Why are we so Irrational?

Rational beliefs bring us closer to getting good results in the real world.

Quotation of Albert Ellis

My second blog and am very excited to bring you the topic of Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy (REBT).  I Know what you are thinking, why would I be starting my blog entries on a topic such as this.  Me, I must be the most irrational person that you have ever meet or ever would hope to meet, and nobody would be able to benefit from a conversation with me.  Why would anyone even want to read this????

Well I hope you caught on to my providing some nice examples of some of my lovely irrational thoughts. 

The reason that I want to start with this topic is that it is one of the major theories of counseling that I most closely identify with and identify much of what I do, and how I am able to help people process some of their thoughts and beliefs, and help them towards more positive thoughts and beliefs. 

REBT is a form of Cognitive behavioral therapy and was created by Albert Ellis.  This theory focuses on all those irrational thoughts we have about how we are not good enough, not smart enough, and doggone it that people just don’t like us.  The great thing about this theory is that pretty much everybody has these types of thoughts from time to time.

The theory start’s with the A-B-C concept, which is as easy as 1-2-3.  (I hope you never get sick of my lame attempts at humor).  The A-B-C model goes like this;

A-    Activating Agent/ Adversity

B-   Belief about the Activating Agent

C-   Consequences

So first take a look at how you process this with an Activating Agent or current Adversity you may be facing. 

For me that Activating Agent can be writing this blog.  Now the (A) Activating Agent can be something I control (such as this blog), or an event we cannot (Death, or an action by someone close to you. 

The (B) Belief of course we have a level of control over this, if not full control.  I would say the later, though we first need to identify these things, and identifying those is not always as easy as flipping on a light switch.  So in my example of negative/irrational thoughts would be those thoughts in my first paragraph, which of course would make my (C) Consequence to not do the blog, which would maybe keep me safe, but would continue to feed those ideas that I am not good enough.

So a Rational/Positive (B) Belief is that this will be an opportunity for me to develop Personally, Professionally and that I will be able to hopefully say some things that will ignite positive changes to some of you reading this.  Of course now my (C) Consequence is writing this blog.

My challenge to all of those who are reading this is to work on identifying the A-B-C model to your life and identify if you may be leading yourself into negative consequences.  Though be sure to identify the positive consequences you have created as well, and feel good about them.

My next blog will cover some of the different types of irrational thoughts and possibilities to work through them.