Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)is a theory of personality and a method of psychotherapy developed in the 1950's by Albert Ellis, a clinical psychologist. Ellis believes that when highly charged emotional consequences follow a significant event, the event actually does not necessarily cause the consequences. Instead, they are largely created by the individual's belief system.
When undesirable emotional consequences occur, such as severe anxiety, Ellis believes that when irrational beliefs are effectively disputed by challenging them rationally and behaviourally the disturbed consequences are reduced. The goal of REBT, consequently, is to help clients examine and change their basic values - particularly those keeping them disturbed – and reduce underlying symptom producing propensities.
REBT views cognition and emotion integratively, with thought, feeling, desires and action interacting with each other. Ellis stresses that personality change can occur in both directions. Therefore the therapist can talk with people and try to change their mind so they will behave differently, or can help clients to change their behaviour and thus modify their thinking. REBT theorists believe that humans rarely change a profound self-defeating belief unless they act against it.
REBT holds that people are born with the potential to be rational as well as irrational. They not only have a predispositions to be self-preserving and actualize their potential for life and growth; but also to be self-destructive, and short-range hedonists. They avoid thinking things through, procrastinate, repeat the same mistakes, are superstitious, intolerant, perfectionistic, grandiose and avoid actualizing their potential for growth. They have a tendency to irrational thinking and self-damaging habituations, exacerbated by both culture and the family group. They rarely act without perceiving, thinking and emoting because these provide reasons for acting. Both normal
When undesirable emotional consequences occur, such as severe anxiety, Ellis believes that when irrational beliefs are effectively disputed by challenging them rationally and behaviourally the disturbed consequences are reduced. The goal of REBT, consequently, is to help clients examine and change their basic values - particularly those keeping them disturbed – and reduce underlying symptom producing propensities.
REBT views cognition and emotion integratively, with thought, feeling, desires and action interacting with each other. Ellis stresses that personality change can occur in both directions. Therefore the therapist can talk with people and try to change their mind so they will behave differently, or can help clients to change their behaviour and thus modify their thinking. REBT theorists believe that humans rarely change a profound self-defeating belief unless they act against it.
REBT holds that people are born with the potential to be rational as well as irrational. They not only have a predispositions to be self-preserving and actualize their potential for life and growth; but also to be self-destructive, and short-range hedonists. They avoid thinking things through, procrastinate, repeat the same mistakes, are superstitious, intolerant, perfectionistic, grandiose and avoid actualizing their potential for growth. They have a tendency to irrational thinking and self-damaging habituations, exacerbated by both culture and the family group. They rarely act without perceiving, thinking and emoting because these provide reasons for acting. Both normal