Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Authors: David Daniel 
Published: February 2014

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is the first form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and was created by Albert Ellis. REBT theory is based on the ABC model, where A stands for activating events, B for beliefs, and C for various psychological outcomes. Based on REBT, psychological outcomes are not generated by A (the activating events), but by how one cognitively processes them. Rational beliefs refer to beliefs that have logical, empirical, and/or pragmatic support; in interaction with various A, they produce functional psychological consequences. Irrational beliefs refer to beliefs that do not have logical, empirical, and/or pragmatic support; in interaction with A, they generate dysfunctional psychological consequences. REBT theory is a motivational theory, part of the appraisal paradigm. Our desires/goals can be formulated rationally and/or irrationally. Some people formulate their desires/goals rigidly (e.g., “I must be loved by my wife and cannot accept if this does not happen”), with demandingness/DEM as a primary irrational appraisal. When DEM is not confirmed by A, secondary irrational appraisal mechanisms follow: (1) frustration intolerance/FI (e.g., “I cannot stand if what I think should happen doesn’t happen”); (2) awfulizing/catastrophizing/AWF (e.g., “It is awful if what I think should happen doesn’t happen”); and (3) global evaluation in the form of self-downing (e.g., GE/SD: “I am worthless if my wife does not love me as she should”), other downing (e.g., GE/OD: “My wife is damnable because she does not love me as she should”), and/or life downing (e.g., GE/LD: “Life is totally bad if my wife does not love me as she should”). The combination of primary and secondary irrational appraisals generates dysfunctional negative feelings, maladaptive behaviors, and/or unhealthy psychophysiological reactions. If DEM is confirmed by A, we experience dysfunctional positive feelings. Other people formulate their desires/goals flexibly, involving motivational relevance, flexibility, and acceptance (e.g., “I want to be loved by my wife, but this does not have to happen, and I am doing my best to be loved, but I accept that sometimes things do not happen the way I want them to happen”). When this flexible belief (i.e., preference/PRE) is not confirmed by A, secondary rational appraisal mechanisms follow: (1) frustration tolerance (e.g., FT: “I can stand if what I think should happen doesn’t happen even though it is a struggle for me to do so and I can still enjoy other things”); (2) non-awfulizing/nuanced evaluation of badness (e.g., BAD: “It is bad if what I think should happen doesn’t happen, but it is not awful and I can still try to enjoy other things”); and (3) unconditional acceptance in the form of self-acceptance (e.g., USA: “I accept myself unconditionally even if my wife does not love me”), other-acceptance (e.g., UOA: “I accept my wife as a human being even if she does not love me”), and/or life-acceptance (ULA: “Life is not totally bad if my wife does not love me”). The combination of primary and secondary rational appraisal mechanisms generates functional negative feelings, adaptive behaviors, and healthy psychophysiological reactions. If PRE are confirmed by A, we experience functional positive feelings. Once generated by the ABC process, a C (e.g., primary anxiety) can become a new A’ and thus a new ABC cycle begins, where B (e.g., “It is awful to be anxious”) represents meta-beliefs and C (i.e., anxiety about anxiety) represents secondary emotions/meta-emotions.