The ABC's of REBT
REBT is as simple as A-B-C. We'll show you:
The event about which one becomes upset we call the "activating" event. Of all the things that happen or that we witness in a day, only a small number really catch our attention in such a way as to provoke a conscious or unconscious response. The activating event is therefore quite important in our disturbance or non-disturbance. We call it "A," for activating event.
The consequence of this notice of "A" can be emotional, physiological, or behavioral. That is the ultimate response or reaction to the event. Because we get pretty fast at reacting to things, one might believe that the event made him or her react that way. It's a common error. We call the consequence (emotional, physiological, or behavioral) "C."
One's evaluative thinking (or belief) about "A" is the actual cause of "C." If one demands irrationally that something be different than it is, one is going to be disturbed at "C." There are two types of beliefs, rational or irrational. Rational beliefs generally state acceptance or preference. Irrational beliefs generally state a commanding, absolutistic, demand. We usually encounter them in the form of the following statement beginnings:
- "It should (ought, must, have to) be (or not be) this way...."
- "It's awful (terrible, horrible, catastrophic)...."
- "I can't stand it (it's too hard, much, painful, long, tedious)...."
- "I'm (you're, he's, she's) a rotten person, lower than a worm...."
- "I'm never going to succeed (or change)...I'm (its) hopeless..."
We call these "B." There are two kinds of beliefs—rational beliefs, "rB," and irrational beliefs, "iB."
To get undisturbed or prevent becoming disturbed in the first place, one might get rid of his or her irrational beliefs. To do this one disputes the philosophical belief underlying the inferred statement. "I can't stand it if Sally doesn't love me," is an inference from the philosophy, "Every significant person must love or approve of me, or else it would be a catastrophe (and I could not stand that)."
Disputation we call "D."
Once rid of the "iB," one's consequence at "C" changes to a new effect (non-disturbed consequence), which we call "E." That's all there is to it.
Now you can see REBT is as simple as A-B-C (D-E).
Now try The A-B-C Connection.
