Behavioral and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapies

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1. Compare and contrast Behavioral and Rational Emotive Behavioral therapies

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy is a form of therapeutic psychology that emerged from behaviorism. However, it also differs from behaviorism.

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)

In REBT, the therapist uses reason and rationality to help the client recognize self-defeating cognitive processes, and then helps the client to learn to think and behave more appropriately. This therapy is based on the idea that if disturbance-creating beliefs are vigorously disputed by logical/empirical thinking, they can be either eliminated or minimized and will ultimately cease to reoccur. Therefore, a goal of REBT is to help clients become happier. If individuals can think rationally and have fewer irrational beliefs, they will be happier. REBT also teaches clients how to deal with negative feelings such as sorrow, regret, frustration, depression, and anxiety. According to REBT, almost all client problems are considered form the view of contributing irrational beliefs (Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, n.d.).

How does it work?

According to For Ellis, the acronym "ABC" shows how to overcome self-defeated behaviors and cognition. More specifically,

* The A-B-C model refers to what happens when an activating event (A) leads to emotional and behavioral consequences (C).
* The emotional and behavioral consequences are not caused by (A) the activating event but by the individual's belief system (B).
* Irrational beliefs occur when the activating event (A) is an unpleasant one.
* Irrational beliefs (B) can then partly cause difficult emotional and behavioral consequences (C). (Ellis, 1957)

Using the model, REBT therapists attempt to assess which thoughts and ...