Managerial Counseling

Rational Emotive Therapy

Structure of the Presentation

Albert Ellis

Introduction to RET

Difference between RET & Classical Psychoanalysis

A-B-C Process & How RET helps

Albert Ellis (1913-2007)

• Didn’t have a happy childhood - divorce ofparents, illness- introversion, shyness

• Refused to be depressed, worked hard,made a determined effort to understandand get on with other people

• Original training - family & marriage counseling

• In 1955, introduced Rational Emotive Psychotherapy - first of the modern cognitive behavioral approaches

Introduction to RET• People are not inherently

good or evil

• All emotional problemsare caused by our own-

1. Irrational belief systems (faulty thinking)

2. Exaggerated reactions

(anxiety, etc)

to events

• People cling tenaciously to outdated feelings of depression, anger, guilt and hostility-not applicable to present situation

• Through language, people continue to reinforce their outdated thinking – perpetuate their own suffering

• Human Beings are prone to self-doubt and negative self-talk

• eg. Rejection, I am worthless, I am good-for-nothing, I am such a fool

Introduction to RET (Contd..)

• A person is not ‘stupid’ but actions might be

Introduction to RET (Contd..)

• Actions are separate from the person

• Don’t evaluate yourself, evaluate your actions in reference to your goals and/or intentions

RET’s Approach

• If disturbance-creating ideas are vigorously disputed by logical/empirical thinking, they can be eliminated or minimized and will ultimately cease to reoccur

• Unconditional Self Acceptance (USA): Individuals have worth. They should accept that they make mistakes and that some of their assets and qualities are stronger than others. Individuals’ acts or performances should be criticized, not their personal worth

RET vs. Classical Psychoanalysiso Does not delve into counselee’s childhood to find

reasons for his/ her current problems

o Psychoanalysis keeps the counselee dependent on their analysts, they are forced neither to take responsibility for their lives nor challenge their irrational beliefs

o In RET, there is less stress on empathy. The counsellor’s ability to remain detached, though understanding is preferable.

An Example…

E.g. A counselee complains that she is non-assertive and pleases others without pleasing

herself

Psychoanalyst

• Will trace the problem back to her childhood when she tried too hard to please an irrational, violent, alcoholic parent

• Believes that by identifying the “cause” of her problem, she can alleviate the behavioral pattern and become more assertive

RET Practitioner

• Uses the technique of direct confrontation

• Helps client realize that her non-assertive behavior is irrational

• The behavior, although unnecessary and unpleasant, is not inherently good or bad

• Rational course of action: Change the irrational belief

RET as A-B-C process

A- Activating Event Occurrence due to which the person becomes upsetE.g. Man asks a woman out for a date, she turns him down

B- Belief SystemRational Beliefs

e.g. “Its unfortunate that she said no”

Irrational Beliefs e.g. “I’m so stupid for asking her out anyway, I’ll

never be able to get anyone go out with me”

RET as A-B-C process (Contd.)

o Reactions become irrational only when they are generalized, and reinforce overall feelings of self-doubt or inadequacy

o “Should”, “must”, “always”, “never” represent irrational thinking

Nobody has the power to make another person angry, sad, or guilty…We upset ourselves by

responding in an irrational manner

RET as A-B-C process (Contd.)

Seven most common irrational beliefs:

1. One must win love or at least approval from all others who play a significant role in one’s life

2. One continually must be a competent achiever in order to be valuable and worthwhile

3. Some people are inherently bad or evil and should be punished accordingly

RET as A-B-C process (Contd.)

4. Life is terrible when it is not just as one would like it to be

5. Other people or circumstances are the cause of one’s unhappiness , & one has no control over one’s unhappiness

6. Life is easier if one avoids one’s responsibilities & problems rather than facing them

7. One’s past determines one’s future. Events that happened in the past will continue to have an effect throughout one’s life

RET as A-B-C process (Contd.)

C- Consequences

Rational

E.g. Feels unfortunate to have his invitation rejected, analyzes why it was rejected and plans to alter his approach

Irrational

E.g. Disabled by irrational beliefs, suffers from uncontrollable anger, depression, dejection

The A-B-C Process

The emotional and behavioral consequences do not stem primarily from the activating events (A) of our lives, but from

our belief systems (B)

A C

A C

B

The A-B-C Process

Unpleasant A

Irrational Beliefs (B)

Difficult Emotional & Behavioral Consequences (C)

How RET helps?

“People can choose how they will respond to activating agents, but only when they have identified the self-destructive beliefs which are the cause of emotional disturbance and unhappiness”

RET practitioners help identify these irrational beliefs and changing these by means of vigorous persuasion.

Must Read Literature on RET

• The Road to Tolerance: The Philosophy of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy- By Albert Ellis

• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: It Works for Me - It Can Work for You - By Albert Ellis

Must See Videos on RET

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJlnf36OS8Y• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCQSnuDpERA&fe

ature=related• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vYkwbHvTng• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y7bkQAQWZ0&fe

ature=related - Audio recording of Albert Ellis participating in a live audio conference

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9tj8p5TfgI&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh-wTzoQZ_s&feature=related – Ellis’ Original Video (1/4)

Thank You