COUN1003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Rationality
25 May 2018
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WEEK 11: Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)
- Foundered by Albert Ellis
- Ellis was a very shy person and for his theory he started tapping into his own
thought and emotions (understanding himself and his shyness) as a way of
understanding others and their emotions
- Ellis become a successful marriage/relationship counsellor
- His theory is based on choice and thought
His discoveries in therapy:
1. Client treated once a week progressed as well as those e treated daily - He
believed people need time to themselves and the brain only works when a
person takes time to process things carefully
2. He found he got faster results when he took a more active role
3. He discovered that injecting advice and direct interpretation yielded faster
results than passive psychoanalytical procedures
4. Developed a rationalist philosophy (rationalising our thoughts and what’s
happening in our lives) - he believed we can change our behaviours – eg.
People are set in their ways, therefore, rationalising different ways of doing
something to empower the person to see things from a different perspective –
giving them choice and changing irrational beliefs into rational ones
• Change behaviour through confrontation – Talking to Becky and
finding out why she ignored you
• Change irrational beliefs to more rational ones – Maybe Becky is
going through something and she never noticed you
Some people argue it’s a direct theory – however there is a lot of thought put into it
REBT Philosophical viewpoint:
- Humanistic: a philosophy or value system in which human interests and dignity
are valued and that tales an individualist, critical and secular as opposed to a
religious or spiritual perspective. (eg. A religious client – if someone in their family
dies, therefore, they believe that god has taken their family member away from
them for a reason)
- 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 criticised not their
personal worth. (eg. Aiming to get 90% in an exam, therefore, you are setting
high standards for yourself and if you end up getting 60% then you may say that
the low mark determines your knowledge and who you are as an individual,
instead of understanding that learning is not about the marks you get because it
doesn’t determine you as an individual)
- Rationality: Thinking, feeling, and acting in ways that will help individuals attain
their goals. This is in contrast to irrationality in which thinking, feeling and acting
are self-defeating and interfere with goal attainment. (eg. When someone says
they are…)
REBT - the basics:
- REBT teaches that even though people are determined to some extend by their
genetic givens, their upbringing, their family background, etc., they can change -
Regardless for where you come from, you can change
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Ellis was a very shy person and for his theory he started tapping into his own thought and emotions (understanding himself and his shyness) as a way of understanding others and their emotions. His theory is based on choice and thought. Some people argue it"s a direct theory however there is a lot of thought put into it. They should accept that they make mistakes and that some of their assets and qualities are stronger than others. Rationality: thinking, feeling, and acting in ways that will help individuals attain their goals. This is in contrast to irrationality in which thinking, feeling and acting are self-defeating and interfere with goal attainment. (eg. when someone says they are ) Rebt teaches that even though people are determined to some extend by their genetic givens, their upbringing, their family background, etc. , they can change - Regardless for where you come from, you can change. Rebt focuses on techniques rather than insight.
