ABSTRACT

In REBT theory, the relationship between activating events (including interpretations of these events), beliefs, emotions and behaviours is exceedingly complex. Albert Ellis (1991) has argued that people bring their irrational beliefs to the interpretations they make of activating events and that these beliefs not only have emotional and behavioural consequences, but also have cognitive consequences which serve as A’s in further ABC episodes. We have found it very useful to teach clients these important points in ways that they can readily understand.