Albert Ellis test. Methodology for diagnosing irrational attitudes

  • Date: 30.09.2019

The method is based on a correct, understandable human interpretation of the nature and causes of traumatic stress through logical persuasion, teaching correct thinking. The main techniques here are: logical argumentation, explanation, suggestion, emotional impact by authority. The goal of psychotherapeutic work is to explain to the victim the nature, causes and mechanisms of the negative consequences of traumatic stress in order to convince him that such states are a normal, natural reaction of a person to abnormal circumstances.

Rational psychotherapy- a method that uses a person's ability to make comparisons, draw conclusions, and prove their validity.

With this method, the psychotherapist acts on the patient's distorted ideas, creating additional source emotional experiences... The main directions of influence are considered: removal of uncertainty, correction of inconsistency, inconsistency in the patient's ideas, primarily concerning the disease.

Changing the patient's misconceptions is achieved by certain methodological techniques(explanation, explanation, persuasion, reorientation, etc.), which are built on logical argumentation, which is an essential quality of rational therapy. The method of Socratic dialogue can play a significant role in the effectiveness of the psychotherapist's argumentation, refuting the patient's wrong arguments, and encouraging him to formulate new conclusions. Socratic dialogue- a method of rational therapy, aimed at correcting inconsistent, contradictory and unsubstantiated judgments of the patient, made on the basis of persuasion through logical argumentation.

During the conversation, the psychotherapist asks the patient questions in such a way that he gives only positive answers, on the basis of which the patient is led to make a judgment that was not accepted at the beginning of the conversation, was incomprehensible or unknown. Examples of unsubstantiated judgments can be the following: "I am afraid of heights because I fell off the roof", "I drink because I am stressed," etc. The psychotherapist, using the technique of "Socratic dialogue", argued to the patient that, for example, the reason for his irritability is not being in the combat zone, but his subjective perception of certain situations of everyday life and a sharpened reaction to them.

Rational therapy can include the process of therapeutic training of the patient, which is carried out throughout the entire course of psychological assistance and can be used both as a separate technique and in conjunction with the method of "Socratic dialogue". The following main components are included in the therapeutic education of persons who have experienced psycho-traumatic stress:

1. Correction of the most common misconceptions about the stress response. Many of them can negatively affect mental health personality and attitude to the process of psychotherapy. Therefore, it is important for the psychotherapist to prevent the development of such ideas and to counteract them in the early stages of psychological correction of traumatic stress. Table 1 summarizes some of the most common misconceptions about stress.

Table 1. The mythology of stress.

1. "Stress-related symptoms and psychosomatic illnesses cannot really harm me, as they all exist only in my imagination."

This widespread belief is false because stress affects not only the psyche, but also the body itself. A psychosomatic illness resulting from stress is a “real” illness that can pose a serious risk to your health, such as peptic ulcer or high blood pressure.

2. " Only weak people suffer from stress "

The truth is that overworked people are most susceptible to undue stress, with very high level pretensions, a kind of "work addicts". We are all potential stress targets, though.

3. " I am not responsible for the stress in my life - stress in our time is inevitable - we are all its victims "

In fact, you are responsible for most of the stress in your life. This follows from the fact that stress is the result of only what happens to you, how much of how you react to it. Such stress is often your unconscious choice.

4. " I always know when I'm stressed. "

In fact, than stronger stress the stress you experience, the less sensitive you are to its symptoms - until the stress reaches such a level that its symptoms cannot be ignored.

5. " Identifying the sources of excessive stress is easy. "

This statement is half true. Many people can easily identify the cause of stress by realizing stress symptoms and quick detection of external causes. In some individuals, signs of stress do not develop until the stressor disappears. In such situations, these symptoms appear in the form of mental and physical exhaustion.

6. " All people react to stress the same way. "

This statement is grossly wrong. We are all individual beings. We differ in our sources of stress, symptoms and illnesses that develop as a result of excessive stress, and in effective forms his treatment.

7. " When I start to get overly stressed, all I have to do is sit down and relax. "

Although relaxation is very useful remedy fight stress, few people know how to deeply relax. Techniques such as meditation and hata yoga are the most effective ways to achieve deep relaxation, as opposed to leisure activities such as television and radio. Remember that vacations and other forms of recuperation are not always relaxing.

2. The second major component of the patient's therapeutic education is to provide information about the general nature of the stress response. The patient should be given a general idea of ​​the nature of stress subsyndromes: how thoughts and emotions can affect the human body itself and how stress can play a positive (eustress) and negative (distress) role.

3. The third component of therapeutic education focuses on the role of undue stress in the development of disease. It is necessary to familiarize the patient with how excessive stress can lead to the development of certain diseases.

4. The fourth component is to force the patient to develop a consciousness of how his stress response manifests itself, what are characteristic symptoms traumatic stress. Eventually, the patient must learn to distinguish eustress from distress.

5. Fifth component: the patient must develop the capacity for introspection in order to identify his characteristic stressors. It is important for both the patient and the psychotherapist to remember that stressors in each person are inherent only to him. If the patient can identify their sources of stress, then it becomes possible to take constructive steps to prevent its exposure to the person.

6. The psychotherapist, refraining from any judgments of an evaluative nature, informs the patient about the active role that he himself plays in the development and treatment of psycho-traumatic stress.

The success of rational psychotherapy depends on taking into account the individual attitudes of the patient and his capabilities, consistent systematic work with him.

2.3 Methods of mental self-regulation (self-hypnosis)

In the early stages of the development of traumatic stress, symptoms of imbalance of the autonomic nervous system (a group of symptoms of hyperactivation) are partly observed. These are symptoms such as sleep disturbances, tremors of the limbs, headaches, discomfort in the stomach, general muscle stiffness, etc. For the removal of such disorders, the most adequate and effective methods of psychic self-regulation are: neuromuscular relaxation (Jacobson's method), autogenous training (Schultz's method), hypnosuggestative therapy with elements of self-regulation according to the Coue method, meditation techniques.

The psychotherapist must master the methods of immersion in altered states of consciousness (hypnotic techniques), in order to teach the methods of self-regulation of the patient ... Hypnosis- a temporary state of consciousness, characterized by a decrease in its volume and a sharp focus on the content of the suggestion. Suggestion- the process of verbal influence on mental sphere a person in conditions of a decrease in his consciousness and criticality to the perceived content of the psychotherapist's speech.

To effectively use these methods, a person must have the ability to have a certain suggestibility. Suggestibility- the degree of a person's susceptibility to suggestion, determined by the subjective readiness to undergo or obey the suggested influence.

There are many definitions of self-hypnosis. So, AM Svyadosch under self-hypnosis understands "the strengthening of the influence of representations on vegetative or mental processes caused by the mental activity of the person conducting self-hypnosis." M.E.Burno believes that self-hypnosis- a technique for suggesting some thoughts, desires, images, sensations, states to oneself. Self-hypnosis is possible in a waking state (Coue method) or in a state of autohypnotic trance (Schultz method), accompanied by relaxation of a certain muscle group (Jacobson method), through imagination and concentration on an external object (yoga, meditation).


Similar information.


Cognitive psychotherapy emerged as an independent direction in the 1960s. It is currently one of the most widespread areas. Cognitive psychotherapy, based on the most modern developments in the field of scientific psychology, proceeds from two fundamental ideas about a person:

  • a) as thinking and active;
  • b) reflective and able to change himself and his life.

The central category of cognitive psychotherapy is thinking in the broadest sense of the word. The main postulate is that it is the thinking of a person (the way of perceiving oneself, the world and other people) that determines his behavior, feelings and problems. For example, a person who is convinced that he is helpless, when faced with difficulties and problems, will experience feelings of anxiety or despair, a state of disorganization, and therefore try to avoid independent decisions and actions. Such a person constantly flashes thoughts in his head: "I will not cope," "I am not capable," "I will disgrace myself," "I will fail," etc. In this case, these thoughts and beliefs may be in direct conflict with his real capabilities and abilities. However, it is they who determine his behavior and results of activity.

The restructuring of such irrational beliefs and situationally arising thoughts allows you to get rid of difficult experiences, makes it possible to learn how to more constructively solve various life problems. This is the kind of work that is needed for people with severe emotional problems: anxiety, depression, bouts of irritation and anger. In cognitive psychotherapy, a system of highly effective technologies, techniques and exercises has been developed aimed at restructuring maladaptive thinking and developing the ability to think more realistically and constructively.

Although cognitive psychotherapy is a recent evidence-based approach, its origins date back to antiquity. One of the fathers of cognitive psychotherapy can be considered Socrates, a sage who became famous for his dialogues, in which he masterly revealed delusions and distortions of the human mind, thereby helping people get rid of the unbearable fear of death, inconsolable sadness or self-doubt. In every nation there were such sages, possessing the skills of working with erroneous beliefs, failures of logic and "idols of consciousness" (Francis Bacon). However, in cognitive psychotherapy, this art is transformed into a thoughtful and scientifically based system of assistance.

The cognitive model of psychotherapy is based on the idea that emotional disorders are a consequence of both a certain predisposition of a person to them (heredity, as well as the experience acquired in early childhood), and the circumstances of his present life (the influences he experiences, to which he reacts).

Aaron Beck (born 1921) is an American psychotherapist and founder of cognitive psychotherapy. After graduating from Brown University and Yale Medical School, A. Beck began his career in medicine. Initially, he was attracted to neurology, but then he took up psychiatry. While conducting research on the validation of Freud's theory of depression, A. Beck began to ask questions about the theory itself and soon became disillusioned with it. A. Beck encouraged his patients to focus on the so-called "automatic thoughts" (the meaning of the term will be explained later).

Beck's major works: Cognitive Therapy and Mood Disorders (1967), Cognitive Therapy for Depression (1979), Cognitive Therapy personality disorders" (1990).

Rational Emotive Psychotherapy (RET) is a psychotherapy method developed in the 1950s. clinical psychologist Albert Ellis. Originally called rational psychotherapy, this method has been called rational-emotive therapy since 1962 ( rational-emotive therapy).

Albert Ellis (born 1913) received his BA in 1934 from City College, New York; he was awarded the Master's and Ph.D. degrees in 1943 and 1947 at Columbia University. A. Ellis underwent psychoanalytic training and three-year personal analysis. Unlike A. Beck, A. Ellis was more inclined to consider irrational beliefs not by themselves, but in close connection with the unconscious irrational attitudes of the individual. Further observations led him to the idea of ​​negative thoughts as a source of emotional disturbance. In 1958 A. Ellis founded the Institute for Rational Life, and in 1968 - the Institute for Advanced Studies in Rational Psychotherapy. A. Ellis - laureate of numerous awards; has published over 600 articles, book chapters and reviews. He has authored or edited over fifty books and is a consultant for twelve psychotherapy journals.

In addition to A. Beck and A. Ellis, Martin Seligman (explanatory style), Jeffrey Young (early maladaptive schemes), Leon Festinger (theory of cognitive dissonance), Marsha Lainen (cognitive dialectical psychotherapy of borderline personality disorder) made a great contribution to the development of the cognitive-behavioral direction ) and many others.

In this publication, we will not dwell on the differences between individual branches of the same direction, especially since the boundaries are becoming more and more blurred. A. Beck's cognitive psychotherapy also included behavioral techniques, therefore the terms "cognitive" and "cognitive-behavioral" we will consider as synonyms.

The basic formula for cognitive therapy is shown in Fig. 3.

Rice. 3... A - activating event; B - intermediate variables (thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, rules) that predetermine a certain perception of the event; C - the consequences of the impact of the event, including both emotional (Ce) and behavioral components (Sv)

For example:

A - Maria has a headache.

B - Maria thought, "I have a stroke."

Behold - Mary had a panic.

St. Mary ran to the hospital for an examination.

The cognitive model of psychopathology ascribes to unproductive thinking a central role in the occurrence of protracted depressive, anxious, aggressive reactions. Cognitive distortions lead to the fact that the individual does not adequately reflect reality, and therefore his coping with difficult situations, such as various kinds of loss, threats, obstacles, is difficult, which increases their negative impact on him.

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy aims to change, first of all, emotions and behavior, influencing the content of thoughts. The possibility of such changes is based on the connection of thoughts and emotions. From a CBT perspective, thoughts (beliefs) are the main determinant of emotional condition and behavior. As a person interprets an event, such an emotion as a result he has in this situation. It is not external events and people that cause us negative feelings, but our thoughts about these events. Acting on thoughts is a shorter way of achieving changes in our emotions and therefore behavior.

The emergence of maladaptive cognitions (attitudes, thoughts, rules) is associated with the patient's past, when, perceiving them, he did not yet have the skill to conduct a critical analysis at the cognitive level, did not have the opportunity to refute them at the behavioral level, since he was limited in his experience and did not encounter even with situations that could refute them, or received certain reinforcements from the social environment.

Cognitive psychotherapy involves the mutual cooperation of the psychotherapist and the patient with a relationship between them approaching a partner. The patient and the psychotherapist must at the very beginning reach an agreement on the goal of psychotherapy (the central problem to be corrected), the means of achieving it, and the possible duration of treatment. For psychotherapy to be successful, the patient must, in general, accept the basic position of cognitive psychotherapy about the dependence of emotions and behavior on thinking: "If we want to change feelings and behavior, we must change the ideas that caused them."

The term "maladaptive cognition" is applied to any thought that causes inappropriate or painful emotions that make it difficult to solve a problem, leading to maladaptive behavior. Maladaptive cognitions, as a rule, have the character of "automatic thoughts", they arise without any preliminary reasoning, reflexively, and for the patient they always have the character of well-founded, unquestioned beliefs. They are involuntary, do not attract his attention, although they direct his actions.

Cognitions can be of different levels. The most superficial of these is the level of automatic thoughts, the most fundamental is deep beliefs.

Deepest beliefs - the fundamental level of beliefs, formed, as a rule, in childhood... The formation of deep attitudes is significantly influenced by the peculiarities of intrafamily relationships. Deep beliefs are difficult to correct.

Intermediate beliefs are positioned between deep beliefs and superficial ones. They are formed on the basis of deep convictions, more often they are formulated as rules, assumptions, life principles.

Automatic thoughts are a stream of thought that exists in parallel with a more explicit stream of thoughts (A. Beck, 1964). Automatic thoughts arise spontaneously and are not based on reflection (thinking, deliberation). People are more aware of the emotions associated with certain automatic thoughts than the thoughts themselves. However, this is easy to learn. Meaningful thoughts evoke specific emotions depending on the content. They are often short and fleeting and can take on a verbal and / or imaginative form. People usually mistake their automatic thoughts for truth, without thinking or judging them soberly. The identification and assessment of automatic thoughts, as well as the rational (adaptive) response to them, contribute to the improvement of the patient's well-being (Judith Beck, 2006). Automatic thoughts are formed under the influence of intermediate and deep beliefs, there can be a huge number of them: the deeper the level, the fewer attitudes. All attitudes can be imagined as an inverted pyramid, the base of which is automatic thoughts, and the top is deep attitudes. A cognitive map is a graphical representation of the relationship between attitudes at different levels that lead to emotional and / or behavioral problems.

In fig. 4 shows an example of a cognitive map of a patient suffering from alcohol addiction(According to R. McMullin "Workshop on Cognitive Therapy").


Rice. 4

Graphically, the relationship between settings at different levels is shown in Fig. 5 (see p. 80).

REBT (Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy) - this method of psychological assistance was introduced into psychotherapeutic practice by Albert Ellis in the last century. To this day, the techniques of this psychotherapy are very popular among psychologists-psychotherapists of our time, including when consulting online (via the Internet).

Rational Emotional Therapy is not, in fact, a treatment, but training and education of rational sociality and changes in emotions and human behavior.

Today on the site site you, dear visitors, will find out how and to whom rational psychotherapy online will help.

Rational emotive therapy - solvable problems

REBT is teaching rationally meaningful experience (coping strategies) of coping with various life problems and difficulties.
Rationally emotive therapy is aimed at developing the skills of objective (not biased) thinking, adequate feeling and reasonable behavior in a particular stressful or critical situation.

And, probably, it would be more appropriate to call a specialist in this helping area not a psychotherapist, but a "social trainer" or "social consultant" ...

Life psychological and emotional problems that you can solve with REBT:

  • Interpersonal problems
  • Irrational fears and phobias
  • Depression
  • Stress and distress
  • Inferiority complexes
  • Obsessive thoughts
  • Negative emotions (resentment, guilt, shame, jealousy, envy ...)
  • Aggressiveness, conflict, irritability ...
  • Indecision, shyness, shyness ...
  • Chronic bad luck in life

The main problem of people is subconscious beliefs

Often, people in similar stressful situations behave in almost the same way, as according to a program, a certain learned algorithm (see life scenario).

Such programmed behavior is based on a person's inner beliefs (ie, his deep attitudes, beliefs, stereotyped thinking ...).
Ellis's Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy will help you realize and change your inner beliefs, and therefore change your emotions and behavior.


Three basic principles for working with beliefs:
  1. People experience problems not because of stressful situations or critical events, but as a result of perceiving them through the prism of their beliefs.
  2. It does not matter when the belief is acquired, but the person still adheres to it (the principle of the priority of the present tense).
  3. There is no other way to change your beliefs but to learn and practice new skills in thinking, feeling, and behaving.

ABC Model - The Core of Rational Therapy

  • (A) - (activating event) is any current events or own thoughts, feelings, behavior associated with this event. And perhaps memories, ideas, thoughts about past experiences.
  • (B) - (unconscious faith) - internal often unconscious false beliefs, attitudes and stereotyped thoughts ...
  • (C) - (consequences) - emotional, behavioral and physiological response of a person

Human's three key beliefs:

  1. I have to do everything well
  2. Everyone should communicate well with me
  3. The world should be easy for me

During rational-emotional therapy, we do not touch a person's beliefs, which are specific: ideological, political, religious, etc. - this remains a personal matter of both the client and the psychotherapist.

5 stages of REBT work to change "harmful" beliefs

  1. Analytical Diagnosis of Beliefs
  2. Rocking and softening of inner convictions (for example, the method of critical discussion) ...
  3. Replacing installations with more flexible and rational
  4. Implantation of a new skill: regular exercise in suppressing relapses of negative thinking and applying new intelligent thoughts and an adequate strategy of behavior (usually given at home, between therapy sessions)
  5. Teaching a person to use REBT techniques on their own (so as not to depend on a psychotherapist in the future)

Rationally emotive therapy ends when the client feels that he can deal with the remaining problems on his own, and not when he has solved all his problems.

Rational Emotional Therapy Techniques

Ellis' REBT methods use many techniques (see psychotherapy techniques): rational, irrational, emotional, behavioral, linguistic, logical, experimental (in practice), etc. - depending on the specific problem of the person and his personality.

Methods that are not used in REBT

  1. I do not use methods that make a person addicted (for example, excessive warmth, creating and analyzing a reinforcement neurosis ...)
  2. techniques that can make a person gullible and suggestible
  3. Rarely use pure psychoanalytic techniques
  4. Fast techniques that help the client in a short time, but the result is not fixed and there may be a relapse
  5. Relaxation techniques are used with caution
  6. Do not use methods that can reinforce a low tolerance (tolerance) for frustration ("expectation failure")
  7. No pseudoscientific techniques are used
  8. Some REBT techniques are not used in family therapy and relationship psychotherapy
  9. And also, although some techniques are popular due to marketing, they do not have sufficient empirical support ...
For whom rational therapy is not suitable

This type of psychotherapy has its limitations. Rational therapy works well for rational and responsible people, as well as for suggestible people who are not particularly stuck in their old beliefs.

This method is not suitable for too "emotional" women and stubborn fanatics, as well as people with limited intelligence.

Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) by Albert Ellis

The founder of RET A. Ellis (b. 1913) began as an orthodox psychoanalyst, then studied under the guidance of K. Horney. In the fifties of the twentieth century A. Ellis formulated a number of provisions that formed the basis of a new direction in practical psychology. One of these provisions, often quoted by A. Ellis, is the statement of the StoicEpictetus: "It is not things that hinder people, but the way they see them."Already in this position, one of the main ideas of all cognitivism, starting with J. Kelly and up to the latest research on psychosemantics, namely: a person reflects and experiences reality, depending on the structure of his individual consciousness. Hence - the main focus of his efforts in rational-emotive therapy: ways of reasoning and action. A. Ellis - apparently under the influence of A. Adler - pays considerable attention in his concept to the restructuring of self-statements and the analysis of unconditionally accepted norms and obligations of the individual. Based on the underlined scientific approaches to the structure of individual consciousness, RET seeks to free the client from the bonds and blinders of stereotypes and clichés, to provide a freer and more open-minded view of the world.

The concept of a person... In the concept of A. Ellis, a person is interpreted as self-evaluating, self-supporting and self-speaking. Besidesa person is born with a certain potential, which has two sides: rational and irrational; constructive and destructive, striving for love and growth and striving for destruction and self-blame, etc.

According to A. Ellis, psychological problems appear when a person tries to follow simple preferences (desires for love, approval, etc.) and mistakenly believes that these simple preferences are an absolute measure of him life success... Man is a being extremely susceptible to various influences, from the biological level to the social. Therefore, A. Ellis is not inclined to reduce all the changeable complexity of human nature to one thing - whether we are talking about psychoanalytic reduction or a favorable psychological climate of therapy centered on the client.

The main theoretical provisions of the concept... A. Ellis's concept assumes thata source psychological disorders for all its diversity, it is a system of individual irrational ideas about the world, acquired, as a rule, in childhood from significant adults.Neurosis, in particular, is interpreted by A. Ellis as “irrational thinking and behavior”. As a rule, the core of emotional disorders is self-blame.

RET distinguishes three leading psychological aspects of human functioning: thoughts (cognition), feelings and behavior. A. Ellis identified two types of cognitions: descriptive and evaluative.Descriptive cognitions contain information about reality, about what a person perceived in the world, this is "pure" information about reality. Evaluative cognitions reflect a person's attitude to this reality.Descriptive cognitions are necessarily connected with evaluative connections of varying degrees of rigidity. Biased events in themselves cause us to have positive or negative emotions, and our inner perception of these events is their assessment. We feel what we think about the perceived.

An important concept in RET is the concept of "trap" - all those cognitive formations that are aware of unreasonable (neurotic) anxiety, irritability, etc. A. Ellis's concept states that although it is pleasant to be loved in an atmosphere of acceptance, a person should also feel quite vulnerable outside such an atmosphere. Therefore, in the direction of developed a kind"Neurotic's code" - erroneous judgments, the desire to fulfill which leads to psychological problems. Among them: “I I must prove to everyone that I am a successful, skillful and successful person; it’s terrible when I’m rejected ”; " I am should be liked by all the people who matter to me ”; " l the best thing is to do nothing, let life decide for itself. "

A. Ellis proposed a multicomponent structure of personality behavioral acts, which he called the first letters of the Latin alphabet ( A-B-C-D - theory ). This theory, rather even a conceptual scheme, found wide application in practical psychology, since it allows the client himself to conduct effective self-observation and introspection in the form of diary entries.In this conceptual scheme, A is an activating event, B (belief) is an opinion about an event, C (consequence) is a consequence (emotional or behavioral) of an event; D (dispating) - the subsequent reaction to the event (as a result of mental processing); E (effect) - the final value inference (constructive or destructive).

"ABC-scheme" is used to help the client in a problem situation to move from irrational attitudes to rational ones. The work is being built in several stages.The first stage is clarification, clarification of the parameters of the event (A), including the parameters that most emotionally affected the client and caused him inappropriate reactions.

At this stage, a personal assessment of the event takes place. Classification allows the client to differentiate events that can and cannot be changed. In this case, the purpose of the correction is not to encourage the client to avoid collision with the event, not to change it (for example, switching to new job in the presence of an insoluble conflict with the boss), and the awareness of the system of evaluative cognitions that make it difficult to resolve this conflict, the restructuring of this system, and only after that - making a decision to change the situation. Otherwise, the client retains a potential vulnerability in similar situations.

The second stage is the identification of the emotional and behavioral consequences of the perceived event (C).The purpose of this stage is to identify the entire range of emotional reactions to the event (since not all emotions are easily differentiated by a person, and some are suppressed and not realized due to the inclusion of rationalization and other defense mechanisms).

Awareness and verbalization of the emotions experienced may be difficult for some clients: in some, due to a vocabulary deficit, in others, due to a behavioral deficit (the absence in the arsenal of behavioral stereotypes usually associated with a moderate manifestation of emotions). Such clients react with polar emotions, or strong love, or complete rejection.

An analysis of the words used by the client helps to identify irrational attitudes. Usually, irrational attitudes are associated with words that reflect the extreme degree of emotional involvement of the client (nightmarish, terrible, amazing, unbearable, etc.), which have the character of a mandatory prescription (necessary, necessary, must, must, etc.), as well as global assessments of a person, an object or events.

A. Ellis identified four most common groups of irrational attitudes that create problems:

1. Catastrophic attitudes.

2. Installations of obligatory obligation.

3. Installations of the compulsory realization of their needs.

4. Global estimates.

The goal of the stage is achieved when irrational attitudes (there may be several of them) are identified in the problem area, the nature of the connections between them (parallel, articulatory, hierarchical dependence) is shown, making the multicomponent response of the individual understandable in a problem situation.

It is also necessary to identify the client's rational attitudes, since they constitute a positive part of the relationship, which can be expanded in the future.

The third stage is the reconstruction of irrational attitudes. Reconstruction should be started when the client easily identifies irrational attitudes in a problem situation. It can take place: at the cognitive level, at the level of imagination, at the level of behavior - direct action.

Reconstruction at the cognitive level includes the client's proof of the truth of the attitude, the need to preserve it in the given situation. In the process of this kind of evidence, the client sees even more clearly Negative consequences save this setting. The use of auxiliary modeling (how would others solve this problem, what attitudes they would have in this case) allows the formation of new rational attitudes at the cognitive level.

Reconstruction at the imaginary level uses both negative and positive imaginations. The client is asked to mentally immerse himself in a traumatic situation. With negative imagination, he should experience the previous emotion as fully as possible, and then try to reduce its level and realize due to what new attitudes he was able to achieve this. This immersion in a traumatic situation is repeated many times. A workout can be considered effectively completed if the client has reduced the intensity of the emotions experienced by using multiple setups. With positive imagination, the client immediately imagines problem situation with a positively colored emotion.

Reconstruction by direct action is a confirmation of the success of the modifications of attitudes, carried out at the cognitive level and in the imagination. Direct actions are implemented according to the type of flood techniques, paradoxical intentions, and modeling techniques.

The fourth step is to reinforce adaptive behavior with homework assignments performed by the client on their own. They can also be done at the cognitive level, in the imagination, or at the level of direct action. RET is primarily shown to clients who are capable of introspection, reflection, and analysis of their thoughts.

Analysis of client behavior or self-analysis according to the scheme: “event-perception-reaction-thinking-conclusion” has a very high productivity and learning effect.In general, the psychological prerequisites for RET are as follows: 1) recognition of personal responsibility for their problems; 2) acceptance of the idea that there is an opportunity to decisively influence these problems; 3) recognizing that emotional problems stem from irrational beliefs; 4) detection (awareness) of these representations; 5) recognition of the usefulness of a serious discussion of these views; 6) consent to make efforts to confront their illogical judgments; 7) consent to the use of RET.

Description of the advisory

and psychotherapeutic process

Psychological Assistance Goals. The main goal is to help redefine belief systems, norms, and perceptions. The private goal is liberation from the idea of ​​self-accusation.A. Ellis, in addition, formulated a number of desirable qualities, the achievement of which can be a specific goal of counseling or psychotherapeutic work: social interest, self-interest, self-management, tolerance, flexibility, acceptance of uncertainty, scientific thinking, involvement, self-acceptance, the ability to take risks, realism (not falling into utopia).

The position of a psychologist. The position of a consultant psychologist or psychotherapist working in line with this concept is undoubtedly directive.He explains, convinces, he is an authority that refutes erroneous judgments, pointing out their inaccuracy, arbitrariness, etc. Appeals to science, to the ability to think and, in the words of A. Ellis, does not engage in “absolution”, after which the client may feel better, but it is not known whether life is easier.

Client position. The client is assigned the role of a studentand, accordingly, his success is interpreted depending on motivation and identification
with the role of a learner. It is assumed that
the client goes through three levels of insight: superficial (awareness of the problem), in-depth (recognition of their own interpretations) and deep (at the level of motivation to change).

Psychotechnics in rational emotive therapy.RET is characterized by a wide range of psychotechnics, including those borrowed from other areas and united by a pronounced pragmatism *.

1 ... Discussion and refutation of irrational views: the psychologist-consultant actively discusses with the client, refutes his irrational views, requires proof, clarifies the logical grounds, etc.

Much attention is paid to softening categoricalness: instead of “you should” - “I would like to”; instead of "it will be awful if ..." - "probably, it will not be very convenient if ..."

2. Cognitive homework: associated with introspection according to the ABC model and with the restructuring of habitual verbal reactions and interpretations.

Also used:

3. Rational-emotive imagination: the client is asked to vividly imagine a difficult situation for him and the feelings in it, then it is proposed to change his self-perception in the situation and see what changes in behavior this will cause.

4. Role play - disturbing situations are usually played out, inadequate interpretations are being worked out, especially those that carry self-accusation and self-deprecation.

5. Attack on fear - the technique consists of a homework assignment, the purpose of which is to perform an action that usually causes fear or psychological distress in the client.

Preview:

At the beginning of our practical lesson, we will conduct a small test that will help us answer the question of whether you have irrational attitudes.

Albert Ellis test. Methodology Diagnostics of the presence and severity of irrational attitudes. Rational Emotive Therapy (RET):

A - completely agree;

B - not sure

S - completely disagree.

Test questions:

  1. Dealing with some people can be frustrating, but it is never terrible.
  2. When I'm wrong about something, I often say to myself, "I shouldn't have done this."
  3. People must undoubtedly live by the laws.
  4. There is nothing that I "cannot stand".
  5. If I am ignored or I feel awkward at a party, then my sense of self-worth decreases.
  6. Some situations in life are really downright dire.
  7. In some areas, I definitely need to be more competent.
  8. My parents should have been more restrained in their demands on me.
  9. There are things that I cannot bear.
  10. My sense of "self-worth" does not increase, even if I really have great success in school or work.
  11. Some kids behave really badly.
  12. I shouldn't have made some obvious mistakes in my life.
  13. If my friends have promised to do something very important for me, they don't have to keep their promises.
  14. I cannot deal with my friends or my children if they behave stupidly, wildly or incorrectly in a given situation.
  15. If you evaluate people by what they do, then they can be divided into "good" and "bad."
  16. There are times in life when absolutely terrible things happen.
  17. There is nothing in life that I really have to do.
  18. Children must eventually learn to fulfill their responsibilities.
  19. Sometimes I just can't stand my poor academic and work achievements.
  20. Even when I make serious mistakes and hurt others, my self-esteem does not change.
  21. It would be awful if I couldn't win the favor of the people I love.
  22. I would like to study or work better, but there is no reason to believe that I should achieve this, no matter what.
  23. I am convinced that people should definitely not misbehave in public.
  24. I just can’t stand too much pressure or stress.
  25. The approval or disapproval of my friends or my family members does not affect how I value myself.
  26. It would be a shame, but not terrible, if one of my family members had serious problems with health.
  27. If I have made the decision to do something, I must definitely do it very well.
  28. In general, it’s okay for teenagers to behave differently than adults, such as waking up late in the morning or throwing books or clothes on the floor in their room.
  29. I hate some of the things that my friends or my family members do.
  30. Anyone who constantly sins or brings harm to others is a bad person.
  31. It would be terrible if someone I love fell ill with mental illness and ended up in a mental hospital.
  32. I have to be absolutely sure that everything is going well in the most important areas of my life.
  33. If this is important to me, my friends should strive to do whatever I ask them to do.
  34. I easily endure unpleasant situations in which I find myself, as well as unpleasant communication with friends.
  35. How I evaluate myself depends on how others (friends, bosses, teachers, professors) evaluate me.
  36. It's terrible when my friends behave badly and wrongly in public.
  37. I definitely shouldn't make some mistakes that I keep making.
  38. I do not believe that my family members should act exactly the way I want.
  39. It's totally unbearable when things don't go the way I want them to.
  40. I often rate myself by my work and academic success, or by my social accomplishments.
  41. It will be terrible if I fail completely at work or school.
  42. As a person, I should not be better than I really am.
  43. There are definitely some things that people around you should not be doing.
  44. Sometimes (at work or school) people do things that I absolutely can't stand.
  45. If I have serious emotional problems or break the law, my sense of self-worth diminishes.
  46. Even very bad, disgusting situations in which a person fails, loses money or a job, are not terrible.
  47. There are several good reasons why I shouldn't make mistakes at school or at work.
  48. There is no doubt that my family members should take better care of me than they sometimes do.
  49. Even if my friends behave differently than I expect them to, I continue to treat them with understanding and acceptance.
  50. It is important to teach children what they are " good boys"and" good girls ": Studied diligently in school and earned the approval of their parents.

The key to A. Ellis's test.

We assign points for each answer

A - 1 point, except for questions 1,4,13,17,20,22,25, 26,28,34,38,42, 46.49 - for them 3 points

B - 2 points

С - 3 points except for questions 1,4,13,17,20,22,25, 26,28,34,38,42, 46.49 - for them 1 point

Processing the results of the Ellis method.

Catastrophe 1,6,11,16,21,26,31,36,41,46

Continuity in relation to oneself 2,7,12,717,22,27,32,37,42,47

Continuity in relation to others 3,8,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48

Self-esteem and rationality of thinking 5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50

Frustration tolerance 4,9,14,49,24,49,34,39,44,49

Interpretation, decoding to the Ellis test.

The "catastrophizing" scale reflects people's perception of various adverse events. A low score on this scale indicates that it is common for a person to rate every adverse event as terrible and unbearable, while a high score suggests otherwise.

Indicators on the scales "should in relation to oneself" and "should in relation to others" indicate the presence or absence of excessively high demands on oneself and others.

The "appraisal attitude" shows how a person evaluates himself and others. The presence of such an attitude may indicate that it is natural for a person to evaluate not individual traits or actions of people, but the personality as a whole.

The other two scales are an assessment of a person's frustration tolerance, which reflects the degree of tolerance of various frustrations (i.e., shows the level of stress resistance) and a general assessment of the degree of rationality of thinking.

Decoding of the results obtained:

Less than 15 points - A pronounced and distinct presence of irrational attitudes leading to stress.

From 15 to 22 - The presence of an irrational attitude. Average likelihood of occurrence and development of stress.

More than - 22 There are no irrational attitudes.

So, the results have been calculated, and I ask those who have the most irrational attitude of "catastrophization" to raise their hands. Unite, please, into a separate group. Now raise your hands for those who have a predominance of "self-respect." Also unite in a group. (and so on) Living with others; Self-esteem and rationality of thinking; Frustration tolerance.

Now I would like to acquaint you in more detail with the "ABC model". Let's take a certain situation. For example, a woman with severe emotional disorders was rejected by her lover (A), she believes that it is terrible, that no one needs her, no one will ever love her, and she deserves condemnation (B). Therefore, she is very depressed, upset (C).

A - situation

B - thoughts

C - emotion

Task 1. В the following examples describe situations ABC, but in all there is no B. You need to guess what thoughts(V) need to be inserted to link the situation(A) and emotions (C). Determine in each case A and C and write B.

1. Anatoly's boss scolded him for being late. After that Anatoly felt depressed.

2. Elena went through two therapy sessions and left her because she felt that she was not working.

3. Katerina's stomach ached. She felt scared.

4. Oleg was fined for speeding and got very angry.

5. Irina was embarrassed when her friends noticed that she was crying during the romantic scenes of the film.

6. Sergei was furious when an employee asked for his documents while he was filling out a questionnaire.

Task 2. Give five examples from your life in which your thoughts (B) caused painful emotions(WITH). Describe them in terms of ABC.

We invite each group to act out the given situation. And try to look at her from the other side. Those. first you play the given situation, and what thoughts and feelings it caused you. Then you need to change your thoughts about the situation and watch how your emotions change. Losing it, of course.

Task 3. If B changes, then C will change

Give your clients some AB examples. Take situation (A) as a constant and internal dialogue as a variable. Ask them to identify the emotion that the various thoughts will evoke (B). Analyze different options response (C) to the same event (A).

The best examples are those created by the client himself. Their advantage is that they are personally meaningful and therefore have inherent persuasive power. The therapist should encourage the client to think about how, in his own examples, B is causing C.

Self-esteem and rationality of thinking.

1. Imagine a situation that you went to a cafe for coffee, there you meet a friend who asks you to stay with her and her hobby colleagues at a party in honor of her victory in the competition, which she just heard about. You stay, but nobody pays attention to you. They talk about theirs. Roles: Client, her friend, girlfriend of a friend, maybe an outside observer of what is happening

2. While shopping with a familiar company, you accidentally drop your purse, from which half of the contents are scattered, you have to collect it all on the floor in full view of the company, buyers and sellers. Roles: Client, company or acquaintance may be other visitors, observer.

3. You are driving a car, at an average speed you fly through a large puddle, a fan of dirty spray on both sides, and then your passenger informs you that two young men in white sweatshirts passed on the sidewalk and you pretty much sprayed them. Roles client-driver, passenger, observer.

Frustration tolerance.

1) The situation is you are walking down the street with a friend (oh) and he is telling you a story from life and shouts loudly expressing his emotions. Roles: client, acquaintance, observer.

2) On your only day off, you decided to stay at home, your parents come up to you and say that you are all going to your grandmother for a family dinner and more relatives will come there, you don’t want to go. Roles: client, parent, observer.

3) You are asked a study task and suddenly you find that only you did not cope with it, because you did not understand anything. Roles: Client, classmate, observer.

Obligation to others.

1) You come home and find that they have prepared a nice dinner there, but from what you do not like. Roles: Client, Family Member, Observer.

2) You go to school on a certain path and regularly in some places of your path on the sidewalk, drivers park their cars for the whole day. Roles: client, driver, observer.

3) You have a final event after the competition, where it will become clear who is the winner, you or the opponent. This is very important for you, but the society and the format of the event are new to you. You ask a loved one to go with you, but he refuses because of the celebration he promised to be at. Role: client, close person, observer.

Duty to yourself.

1) For several months you were paid a scholarship and you yourself paid for a number of things you need, then they stop paying you because of your little negligence. you understand that you cannot do without the usual things, but you cannot ask your parents either.

2) Your family went on vacation, and your mother left her favorite very whimsical flower for you to take care of, but you were very busy, and during the parent's vacation the plant wilted.

3) You decided to make repairs in your room, and, despite the persuasions of your loved ones, you decided to do it yourself. The process was long and painstaking, it was spent a large number of funds, but the result of the repair was disastrous.

4) In a company you know well, a topic arises that falls within your area of ​​expertise, and you realize that you cannot say anything about this.

Catastrophization.

1) You need to get a job, as you have already been recommended by a close important person to you.

2) You need a job, you are in a critical situation. You found a job, but at the last moment someone else is being hired.

3) You live in a rented apartment, the owner of which informs you that in a week you must vacate the room, as she has unforeseen family circumstances. Naturally, the move was not part of your plans.

Exercise 4. Basic Perceptual Shift

1. In the first column, ask him to list any thoughts or beliefs that, in a given situation, cause him negative emotions. Obviously, the list cannot go on indefinitely. However, even if some thoughts seem to be repetitive, it is better to include them than to leave any pattern unrecorded.

Perceptual work sheet shift

2. Help the client decide whether each belief is helpful or not. Find the evidence for both the pros and cons, and choose which is stronger. It is important that the client makes a decision based on objective data, and not under the influence of subjective feelings. The client evaluates the usefulness of the persuasion in the second column.

3. In the third column, the client should write down the best argument against each thought or belief. Perfectlythis argument must be both emotionally persuasive and rational-sounding.

4. “In the last column, the client must provide evidence from his own experience in support of each argument. This is the key to the perceptual shift technique. With the help of the therapist, the client must prove the argument by looking for evidence from his life experience.

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Rational - emotive therapy by A. Ellis

The method belongs to the cognitive direction of psychotherapy. "People are not disturbed by things, but by the way they see them" Epictetus

A person is born with a certain potential, which has two sides: rational and irrational; constructive and destructive, striving for love and growth and striving for destruction and self-blame, etc.

The source of psychological disorders, with all its diversity, is a system of individual irrational ideas about the world, which is acquired, as a rule, in childhood from significant adults.

Descriptive cognitions contain information about reality, about what a person perceived in the world, this is "pure" information about reality. Evaluative cognitions reflect a person's attitude to this reality.

“Code of the neurotic” - erroneous judgments, the desire to fulfill which leads to psychological problems. Examples: “I have to prove to everyone that I am a successful, skillful and successful person; it’s terrible when I’m rejected ”; “I should be liked by all the people who matter to me”; "The best thing is to do nothing, let life decide for itself."

A-B-C-D - theory A - an activating event, B (belief) - an opinion about an event, C (consequence) - a consequence (emotional or behavioral) of an event; D (dispating) - the subsequent reaction to the event (as a result of mental processing); E (effect) - the final value inference (constructive or destructive)

The first stage is clarification, clarification of the parameters of the event (A), including the parameters that most emotionally affected the client and caused him inappropriate reactions. The second stage is the identification of the emotional and behavioral consequences of the perceived event (C).

A. Ellis identified four most common groups of irrational attitudes that create problems: 1. Catastrophic attitudes. 2. Installations of obligatory obligation. 3. Installations of the compulsory realization of their needs. 4. Global estimates.

The third stage is the reconstruction of irrational attitudes. The fourth step is to reinforce adaptive behavior with homework assignments performed by the client on their own.

Analysis of client behavior or self-analysis according to the scheme: “event-perception-reaction-thinking-conclusion” has a very high productivity and learning effect.

Psychological preconditions for RET: 1) recognition of personal responsibility for their problems; 2) acceptance of the idea that there is an opportunity to decisively influence these problems; 3) recognizing that emotional problems stem from irrational beliefs; 4) detection (awareness) of these representations; 5) recognition of the usefulness of a serious discussion of these views; 6) consent to make efforts to confront their illogical judgments; 7) consent to the use of RET.

Description of the counseling and psychotherapeutic process

The main goal is to help redefine belief systems, norms, and perceptions. The private goal is liberation from the idea of ​​self-accusation.

The position of a consultant psychologist or psychotherapist working in line with this concept is directive.

The client's position is the role of the student. The client goes through three levels of insight: superficial (awareness of the problem), in-depth (recognition of their own interpretations), deep (at the level of motivation for change).

Psychotechnics in rational emotive therapy. 1. Discussion and refutation of irrational views 2. Cognitive homework 3. Rational-emotive imagination 4. Role play 5. Attack on fear