A New Guide to Rational Living
Albert Ellis and Robert Harper
Rational Thinking [Maxie Maultsby]
1.based on observable facts, not subjective opinion
2.focus on preservation of life
3.produces personally defined life goals more quickly
4.prevents undesirable personal/environmental conflict
** events in life are never awful, only unfortunate, same can be said for people**
Activating Experience/Event
à à à à Belief System –
we have control over this
|X| |
Wrong!!!! |X| NO!!!! |
|X| |
Emotional
Consequence
ß ß ß ß ß ß ß ß ß |
Avoid using higher-ordered abstractions [Alfred Korzybski]
- awful
à unfortunate
- terrible
à disadvantageous
- horrible
à frustrating
- catastrophic
à inconvenient
Irrational Idea No. 1
à idea that you MUST have love or approval from all the people you find significant
Irrational Idea No. 2
à idea that you MUST prove thoroughly competent, adequate, achieving or MUST have competence or talent in something important
Irrational Idea No. 3
à idea that when people act obnoxiously and unfairly, you should blame/damn them, and see them as bad, wicked, rotten individuals
Irrational Idea No. 4
à idea that you have to view things as aweful, terrible, horrible, and catastrophic when you get seriously frustrated, treated unfairly, or rejected
Irrational Idea No. 5
à idea that emotional misery comes from external pressures and that you have little ability to control or change your feelings