Rational Emotive Therapy (also known as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) has its foundation in the philosophy that emotions and behaviors are the result of cognitive processes, and human beings are able to change these processes to choose different emotions and behaviors.
Rational Emotive Therapy.
The basic axiom of Rational Emotive Therapy is that almost all human emotions and behaviors are the result of what people think, assume, or believe about themselves, other people, or the world around them. It is what people tell themselves about their situations, not the situations, that determine how they feel and behave.
Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Therapy, developed the "ABC" model to illustrate this premise. In this model, A represents and experience or event. B represents what people think, believe, and tell themselves about the event. C represents the emotions and behaviors that ensue from those thoughts and beliefs.
An example of this model is presented as follows:.
A. The situation or event. (what started things off).
A friend does not return my phone calls.
B. Beliefs about A:.
1. My friend is ignoring me or no longer likes me.
2. My friend has made new friends and has chosen them over me.
3. I could end up without friends.
4. I am unacceptable as a friend, so I must be a worthless person.
C. Reaction:.
Feelings: unlovable, worthless, and depressed.
Behaviors: avoiding people generally, anger, fear, or anxiety.
As shown above, A does not cause C. A triggers B, B then causes C. ABC episodes do not stand alone. C often becomes the A of another episode, and so forth.
Most beliefs are outside the conscious awareness, based on previous experiences or training. They are habitual or conditioned, often consisting of underlying "rules" about how the world and life should be.
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In counseling clients for substance abuse, Rational Emotive Therapy is employed in an attempt to alter a conditioned response to an event or situation.