ALBERT ELLIS THEORY OF PERSONALITY:Biographical Sketch, Social Factors

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Personality Psychology PSY 405

Lesson 38

ALBERT ELLIS THEORY OF PERSONALITY

People have many irrational beliefs such as:

1- Black cat should not come your way

2-Number 13 is bad something horrible will happen

3-Broken mirror is a sign of bad luck

Examples

At every cost I should win the Ladies club membership

I must please my boss

I am to be blamed for my failure

Albert Ellis is of the view that irrational beliefs are basis of all of our maladjustments.

These irrational beliefs are learned through socialization from

Parents, teachers, peers, friends, religious, political leaders, books, films, media etc.

Ellis thinks that stressful life events referred as activating events (A), do not cause emotional disturbance or

consequence or psychopathology (C) such as depression or anxiety, instead it is the irrational beliefs (B) or

unrealistic interpretations or superstitions that lead to depression or anxiety.

Ellis says when we experience an unpleasant event or negative event we engage in a series of negative

interpretations

Example

I have failed in my midterm examination

(Irrational or illogical reasoning)

I am dumb and stupid

I will never be able to pass my final term

I am not worthy of being in this university

(Rational or logical reasoning)

I was sick

I was not able to work hard

I must make sure to study hard for my final term

Core Concept

Biographical Sketch

Ellis's views related to human nature

Theory of Personality

A-B-C Theory of Personality

Irrational Beliefs

REBT Therapeutic Process

Techniques of REBT

Goals of REBT

Applications of REBT

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Summary

Evaluation

Biographical Sketch

He was born in 1913 in Pittsburgh and grew up in New York; he did his MA and PH.D from Columbia

University. He was eldest of the three children and he was hospitalized nine times for kidney problem.

He developed a pattern of taking care of himself and being self responsible.

Making his own breakfast, lunch and getting to school by himself were the attributes he had. His father was

a businessman so he was away from home most of the time and his mother was not concerned about the

family.

He practiced Psychoanalysis from1947-1953 but he was not satisfied with it

He saw that his clients were never symptom free, so he developed REBT

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and began using it by 1950's

He invented the A-B-C model which is applied to the understanding of personality and factors that effect

personality change.

According to Ellis individuals respond to an activating event A with emotional and behavioral

consequences C now the C is not being caused by A but by the individual's belief system B

Ellis has written some 725 articles and 60 books.

1- Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy (1962)

2- The Rational Emotive Approach (1973)

3- A New Guide Rational Living (1997)

In 1959 he founded the Rational Motive Therapy Institute as a nonprofit educational foundation to train

professionals and to spread self help applications to public.

Even at a ripe age of 80 he conducted sessions with individual and group clients,

Gave talks and conducted workshops on REBT.

Ellis's View of Human Nature

Humans have potential for both rationality (straight, positive thinking)

We can be happy, positive, loving, self preserving and self actualizing

Irrationality (crooked thinking)

We can superstitious, intolerant, perfectionist, involved in self blame, avoidance of self actualization.

Ellis in 1979 listed some key assumptions about humans such as

1- People have biological and cultural tendency to think irrationally and to disturb themselves

2- Humans are unique in the way they invent their irrational beliefs and continue to be disturbed by them

3- People themselves condition themselves to be disturbed rather than the environment or external factors

4- People have the capacity and potential to change themselves by changing their cognition, emotion and

behavior to remain minimum disturbed for the rest of their lives.

4- Humans through constant self talk, self evaluation and self assessment develop emotional and behavioral

difficulties such as need or desire for love, approval and success; this hinders the self growth and self

actualization

It seems that Ellis is being Freudian in his approach, with emphasis on biological nature of humans but he

rejects Freud's

And says that humans are not completely controlled by instincts

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People are unique and they have potential to change

They have power to understand their limitations

Theory of Personality

Ellis is interested in studying the biological Social and psychological factors that make humans vulnerable

to disturbances that can be cognitive, emotive and behavioral in nature.

Ellis's A-B-C theory of personality focuses on the biological and social factors that cause emotional

disturbance.

Biological Factors

The individuals have innate tendencies to react to events in certain ways by damning themselves when they

do not get what they want

Example

I am a failure; I never get what I want

Now study every event of your life with this tendency

Certain severe mental disturbance can be partly inherited and have strong biological component such as

Schizophrenia that inhibits thinking logically.

Social Factors

Social factors such as interpersonal relationships in families, peer groups, schools (teachers and friends)

have an impact on the expectations that individuals have of themselves and others.

When individuals are accepted by others they feel worthwhile, dependable

But when they are criticized they feel bad, worthless and negative.

A-B-C Theory of Personality

1-The Rational Emotive Behavior A-B-C Theory Personality

A- Refers to an activating event

B- Refers to the belief system of the individual

C- To the consequence

Now in this A-B-C model of Personality quite later Ellis's added D and the E component as well so it is A-

B-C-D-E

Where D refers to Disputing or debating or challenging the irrational beliefs

E refers to the Effect or impact of the debate on minimizing irrationality in one's attitude.

Example

Ameren gets an A+ grade on her Psychology test (activating event-A)

Now this good grade will make her belief that she has ability for understanding Psychology (belief-B)

As a consequence she decides to become a Psychologist (consequence-C)

Example

4-D

Now Dispute part consists of three sections detecting, discriminating and debating

The therapist helps Reemit to detect, discriminate and debate her irrational belief.

5- E

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The new effective philosophy can bring about more positive and productive behaviors where Reema is no

longer depressed and do not feels worthless rather takes a new approach to work hard and take up her

studies

Irrational Beliefs

Emotional Disturbance

Examples

I have failed in my role as an employee

I should be a good teacher like my father

I do not like my behavior with my employees

At every cost I should win the club membership

I must control my anger

I must please my boss

I should fulfill my promise with my students

I am to be blamed for my failure

(Many more)

See the focus on must, should, blame and failure

These sentences are framed by us we keep repeating them to our selves

We internalize them and we hang on

The result is that we develop a set of emotions which are irrational, illogical and

We develop neurosis and psychosis

Depression, loss of self worth, hurt and hatred

Some of the main irrational ideas that lead to self defeat and feelings of worthlessness are following:

1- We must have love from all people

2- We must be always competent, adequate and achieving

3- When people do not behave according to our own liking we should blame hem and see them as wicked,

bad and rotten.

4- We should see things as catastrophic when we are treated unfairly or rejected or frustrated

5- Emotional misery is part of external world and we have no control over it (we can just cry over it)

6- Things which appear fearsome or dangerous we should perceive them as very dangerous and should be

anxious about them

7- It is difficult to undertake responsibilities in life it is more rewarding to avoid them

8- Our past is important, it determines our present and it keeps determining our current behavior (you have

no control on yourself)

9- We should find perfect solutions to our problems

10- We can maximize happiness by remaining inactive and enjoy life

11- People and things should turnout the way I want them to be otherwise it is horrible.

12- My worth and self acceptance depend on my performance and degree of approval given to me by

people.

These illogical, irrational, mistaken, Dogmatic, unchallenging beliefs Pushes or emotes or acts as defeating

for the person.

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We must learn to stop blaming ourselves.

The imperfections that one has to accept them and come out of the trap of irrationality and self blame and

self condemnation

All these irrational views are related with:

About the self or

About others or

About the world

Make a list of irrational beliefs your parents, teachers and friends think you possess.

REBT Therapeutic Process

The Therapeutic Process:

1- Develop rapport with the client

2- Point a few irrational ideas of the client

3- Demonstrate to the client the illogical nature of his ideas

4- Challenge the client to validate his illogical ideas

5- Use humor to confront client's beliefs

6- Replace irrational ideas with rational ones

7- Use cognitive, emotional or behavioral techniques to help the client

Techniques of REBT

REBT is an effective therapy that focuses on changing individual's irrational and dogmatic cognitions by

using technique

Which are of three types?

Cognitive Methods

Behavioral Methods

Emotional Methods

Cognitive Methods

REBT says that an individual has a set of negative, irrational and disturbing set of self statements which he

has to dispute, debate, and challenge, interpret and explain.

At times the therapist even uses techniques of:

1-Disputing of Irrational Beliefs

2-Cognitive Homework

3-Changing One's Language (should and must)

Behavioral Methods

Behavior therapy includes techniques such as Self Management, Systematic Desensitization, Biofeedback,

Modeling, and Behavioral Homework.

Clients actually perform or act difficult things in real life so that they have insights in form of concrete

actions.

Emotional Methods

Clients are not provided with sympathy nor are their long tales of woes encouraged

1-Rational Emotive Imagery (inappropriate feelings are changed by imagery)

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Personality Psychology PSY 405

2-Role playing (shy or fearful role)

Goals of REBT

1- Minimize client's self defeating, irrational outlook and acquire realistic ideology of life

2- Create self interest, social interest, self direction, tolerance, flexibility, commitment, acceptance of

uncertainty.

Applications of REBT

1- It can applied to treatment of anxiety, hostility, depression, marital problems, child rearing,

2- Self management, social skills training

Summary

Albert Ellis is of the view that irrational beliefs are basis of all of our maladjustments.

All neurotic and psychotic disorders are the result of one's irrationality.

Once these irrational thoughts are developed an individuals repeats them again and again and lives on them.

He uses the A-B-C -D-E model to study and modify irrational beliefs of an individual.

Evaluation

A theory which is scientifically attacks the irrational or superstitious behavior of an individual

Considers that innately we are rational it is socialization that makes us irrational

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