RATIONAL EMOTIVE THERAPY by Albert Ellis According to Ellis emotions do not have an independent existence.

They are the products of human thinking. Hence emotional disturbance is essentially the result of illogical thinking. Therefore negative emotions can be ameliorated by substituting illogical thinking with rational ones. The task of the therapist is to unmask the clients self-defeating ideas by pinpointing the flaws of his illogical thinking. Then help him to change his faulty assumptions and to construct more rational ones. RET always holds to a cognitive-emotive-behavioristic theory and practice(A New Guide To Rational Living, A. Ellis and R. Harper 1975 p. 209) and is essentially an educative process. The therapist may strongly and directly confront the client, show him motion pictures, assign him reading, and in vivo homework. Rational Emotive Imagery(negative imagery and positive imagery),self-reinforcements and punishments, contracts, rehearsals, role-play, assertion training etc. are some other techniques. RET Steps. A. ACTIVATING EVENT- another persons behavior or a natural event which causes the discomfort. B. BELIEFS- individuals beliefs about A. expressed in the individuals selftalk. The self-talk results from beliefs.
C.

CONSEQUENCE-reaction of the individual (anger) presumed to follow directly from A. In fact it follows from B.

D. DISPUTEdispute the irrational beliefs of the client and help the client to acquire appropriate beliefs and behaviors. E. EFFECT- effect of D.-cognitive, affective and behavioral changes. ABC forms diagnosis, D treatment, and E prognosis.