Deck 9: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Question 1

Distinguish between an "elegant" and "inelegant" outcome in REBT. Give an example of each, using the same client presenting problem.

Answer 1

In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), an "elegant" outcome refers to a rational, healthy, and adaptive response to a client's presenting problem, while an "inelegant" outcome refers to an irrational, unhealthy, and maladaptive response.

For example, let's consider a client presenting with the problem of being rejected by a romantic partner. An elegant outcome in REBT would involve the client acknowledging their feelings of sadness and hurt, but also recognizing that they are still worthy of love and can find happiness on their own. They may work on reframing their thoughts about rejection and focusing on self-care and personal growth.

On the other hand, an inelegant outcome in this scenario would involve the client spiraling into self-destructive thoughts and behaviors, such as self-blame, excessive alcohol consumption, or seeking revenge on their ex-partner. This would be an irrational and maladaptive response to the rejection, leading to further distress and negative consequences.

In REBT, the goal is to help clients achieve elegant outcomes by challenging and changing their irrational beliefs and behaviors, leading to more positive and adaptive responses to life's challenges.

Question 2

I am your client. I believe that I should always be perfect or else I am a worthless being. You are an REBT therapist. Dispute my belief. Also, specify what forms the two REBT outcomes might take in my case.

Answer 2

As an REBT therapist, I would dispute your belief that you should always be perfect in order to be worthy. This belief is based on the irrational idea that your worth as a person is determined by your ability to meet impossible standards of perfection. In reality, no one is perfect and it is completely normal to make mistakes and have flaws. Your worth as a person is not contingent upon being flawless, but rather on your inherent value as a human being.

In terms of REBT outcomes, the first outcome might involve helping you to recognize and challenge your irrational belief about perfection. This could involve identifying the underlying irrational beliefs and replacing them with more rational and balanced thoughts. The second outcome might involve helping you to develop self-acceptance and self-compassion, and to recognize that you are inherently worthy regardless of your perceived imperfections. This could involve exploring and practicing self-compassion techniques and developing a more realistic and balanced view of yourself. Through these outcomes, you can learn to let go of the unrealistic demand for perfection and embrace your true worth as a flawed, yet valuable, human being.

Question 3

Name two techniques of disputation in REBT. Give client examples.

Answer 3

1. The ABC Model: This technique involves identifying the Activating event, Beliefs, and Consequences. The therapist helps the client to recognize and challenge irrational beliefs (B) that are causing emotional and behavioral Consequences (C). For example, a client may believe that they must always be liked by everyone (B), leading to feelings of anxiety and fear of rejection (C) when they perceive a situation as an activating event where someone doesn't respond positively to them.

2. Cognitive Restructuring: This technique involves identifying and challenging irrational beliefs and replacing them with more rational and adaptive beliefs. For example, a client may hold the irrational belief that they must be perfect in order to be valuable. The therapist helps the client to challenge this belief and replace it with the more rational belief that they are valuable and worthy regardless of their imperfections. This can lead to a shift in the client's thinking and emotional responses.

Question 4

Discuss the ABCDE model using a client example.

Question 5

Evaluate REBT's utility for clients who are of diverse backgrounds. What are its strengths and potential pitfalls?

Question 6

Humans are biologically predisposed towards irrational thinking. Which theorist would vehemently endorse this belief?

A) Carl Rogers
B) Fritz Perls
C) William Glasser
D) Albert Ellis

Question 7

According to rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), healthy individuals do all of the following EXCEPT

A) think rationally
B) have preferences
C) think irrationally
D) all of the above

Question 8

According to REBT, the tendency to think irrationally is

A) innate
B) very changeable
C) primarily learned from the environment
D) b and c

Question 9

My book gets published and does not do very well in terms of sales. Which of the following is the BEST example of an irrational belief?

A) I have failed
B) It's okay, I can try again
C) I have failed and I can't stand it
D) The world is an unjust place

Question 10

The most important result of REBT is for clients to

A) think differently
B) have no negative emotions
C) behave differently
D) be totally rational

Question 11

When Gloria spoke to Carl Rogers about utopia, Albert Ellis would see this as

A) unconditional self acceptance
B) irrational thinking
C) incongruence
D) the results of REBT therapy

Question 12

When I get upset with myself for being angry, I am probably experiencing_________

A) rational beliefs
B) secondary disturbances
C) world-demandingness
D) other-demandingness

Question 13

Which of the following statements BEST demonstrates healthy unconditional self- acceptance, according to REBT?

A) I sometimes behave badly but I still am worthwhile
B) I love myself
C) I can just give up trying to change myself but that's okay
D) I refuse to evaluate myself globally

Question 14

The A in the REBT approach stands for

A) affect
B) adversity
C) antecedent event
D) b and c

Question 15

Self-demandingness, other-demandingness, and world-demandingness describe dysfunction in which approach?

A) Rational emotive behavior therapy
B) Gestalt therapy
C) Behavior therapy
D) Person-centered therapy

Question 16

Julie believes that she absolutely MUST be the best mother possible. According to REBT, she should instead

A) sacradize
B) forget about it
C) importantize
D) practice UAO

Question 17

When an individual experiences an activating event and processes it with a rational belief, s/he is likely to

A) not feel any emotion
B) experience discomfort disturbance
C) experience ego disturbance
D) none of the above

Question 18

The REBT counselor would be LEAST likely to use the following technique:

A) bibliotherapy
B) reframing
C) extensive problem exploration
D) b and c

Question 19

Which of the flowing is most important in REBT?

A) thoughts
B) feelings
C) behavior
D) motivation

Question 20

The role of the client in REBT is

A) patient
B) collaborator
C) expert on the self
D) none of the above

Question 21

The role of the counselor in REBT is

A) doctor
B) teacher
C) co-facilitator
D) submissive

Question 22

The best client outcome in REBT involves

A) changing irrational beliefs
B) symptom remission
C) better interpersonal relationships
D) adopting a new life philosophy

Question 23

In REBT, D stands for

A) dogmatic
B) disastering
C) dysfunctional belief
D) none of the above

Question 24

When the counselor disputes my idea that people will make fun of me if I dance poorly, she is using

A) elegant REBT
B) inference chaining
C) inelegant REBT
D) a and b

Question 25

Elegant REBT has the following outcomes EXCEPT

A) commitment to something outside one's self
B) clients learn the differences between preferences and demands
C) clients learn a better life philosophy
D) clients get insight into the development of their irrational beliefs

Question 26

In REBT, resistance is seen as originating in

A) the client's tendency to be irrational
B) therapist error
C) unconscious motivation to defeat the therapist
D) a and b

Question 27

The REBT counselor asks the client, "Does it follow that if you got fired from this job that you will never succeed at keeping one?" The therapist has just used which technique?

A) logical disputation
B) empirical disputation
C) functional disputation
D) pragmatic disputation

Question 28

REBT's emphasis on logical thinking, control of emotion, and counselor as teacher is

A) contrary to some cultural values
B) consistent with the values of some cultures
C) supportive of the traditional value of psychotherapy
D) all of the above

Question 29

Holly is very concerned with her appearance and thinks that if she sets foot out of her house without makeup, people would turn away from her because she is so ugly and that would be awful. Holly's irrational belief is

A) that people would turn away from her
B) that it would be awful if people turned away from her
C) that she can't set foot out of her house without makeup
D) that she is ugly

Question 30

Holly's REBT therapist decides that she should paint her face blue and walk around the mall. Robert the REBT counselor has assigned a

A) interpersonal nightmare
B) proselytizing task
C) shame attacking exercise
D) reframing task

Question 31

Research support for REBT

A) is unconvincing regarding the validity of REBT predictions about beliefs and emotions
B) is not clear in terms of whether observed changes in belief are specific to REBT
C) shows that recent studies are major improvements over previous ones
D) all of the above