Rational emotive behavior therapy successes and failures: Eight personal perspectives

Eight experts in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) provided personal examples of their own successes and failures in applying REBT to themselves. The experts actively talked to themselves both rationally and irrationally. Understandably, there were far more shoulds, oughts, musts, and have to’s in the narratives in which the experts described when they failed to use REBT than when they succeeded in using REBT. Rational self-talk was more prevalent in the examples of how REBT was successfully used by the experts. Reprinted from Journal of Counseling & Development, Summer 2001, Volume 79. ACA. Reprinted with permission. No further reproduction authorized without written permission from the American Counseling Association.     

When Laddering and the Downward Arrow Can Be Used as Adjuncts to Inference Chaining in REBT Assessment

This paper looks at the ways in which laddering in Personal Construct Therapy and the downward arrow in Cognitive Therapy can be used as adjunctive techniques to inference chaining in locating a client's critical A or emotional core. We describe their use through a number of case examples and annotations. We conclude that these two methods require skilled use if they are to be successfully integrated into inference chaining and are offered as part of REBT's interest in theoretically consistent eclecticism. The use of inference chaining in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), the downward arrow in Cognitive Therapy (CT) and laddering in Personal Construct Therapy (PCT) are techniques which aim to help therapists and clients gain rapid insight into the latters' core beliefs and values about themselves, others and the world. This article will show how each technique reveals underlying beliefs and then, from the REBT viewpoint, in what circumstances laddering or the downward arrow might be used as an adjunct to inference chaining in the assessment stage of therapy.     

Idiosyncratic definitions and unsupported hypotheses: Rational emotive behavior therapy as pseudoscience

My concerns about Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) began over a decade ago. I find its concepts lack adequate and consistent definitions, its distinctive hypotheses are not confirmed by empirical data and are untestable, and its scientific foundations fall outside mainstream psychology. Contrary to what it claims, its practice and philosophy are not consisten with the use of reason in psychotherapy. These criticisms are discussed and documented. Practitioners may not be aware of the unsubstantiated claims and theoretical assumptions inherent in REBT, and that they adopt these assumptions when practicing REBT.     

Exploring the Effects of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy on the Irrational Beliefs and Self-Determined Motivation of Triathletes

The present study addresses proposals that Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) can influence self-determined motivation. Triathletes received REBT education, followed by either Rational Emotive Personal-Disclosure Mutual-Sharing (REPDMS) or Personal-Disclosure Mutual-Sharing. Measurements of irrational beliefs and self-determined motivation were collected prior to REBT (baseline), during the REBT education period, and after the REPDMS session (postintervention). An ABC single-case design was adopted, allowing for statistical and visual analysis of data over time and between groups. Findings indicate that REBT led to decreased irrational beliefs and increased self-determined motivation. REPDMS appeared to have no influence on irrational beliefs over and above REBT education.     

Can Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Lead to Spiritual Transformation? Yes, Sometimes!

When possible, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) has always aimed for thorough-going philosophic change. It instructs people to transform their fundamental approach to life and shows them how to become (1) less prone to disturbance and (2) active seekers of that which, for them, constitutes the zoom of living. Rather than spend time telling people the meaning of life, REBT shows them how they may more frequently, more intensely and for longer periods of time have the experience of full and deep living. By doing so, REBT can well be seen as a source of spiritual transformation.     

Rational-Emotive Assessment with Religious Clients

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), when practiced effectively and flexibly, can be an excellent treatment modality for religious clients. Most of the American population acknowledges some religious belief and/or practice and religious clients sometimes present with unique disturbances and concerns about psychotherapy. In this article we discuss the rapidly changing literature relative to religiousness and mental health and highlight the ethical-professional risks of failing to carefully assess and responsibly manage client religiousness when it is personally and clinically salient. We conclude by outlining a model for focused assessment of religiousness early in REBT and recommend that REBT practitioners consider different components of religiousness and the manner in which they may impact response to treatment.     

The Rational Teacher: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in Teacher Education

Rational Emotive Behavior Theory and Therapy (REBT; Ellis, 1973) is a form of humanistic psychology that helps individuals live happier, more productive, more self-actualizing and more creative existences. Under what has been called Rational Emotive Education (REE), some (see, e.g., Bernard, 2001, 2000, 1990, 1984; Bernard & Ellis, 1983; DeVoge, 1983; DiGiuseppe, 1983; DiGiuseppe & Bernard, 1990; Ellis, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, & 1971; Knaus, 1977; Knaus & Bokor, 1975; Knaus & Eyman 1974; Knaus & McKeever, 1977; Vernon, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1994, 1993, 1990, & 1989) have applied REBT in various educational settings. Having been successful in clinical settings and in reducing both undesirable student behavior and teachers' stress, additional innovative applications of REBT are now being explored and used. This paper describes the incorporation of REBT into yet another unexplored setting within REE: teacher education. Undergraduate Education majors, taking a psychological foundations course and prior to their Student Teaching Practicum, learned REBT principles and methodology and applied them in both learning and teaching contexts. The learning context included situations the Undergraduate Education majors encountered in their college lives. The teaching context included situations they encountered while participating in their preschool field placement. The application of REBT to both contexts allowed the Education majors to address their personal and professional development, including their effectiveness as teachers in training.     

Changing rational-emotive therapy (RET) to rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

Reasons are given for changing the name of Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and for bringing its behavioral aspects into more prominence. Excerpted from “Changing Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).Behavior Therapist, 1994,16(10), 1–2, and fromReason and Emotion in Psychotherapy, Rev ed. updated. New York Carol Publishing, 1994. Reprinted with permission.     

Rational emotive behavior therapy research: What we know and what we need to know

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) has achieved positive results in quantitative reviews of treatment outcome studies. In part because of methodological limitations of these studies, however, the generalizability of their favorable results to routine clinical practice is unknown. Also unknown are the clinical significance of outcomes achieved by REBT, the contribution made by its distinctive and specialized procedures, and the types of patients for whom REBT is particularly useful. Recommendations are provided for refining our knowledge of the effectiveness of REBT.     

Secondary Beliefs: A Mediator between Illness Representations and Coping Behavior in Arthritis Sufferers

The aim of the current study was to investigate the factors of secondary beliefs and illness representations, and their relationship with particular coping strategies used in the management of arthritis, and more specifically, if secondary beliefs, as defined in Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), mediated the relationship between illness representations and coping, as outlined by the Self-Regulatory Model (SRM). A sample of 63 arthritis sufferers aged between 32.0 and 100.1 years was recruited. Participants were asked to complete three questionnaires: Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOCQ); revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R); Secondary Beliefs Scale (SBS). Analyses revealed that all eight coping strategies measured were significantly related to one or more illness representation, lending support to the SRM. Furthermore, secondary beliefs were found to mediate the relationship between illness representations and coping for three of the strategies measured: confrontive coping, accepting responsibility and seeking social support, while they also appeared to be directly related to the escape-avoidance strategy. Therefore, support for the REBT model was also evidenced. Overall, these results have highlighted the importance of cognitive factors in influencing coping behavior, a finding that could prove useful when designing interventions aiming to promote beneficial coping in arthritis sufferers.     

RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY AND THE MINDFULNESS BASED STRESS REDUCTION TRAINING OF JON KABAT-ZINN

Important aspects of Kabat-Zinn’s mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) are compared, point-by-point, with Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). There are some significant differences, since REBT does not advocate meditation as part of the therapy, and MBSR does not include disputing of irrational beliefs. But the similarities are even more striking, especially in the stress on self-acceptance, and in not judging people overall.     

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Elderly People

Several therapies have been adapted for use with elderly people, including Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). These two therapies emphasize the importance of irrational or dysfunctional beliefs in the creation of emotional disturbance, and tend to use a number of cognitive, emotive, and behavioral methods of disputing and changing these beliefs for more functional ones. Some of the main therapeutic techniques used in REBT and CBT are presented in this paper.     

Collaborators in the Marginalization of REBT—The Use and Misuse of Three Approaches to Psychotherapy and Other Videotaped Demonstrations

Long time users of the 1965 film, Three Approaches to Psychotherapy (TAP), have fostered the marginalization of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). For more than three decades, the counseling profession has consistently and relentlessly embraced TAP as an accurate, timely, and realistic portrayal of what RET, and now REBT, is all about—despite indications, then and now, that the demonstration was seriously flawed and the film is now hopelessly outdated. The need for accurate, timely and realistic multimedia demonstrations is essential to the training of mental health professionals.     

The Construct Of Personality In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Rebt) Theory

In this article it is argued that, if Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is to survive and prosper in the next century, it will require a more comprehensive and detailed theory of personality at its base. Ideally, REBT personality theory preferably should avoid certain basic shortcomings of other personality theories. Toward these ends, an explicit definition of the term personality is proposed for REBT theory emphasizing psychological individuality, cognition, emotion, and behavior, and their interrelationships. The central concepts in the proposed definition are then explored along with related broad-based hypotheses generally amenable to empirical test. Finally, some implications of the proposed definition of personality for treatment are then discussed.     

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 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.