ABSTRACT
In Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), emphasis is placed on the development of emotional change. Emotional change was defined by Ellis as the client coming to possess a deep conviction in the functional utility, empirical validity and logical nature of the flexible and non-extreme attitudes which are required for improved emotional and behavioural functioning. Emotional change is considerably harder to obtain than intellectual insight. The development of emotional change requires the willingness to leave one's comfort zone, go against the grain of one's typical ways of reacting and try new ways of responding cognitively, emotively and behaviourally. Cognitive assignments include activities like completing a REBT self-help form by identifying irrational attitudes, coming up with arguments to expose the dysfunctional consequences, the anti-empirical and illogical characteristics of these attitudes and then constructing rational alternative attitudes to adopt. Imaginal homework assignments are when the client imagines acting while holding a flexible and non-extreme attitude.
