what are the 3 types of irrational thinking?
1) Awfulizing - thinking that people or situations are more bad than they actually are (catastrophizing, overgeneralising)
2) I-cant-stand-it-itis - frustration intolerance; bad things should never happen
3) Damnnation - thinking that the self, the world, or others are totally horrible (black or white thinking)
Describe the idea of secondary disturbances.
Clients irrational beliefs result in problematic Consequences (Cs). After that, clients evaluate these Consequences with more unhelpful irrational beliefs (meta-cognitions). This secondary disturbance results in more severe problems (Eg. self-hatred)
With regard to the ABC sequence in REBT, which one should we start with when assessing the client?
C is usually the presenting concern (emotional and behavioral consequences). Focus on finding the iBs using Inference Chaining technique. keep asking “then what” until it reveals the the underlying irrational beliefs (awfulizing, i cant stand it itis, damnnation)
What is the sequence of the REBT intervention?
1) Teach clients the theory of REBT (socializing the client)
2) ABCDE
- Antecedent
- Beliefs
- Consequences (Behavioral/Emotional)
- Disputing irrational beliefs
- Effective new “rational beliefs”
- Functional emotions/behaviors based on new rational beliefs
What are the 3 types of techniques used in REBT?
1) cognitive techniques
2) emotional/experiential techniques
3) behavioral techniques
What is the goal of cognitive techniques?
Challenge how realistic, logical, pragmatic these thoughts are.
Name the 7 cognitive techniques.
1) Socratic questioning
2) Psychoeducation - identifying own ABCDEFs
3) Proselytizing - identifying and disputing irrational beliefs in others
4) cost-benefit analysis
5) stop and monitor
6) rational coping statements
7) recording sessions
What are emotional/experiential techniques used for?
to reinforce cognitive techniques to ensure knowledge is understood on an emotional level
Name the 5 emotional techniques.
1) Rational Emotive Imagery - replace unhealthy emotion with less intense healthy emotion
2) flamboyant therapist actions
3) humor
4) roleplaying/ role reversal
5) zigzagging
What is a behavioral technique that is unique to REBT?
Acting on rational beliefs - Pretending “as if” they are true, and observing the consequences (Similar to behavioral experiment)
What is shame attacking?
Challenge irrational absolute predictions, increase sense of shame.
How is unconditional self-acceptance achieved?
Refuse to make evaluations of the self. Seeing one’s behavior, thoughts, and feelings as separate from the self. Just see your behavior, thoughts, and feelings as good or bad according to the standards of rationality (ie. does it help you to achieve your goals?)
What are the 2 major goals of REBT?
1) to eliminate irrational thinking and the associated dysfunctional emotions and behaviors
2) to teach the client REBT philosophy
What are some potential difficulties and reasons for client resistance?
1) client believes that the therapist is mistaken
2) simply difficult for client to change (hopelessness)
3) client’s embarrassment about their problems
4) client’s unwillingness to give up secondary reinforcements from their symptoms
5) client beliefs that they must punish themselves
What are some criticisms of REBT?
- too intellectual
- neglects role of client’s history and emotions
- neglect cultural differences that affect definitions of rationality.
- doesn’t account for discrimination, prejudice and oppression. to ask these clients to change the ways they think about these influences could be detrimental to their functioning, if not discriminatory
- difficult to define what really happens in REBT. exact mechanisms not specifiable
What are some strengths of REBT?
- wide variety of techniques, applicable for many different kinds of client presentations
- active, directive
- short term
- cognitive control of emotion. emphasizes individual control
