Saturday 5 December 2009

Reviewing some of REBT's theories

The Happiness Blog - Friday 4th December 2009 - Reviewing Demandingness in REBT
and showing how this is understood in CENT

Copyright (c) Jim Byrne, 2009

In Albert Ellis's first paper on Rational Therapy, in 1957, he outlined a dozen ‘irrational beliefs', which also appeared in Chapter 3 of his first book on Rational Therapy[1]. (Rational Therapy was later renamed Rational Emotive Therapy [RET] and then Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy [REBT]). Those beliefs were clearly irrational, as indicated by the following two examples:

"Irrational Idea No.1: The idea that it is a dire necessity for an adult human being to be loved or approved by virtually every significant other person in his community.

"Irrational Idea No.2: The idea that one should be thoroughly competent, adequate, and achieving in all possible respects if one is to consider oneself worthwhile."

These are clearly nutty ideas, because of what is demanded or specified within them. However, Albert Ellis and his closest collaborators went on to draw a false inference from the fact that these statements are clearly irrational and indefensible. He, and they, concluded, that it was because of the demand - or ‘dire necessity', in the first belief - and the ‘should' (as a more specific demand) - in the second. However, this does not follow as logically as he, and they, concluded.

Why not?

Continued here, at The Happiness Blog

Take a look and see what you think.
Best wishes,
Jim

Dr Jim Byrne
ABC Coaching and Counselling Services

Jim's email address

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