A Logical Foundation for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) depends on the implications A ? B and B ? C where A is an activating event, B is a belief and C is an emotional consequence. We use this idea to present a logical theory for REBT, and show how it can be used to create a computer program that can be used as a therapist’s aid.     

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy: A Positive Perspective

Through his development of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Albert Ellis was a major contributor to the development of cognitive behaviour therapy. This article reviews key aspects of REBT, the distinction between unhealthy and healthy emotions, and the role irrational and rational beliefs play in relation to these emotions. As with other areas of psychology, the focus of REBT over the years has been dominated by negative emotional experiences. In an attempt to address this and further develop REBT, the present article reviews recent claims from the realm of social psychology that positive illusions promote mental health. Consequently, it is proposed that a similar dichotomy of healthy and unhealthy positive emotions also exists, and a basic framework for working with this positive dichotomy is introduced.     

The Effect of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy on Post-Traumatic Depression in Flood Victims

Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy - Posttraumatic depression is often observed among flood victims all over the world including Nigeria. People who survived the...     

On Rational Beliefs in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: A Theoretical Perspective

In this paper, a number of theoretical issues concerning rational beliefs in REBT will be discussed. In particular, a distinction will be made between rational beliefs which appear rational but are only partially rational (called here, partially formed rational beliefs) and rational beliefs that are fully rational (called here, fully formed rational beliefs). Making this distinction has a number of benefits. For example, it helps explain how people transform their partially formed rational beliefs into irrational beliefs and it provides authors of counseling and psychotherapy textbooks with clear, accurate information to pass on to their readership (Dryden 2012). A number of other issues concerning rational beliefs will also be discussed.     

Race and the Criminal Justice System Response to Sexual Assault: A Systematic Review

Prior research has consistently documented that the vast majority of sexual assault cases do not progress through the criminal justice system. However, there is less agreement in prior work on how race influences case progression, resulting in a literature frequently described as “inconsistent.” This systematic review examines all prior research that has included race as an independent variable in predicting the criminal justice system response to sexual assault (N = 34) in an effort to provide insight into seemingly disparate findings. We assess each study for the degree to which race was a focal point of interest, if and what theory was used to inform the investigation of race, how samples were drawn, and how and whose race was measured. Results illustrate that findings in prior research are not inconsistent, but rather unite to tell a nuanced story of the role of race in the criminal justice system response to sexual assault. The review demonstrates how decisions made by researchers throughout the research process can have significant impacts on reported findings, and how such findings may be used to influence policy and practice.     

Reasons Why Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Is Relatively Neglected in the Professional and Scientific Literature

Although rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) has been the pioneering cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) of the twentieth century, and although its main methods are very popular among practicing clinicians as well as members of the public, it has been relatively neglected in the professional and scientific literature. Reasons for this neglect are discussed and some steps are suggested to make REBT more effective and more scientifically accepted.     

Reasons Why Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Is Relatively Neglected in the Professional and Scientific Literature

Although rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) has been the pioneering cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) of the twentieth century, and although its main methods are very popular among practicing clinicians as well as members of the public, it has been relatively neglected in the professional and scientific literature. Reasons for this neglect are discussed and some steps are suggested to make REBT more effective and more scientifically accepted.     

The Concept of Psychological Health in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

The argument has been made that if Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is to survive and prosper in the 21st century, its underlying personality theory requires further development and clarification. In this spirit, the concept of psychological health in REBT theory is examined in the present article. The concept of psychological health in personality theories is discussed briefly, as are the core aspects of the REBT view of emotional disturbance. Given that necessary context, a definition of the essence of psychological health in REBT theory is proposed and discussed. The clinical implications of the proposed definition are then explored.     

Assessment and Diagnostic Issues in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: Introduction to the Special Issue

This article introduces a special issue of the Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy on assessment and diagnostic issues in REBT. Contributions to the special issue include reviews of (a) the psychometric properties of irrational beliefs measures and (b) the potential utility for REBT research and practice of behavioral measures of distress tolerance; (c) a primary study of the diagnostic and functional significance of high trait anger, with implications for classification and REBT treatment of anger disorders; and (d) a closing commentary by John Malouff on themes raised in the earlier papers.     

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) in the New Millenium: A Cross-Cultural Approach

This paper reviews and discusses the results of five cross-cultural studies in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Spain, and USA, using 2 (college students vs. their parents) × 2 (males vs. females) MANOVA match group designs with the Attitudes and Beliefs Inventory subscales as dependent variables, two multicultural studies investigating the relationship between some demographic variables (Pan American Health Organization's Index of Violence, and Acculturation) and people's Irrationality, and two multidisciplinary studies on the relationship between some medical conditions (skin diseases, and severity of symptoms during menopause) and Irrational Beliefs.     

Identity and Constructivism:Grounding the Self in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Albert Ellis' contribution to psychotherapy has been monumental, and he has argued that REBT is a philosophically based project. Especially after 1986, Ellis further argued that biological predisposition accounted for much of our tendencies toward rationality and irrationality. Further, he has called for non-rating of one's self or being (that call itself being an evaluation). We have argued, as has Ellis, for a tertium quid, character, also located in biological predisposition (ontology). Distinctions are drawn between types of constructivism (and construction), one of those foundational to REBT. We have accounted for a common sense self that can be evaluated and yet be unconditionally accepted. The self in REBT can be distinguished from roles. A reasoning self in the service of desires while allowing for LFT (DA) is preserved.     

Dealing with the Intellectual-Insight Problem in Cognitive and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

A client is said to have intellectual, but not emotional, insight when he or she acknowledges that holding a particular belief is irrational, but says that he or she still does not believe, or cannot accept, that fact. The intellectual-insight problem may arise because the client's negative core or irrational belief is embedded in a broader belief system that must be explored before the client will be able to surrender the negative core or irrational belief. In this case one appropriate intervention is to ask what the consequence of giving up the belief would be. Kelly's (1955) theory of personal constructs and DiGiuseppe's (1991) concept of personal paradigms offer ways to conceptualize the problem and its solution.     

The Relationship of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to Social Psychology

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) includes several main theories and practices, especially the hypotheses that people are both constructivists and destructivists. It holds that they have powerful innate and socially acquired tendencies to often be self-helping and rational but also self-defeating and irrational. REBT largely derives its method of therapy from many clients seen by the author, from hundreds of therapy studies, and from the social psychology literature. This article shows how REBT formulations overlap with some of the findings of social psychology, how these findings can appreciably be used to improve REBT practice, how some of the unique theories and methods of REBT may contribute to the field of social psychology, and how social psychologists can help to research some of the main REBT principles.     

Limitations of Mental Health Case Management: A Rational Emotive and Cognitive Therapy Perspective

Since the closure of many psychiatric hospitals, case management has come to be accepted worldwide as a method of community care for the seriously mentally ill. Although case management has many commendable values, it falls short of providing a comprehensive treatment. It focuses almost exclusively on environmental interventions and largely ignores psychological elements of an individual's functioning. In particular, case management rarely provides clients with evidence-based therapy techniques, such as those developed from a cognitive-behavioral perspective. Consequently, clients with mental illness are not being provided with skills which could help them systematically reduce their emotional disturbance. It is hypothesized that the effectiveness of mental health case management may be enhanced by incorporating evidence-based psychological therapies within a community care model.     

Cost-effective use of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in a public mental health service

With the advanced deinstitutionalization of the treatment of the mentally ill, the public mental health services in many parts of Australia are facing serious difficulties in providing adequate community-based treatment to the large numbers of individuals in need. Overreliance on medication and a diminishing supply of suitably trained therapists may result in an increasing proportion of patients being denied the benefit of optimal treatment and care which should include evidence-based psychological and behavioral approaches. In this communication we describe a day program, designed and implemented in Perth, Western Australia, which combines individual and group therapy provision, and is closely integrated with both primary care and the specialist mental health services. The program provides an alternative to in-patient admission and is cost-effective by reducing the demand for acute hospital beds. It is acceptable to patients and produces measurable improvements in symptoms, functioning and subjective well-being. Address correspondence to Anthony Mander, ENHANCE, Inner City Mental Health Service, Royal Perth Hospital, Box X2213, Perth 6000, Western Australia.     

Effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy on Psychological Well-Being of People with Late Blindness

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) on improving the psychological wellbeing of people with late blindness. The design of this study was organized into pre-test, post-test and follow-up with two groups; experimental and control. After choosing qualified individuals, they were replaced into experimental and control groups at random (30 clients in each group). Pre-test was conducted for both groups. Thereafter, the experimental group received REBT training. Both groups, took part in post-test at the end of the training course. After 1 month, follow-up test was taken. Tools such as demographic particulars, IBT questionnaire, depression, anxiety and stress 21 inventory, Eysenck questionnaire were used for gathering information of the study. All the analytical process has been done by SPSS18 program. The scores of both groups (experimental and control groups) were not different significantly in pre-test. The scores gained by the experimental group in post-test showed a significant increase compared with the pre-test result. It proved the effectiveness of REBT with experimental group. And also, in comparing post-test with follow-up experimental group no significant difference were yield. So, as a result the effectiveness interference through group training of REBT with experimental group can be evaluated as constant. In control group there were no significant difference among the scores gained in pre-test, post-test and follow up. The findings of this research indicate the effectiveness of group coaching of REBT with enhancing the indices of psychological well being of people with late blindness.     

The Death of a Spouse: Using Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Cope

This article discusses a personal experience of the death of a spouse. Examples of how rational emotive and cognitive behavior therapy assisted and failed in helping to cope with the diagnosis of a terminal illness, the treatment phase, and following death are addressed.