Ellis abcde model

What is Albert Ellis' ABC Model in CBT Theory? (Incl. PDF)

Albert Ellis’s ABC Model is a significant part of the form of therapy that he developed, known as Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).

REBT served as a sort of precursor to the widely known and applied Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and the ABC Model is still commonly used as a treatment in CBT interventions.

This article will cover what the ABC Model is, how it and REBT relate to CBT, and finally, how the ABC Model works to target dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Positive CBT Exercises for free. These science-based exercises will provide you with a detailed insight into Positive CBT and will give you the tools to apply it in your therapy or coaching.

This Article Contains:

A Brief History on CBT & REBT
What Is The ABC Model?
How To Treat Cognitive Distortions & Irrational Beliefs
5 ABC Model Worksheets (PDF)
A Take-Home Message
References

A Brief History on CBT & REBT

Modern CBT has its direct roots in Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Therapy (CT), which he developed when he decided that contemporary treatments for depression focused too much on past events rather than current beliefs (such as the belief that one is not good enough or not worthy of love and respect. ) (Beck, 2011).

Beck’s CT has its own roots, though, and Albert Ellis’s REBT is one of those roots. Specifically, REBT is “the original form and one of the main pillars of cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT)” (David et al., 2018).

In other words, REBT is both a precursor to and a form of CBT; it is still used today as a standalone form of therapy in some cases. The main thing that sets REBT and CBT apart from preceding cognitive therapies is that REBT and CBT both target beliefs as a fundamental course of treatment.

For the purposes of this article, we can consider REBT to be a subset of CBT, and we can consider the ABC Model to be a core component of many treatment plans in both REBT and CBT.

What Is The ABC Model?

The basic idea behind the ABC model is that “external events (A) do not cause emotions (C), but beliefs (B) and, in particular, irrational beliefs (IB) do” (Sarracino et al., 2017).

Another way to think about it is that “our emotions and behaviors (C: Consequences) are not directly determined by life events (A: Activating Events), but rather by the way these events are cognitively processed and evaluated (B: Beliefs)” (Oltean et al. , 2017).

Further, the model states that it’s not a simple matter of an unchangeable process in which events lead to beliefs that result in consequences; the type of belief matters, and we have the power to change our beliefs. REBT divides beliefs into “rational” and “irrational” beliefs. The goal when using the ABC model in treatment is to help the client accept the rational beliefs and dispute the irrational beliefs.

This disputation process is what results in the model often being referred to as the “ABCDE” Model. In this updated model, the D stands for the Disputation of Beliefs and E stands for the new Effect, or the result of holding healthier beliefs (Jorn, 2016).

Disputation is not an original part of the ABC Model, as it happens outside of the “ABC” part (such as in the case of disputing an irrational belief to turn it into a rational belief), and the new Effect is another subsequent factor: the result of that disputation.

Calling it the “ABCDE” Model instead of the “ABC” Model simply makes these two steps more explicit, but they are present regardless of what one calls it.

In these models, this is what a typical series of thoughts might look like:

A: Activating Event (something happens to or around someone)
B: Belief (the event causes someone to have a belief, either rational or irrational)
C: Consequence (the belief leads to a consequence, with rational beliefs leading to healthy consequences and irrational beliefs leading to unhealthy consequences)
D: Disputation (if one has held an irrational belief which has caused unhealthy consequences, they must dispute that belief and turn it into a rational belief)
E: New Effect (the disputation has turned the irrational belief into a rational belief, and the person now has healthier consequences of their belief as a result)

How To Treat Cognitive Distortions & Irrational Beliefs

When it comes to applying the ABC Model (whether that’s in CBT, REBT, or any other form of therapy or coaching):

A key element is helping clients see the connection between an event that may serve as a trigger, and how irrational evaluations may cause emotional and/or behavioral consequences that often in turn lead to increased distress or conflict.

(Malkinson & Brask—Rustad, 2013)

This is the main idea behind the ABC Model and a popular notion in most forms of therapy; one does not necessarily have to change their environment to become happier and healthier, they simply have to recognize and change their reactions to their environment. This takes a little self-awareness, but that’s something we are all able to do with a bit of effort.

This theory is supported by the fact that three 45-minute learning sessions about the ABC Model have been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as reducing dysfunctional thinking while increasing self-esteem and feelings of hope (Saelid & Nordahl, 2017).

This finding is even more impressive with the added note that 90% of the participants in this study “reported not having had any previous knowledge of the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior.” Simply becoming more aware of the relationship between them made it a powerful tool!

In fact, the ABC Model partially works by making clear this connection between their beliefs and their emotions, which helps people see that the events around them do not need to dictate their emotions.

The ABC Model has not only been successful in treating anxiety, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem issues; it has been shown to target anger issues as well effectively (Fuller et al., 2010). This treatment is especially promising because participants in the study were able to deal with their anger while confronting potential anger triggers, rather than by merely avoiding anger triggers.

After all, there are some anger triggers we simply can’t avoid if we want to live a full, meaningful life–things like traffic, confrontations with people we love, etc.

In cases of unhealthy anger and other instances of unhealthy negative emotions, the key thing to understand is the difference between rational and irrational beliefs (Ziegler & Smith, 2004). However, in certain situations, the ABC Model cannot merely be deployed as-is.

In mild situations, the ABC Model works by turning irrational beliefs about activating events into rational beliefs, which in turn leads to better consequences and emotions. In some cases, such as grief, it is not about turning irrational beliefs into rational beliefs, but it is instead about legitimizing, validating, and normalizing the beliefs that are present.

For example, treating someone who is grieving, such as someone in mourning from losing a child, requires a modification. This is because, in the case of grief, “‘logical’ disputation is not useful, but instead, legitimizing and normalizing is used: losing a child is in and by itself not logical” (Malkinson & Brask-Rustad, 2013).

Grief is not an emotion that heeds logic, and it should not be attacked with the same vigor with which things like anger and negative self-talk can be confronted. In such cases, the ABC model should be applied with care, and only after validating the difficult emotions the client is facing.

In less acute cases, where the issues are more garden-variety irrational beliefs, this model has great success. Even the most rational and reasonable among us have struggled with irrational beliefs, it’s simply a matter of degree.

These irrational beliefs must be examined and confronted if the client is to experience relief from them, and that is what the ABC model does. There are many types of irrational beliefs–known formally as “cognitive distortions”–that have been identified, and all can benefit from this treatment.

The image below gives a short demonstration on the ABC model in action. In this case, the negative event is that a student doesn’t get selected for choir after her audition. The event (A) leads to this thought: “I have a terrible voice. I’m never going to be any good at singing.” This is the belief (B), which results in the consequences (C): the student is sad about her singing and gives up practicing instead of continuing to work on it.

Let’s expand on this idea with an example of the ABC model in action during treatment for a cognitive distortion. Imagine a counselor is working with a woman who suffers from black-and-white thinking; when she makes a mistake, she thinks to herself, “I’m such a failure. I’m not good at anything.”

The counselor informs her about the ABC model and walks her through how to tackle it.

Unexamined, her cognitive distortion plays out like this:

A – Activating Event – the client makes a mistake.
B – Belief – the client has a thought that says she is a failure and that she is not good at anything. She accepts it uncritically.
C – Consequence – the client feels awful about her mistake and about herself in general, leading to depressive symptoms and making it tough for her to try again.

With her counselor’s help, the woman realizes that she is not a helpless victim to this process; she can do something about the “B” part of the model. She does not need to accept the thought as true, she can decide that it’s just a thought and treat it as such.

Her new process looks like this:

A – Activating Event – the client makes a mistake.
B – Belief – the client has a thought that says she is a failure and that she is not good at anything.
C – Consequence – the client feels awful about her mistake and about herself in general, but she remembers that she can question the cognitive distortion.
D – Disputation – she questions the thought. She tells herself that everyone makes mistakes and that one mistake does not mean she is worthless or that she is not good at anything.
E – New Effect – the client accepts that we all make mistakes and replace the negative thoughts with this positive thought. She commits to learning from her mistake and trying again in the future.

You can see the important work happening in D (Disputation). The client has realized that her thoughts are simply thoughts, they do not determine who she is. She takes control by rejecting the thought and purposely replacing it with a more realistic and more positive thought.

5 ABC Model Worksheets (PDF)

Make use of these worksheets to build appropriate ABC models.

ABC Model

This extremely short worksheet simply lists the five steps of the ABC model in descending order.

It starts with the Activating Event — something happens to you or in the environment around you — where you have space to write down your activating event.

Next is Beliefs — you have a belief of interpretation regarding the activating event — followed by space for you to identify your own belief or interpretation that you would like to change.

The third step is Consequences, described as “Your belief has consequences than include feelings and behaviors.” Here you can write down what happens to you as a result of the belief you identified.

Next, the worksheet describes Disputations of Beliefs: “Challenge your beliefs to create new consequences.” This is where you look critically at the belief you wrote down and see whether it’s accurate and helpful. If it is not accurate, not helpful, or neither accurate nor helpful, this is your opportunity to craft a new belief.

Finally, the worksheet ends with Effective New Beliefs: “Adoption and implementation of new adaptive beliefs. ” This is where you have a chance to create new, more helpful beliefs and think about how you are going to incorporate them. It might help to write out a commitment to choosing one of your new beliefs the next time a specific activating event happens.

This worksheet does not offer too much explanation but could be a good resource to hand out in an office or classroom when you have time to walk your student or client through it.

Understanding our Response to Stress and Adversity Handout

This three-page informational handout, which is part of a more extensive resource created by Dartmouth College, is a great standalone way to learn about the ABC Model. The worksheet starts with a very relatable scenario (being stuck in traffic) and discusses why we have different responses to stress. It clearly and briefly explains what the ABC Model is, provides an example, and describes how to use it effectively.

This is a good option for someone looking to quickly learn about the ABC Model and how to use for themselves or to give their clients to take home.

ABC Problem Solving Worksheet

This worksheet serves as a prompt to help someone work through the ABC Model in the moment when they are experiencing a challenging belief and difficult consequences.

It’s a detailed worksheet to walk through each step, which is great if you don’t have time to explain everything in a session or if your client isn’t big on writing down notes. It also changes the C and the B, which can be an exciting way to look at the model. We typically notice the consequences before the beliefs so that this format can be more intuitive to people new to the ABC model.

There are several questions for each step, including:

Activating Event
- What is the Activating event?
- What has happened?
- What did I do?
- What did others do?
- What idea occurred to me?
- What emotions was I feeling?
Consequence
- Am I feeling anger, depression, anxiety, frustration, self-pity, etc.?
- Am I behaving in a way that doesn’t work for me (drinking, attacking, moping, etc. )?
Beliefs (Dysfunctional)
- What do I believe about the Activating event?
- Which of my beliefs are my helpful/self-enhancing beliefs, and which are my dysfunctional/self-defeating beliefs?
Dispute
- What is the evidence that my belief is true?
- In what ways is my belief helpful or unhelpful?
- What helpful/self-enhancing belief can I use to replace each self-defeating or dysfunctional belief?
Effective New Belief and Emotional Consequence
- What helpful/self-enhancing new belief can I use to replace each self-defeating or dysfunctional belief?
- What are my new feelings?

This would be a great resource to hang in a classroom or office as a reminder of the connection between beliefs and emotions. This worksheet is useful for people brand new to cognitive therapy or cognitive distortions because it does not require any prior knowledge about the ABC Model to use it successfully.

CBT Exercise – The ABCD Method

This exercise is similar to the above worksheet, as it also walks one through the ABC Model whenever one may need it. It may be more appropriate for adults; however, while the preceding worksheet may be more suitable for younger people (only because it is more colorful and includes more specific prompts), this worksheet breaks it down in a slightly different way:

Activating Event – What happened? What’s stressing me out?
Belief – What is my negative self-talk? What distorted or irrational thinking style am I using? What negative belief am I clinging to? What interpretations am I making?
Consequence – What am I feeling? What is my behavior as a result of my beliefs?
Dispute – Counter-thought. What realistic and grounding statement can I use instead? Is there an alternative way of thinking here that is reality-based?

For each section, there are multiple spaces to write about what happened, what you’re thinking, what the consequences are, and what better alternative thoughts would be.

This worksheet can also help regardless of one’s prior knowledge of the ABC Model.

ABC Functional Analysis Worksheet

This final worksheet presents an alternative version of the ABC Model that draws on similar cause-and-effect processes. The difference is that this worksheet does so at the level of one’s behaviors, thereby serving as a useful supplement to the worksheets above, which focus on cognitions and emotions.

If your clients find mapping the links between activating events and beliefs challenging to begin with, starting at the level of their behaviors using this worksheet may serve as a useful stepping stone to exploring self-defeating beliefs and emotional consequences.

This exercise may also be useful if your client’s motivation for engaging your services involves addressing specific problematic behaviors.

The worksheet itself comprises three columns to be filled in. These columns are labeled as follows:

(A)ntecedents – What factors preceded the problematic behavior?
(B)ehavior – What is the problematic behavior?
(C)onsequences – What was the outcome of the problematic behavior?

It is recommended that you begin the worksheet at the ‘Behavior’ column, then work to assess the antecedents and consequences in turn.

A Take-Home Message

The main takeaway from the ABC Model is that while environmental factors can undoubtedly harm our lives, we do have some control over how we react and respond to those factors. For the most part, the more positively we respond, the more positive our outcomes will be.

This does not mean that no harm can come to someone with a positive attitude, but it does mean that a positive attitude can get someone through rough times quicker and more effectively. Having a positive attitude also does not cost anything, so it cannot hurt to try to keep a positive outlook.

In the true spirit of positive psychology, we would all be better off if we remembered the principles of the ABC Model. In many situations, we may not be able to change the environmental factors (or Activating Events) that occur in our daily lives; however, we can keep in mind the immense power of our own beliefs in shaping our everyday experiences.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. For more information, don’t forget to download our 3 Positive CBT Exercises for free.

Beck, JS (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (2nd ed.), New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
David, D., Cotet, C., Matu, S., Mogoase, C., Stefan, S. (2018). 50 years of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 304-318.
Ellis, A. (2000). Can rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) be effectively used with people who have devout beliefs in God and religion? Professional Psychology-Research and Practice, 31(1), 29-33.
Fuller, J.R., DiGiuseppe, R., O’Leary, S., Fountain, T., Lang, C. (2010). An Open Trial of a Comprehensive Anger Treatment Program on an Outpatient Sample. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 38(4), 485-490.
Jorn, A. (2016). Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Psych Central. Retrieved from https://psychcentral. com/lib/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy/
Malkinson, R., Brask-Rustad, T. (2013). Cognitive Behavior Couple Therapy-REBT Model for Traumatic Bereavement. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 31(2), 114-125.
Oltean, H.R., Hyland, P., Vallieres, F., David, D.O. (2017). An Empirical Assessment of REBT Models of Psychopathology and Psychological Health in the Prediction of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 45(6), 600-615.
Saelid, G.A., Nordahl, H.M. (2017). Rational emotive behavior therapy in high schools to educate in mental health and empower youth health. A randomized controlled study of a brief intervention. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 46(3), 196-210.
Sarracino, D., Dimaggio, G., Ibrahim, R., Popolo, R., Sassaroli, S., Ruggiero, G.M. (2017). When REBT Goes Difficult: Applying ABC-DEF to Personality Disorders. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 35(3), 278-295.
Ziegler, D.J., Smith, P.N. (2004). Anger and the ABC model underlying Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy. Psychological Reports, 94(3), 1009-1014.

ABCDE Model - Improving Emotional Intelligence

Previous Next

This week I have been working all week on delivering EQ-i feedback to leaders in a client organisation. One of the considerations of emotional intelligence is getting people to recognise that for ANY event, we are capable of adjusting or changing our emotions. The ABCDE Model is a simple mnemonic developed by Albert Ellis in the field of rational-emotive behaviour therapy, that helps people mentally work through a reflection process to consider if they want or need to change their thinking and therefore their behaviour around some emotions.

A = Activating event
B = Belief system
C = Emotional Consequences of A and B
D = Disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs.
E = Cognitive and Emotional effects of “updated” beliefs

A – The activating event or adversity that causes the stress, worry or change in emotion. This could be from something trivial to something significant. Recognition is the first step on many change processes and the same in this process. Example: a person presenting in public

B – The belief system which is the cognitive component in the person’s reaction to the events. Often they are limiting beliefs or negative “self talk”. The capacity to recognise the activating event and therefore change the mental “self talk” becomes a crucial part of the change. Example: The mental self talk of the person is “I am really bad at presenting, this presentation will go really badly”

C – The consequences from an emotional perspective is often repetitive and can create self-fulfilling prophecies. Example: the presenters nervousness in the presentation creates a poor flow and rapport with the public which makes the presenter even more nervous.

D – Disputation or challenge the irrational or limiting beliefs is required for mental change to take place. Reviewing, challenging and eschewing the current beliefs sets the person up for future success.

When looking at the D section there are three key kinds of disputes that can be used:

Empirical / Scientific dispute – Where is the proof or basis for the belief / feelings / thought pattern
Functional dispute – Is the belief supporting some other, potentially unconscious goals?
Logical dispute – Does the belief system make common sense? Is there any generalisation or other thought pattern influencing these beliefs?

Example: The presenter recognises the thought pattern and changes and sees they are not based on truth or logic and adapts over the time to a view of believing that they can do a decent presentation.

E – Effect of challenging the self-defeating belief system. Psychologists often this cognitive restructuring, as new mental patterns and habits are created. Example: Presenter gains more confidence as presentations become more fluid and gets more positive feedback, this in turn improves their self belief and creates a positive cycle of change.

One key way that this concept can be used is to create a learning journal where key moments of tension, stress or any other significant emotional switching has happened. This journalling can help people work through the process by writing down the ABCDE model and working through the different elements.

Have you used the ABCDE model? Any others that support this belief / behaviour change?

Thanks for reading, Andi

Like this:

Like Loading...

Thanks for reading this far! My passion is helping individuals, teams and organisations transform and raise their performance - My blog is a tiny snapshot of what interests me and shares ideas, resources and tools that I bring to support my work. I work in Spanish and English, so feel free to reach out in either of these languages.

Key Resources

Canvas collection: Visual templates
Visual Hub: Visual practice resources
Systems Thinking Hub
Collaboration tools: Methods for group facilitation

Email subscription

Enter your email to get notifications of new posts:

Email Address

What is an ABC model? — Knife

So, we have already understood that you yourself drive yourself into a state of anxiety and only you can make yourself happy.

In my first self-help book, How To Live With A “Neurotic,” I talked about how emotional experiences are the result of “stupid behavior by intelligent people.” When you are upset, you set goals for yourself, such as surviving and becoming happy. But you start doing the exact opposite. Irrational thoughts, feelings, and behaviors cause anxiety, depression, anger, hatred, or self-pity. Under the influence of these destructive feelings, there are often inappropriate reactions (procrastination, withdrawal, or development of phobias) or self-destructive behavior (alcohol, drugs, overeating, smoking, or other compulsive actions).

What a mess! If you are upset, you are prone to self-destruction. REBT pays the main attention to this problem. Depression and bad mood cannot take over you without your desire. You yourself (consciously or not) create your mood. And this is even good: if you can upset yourself, you can also do the opposite.

With the help of REBT methods you will be able to manage your mood in any situation throughout your life. What does it mean? If you think, feel, and act intelligently, you will be much less likely to fall into a state of anxiety about anything. If you find yourself reverting back to the old irrational behavior, you can quickly stop and use effective behavior techniques. REBT techniques and other CBT techniques will help you with this.

How can REBT be used to live a happy life and worry less? First, let me explain to you the essence of a simple but very important ABC model that I developed in 1955. In creating it, I relied on the work of philosophers, not psychologists. (Some of the ideas you should already be familiar with from the previous chapter.)

You start with goals (G) and then often encounter activators or adverse factors (A) that get in the way of achieving your goals. So:

A ( activating or unfavorable factors, activators ). For example, you feel the desire to succeed in school, work, sports, relationships, but certain circumstances prevent this desire from being realized.
B ( beliefs ), especially irrational , about failure and failure. For example: “I must not lose! I must be accepted! Losing is terrible! I am an insignificant person, since I was rejected!
C ( consequences ) that follow misfortune and irrational beliefs. For example, feelings of intense anxiety and depression. Self-blame and abandonment of one's goals. For example, dropping out of college, not trying to find a new job, leaving a sports team, or abandoning friendships or romantic relationships.

Let's start with C (emotional consequences), which almost immediately follow A (adverse or unwanted events). Although no. It's better to start at level C (your main goals).

Let's assume that your main goals (C) have been relevant to you for many years, you are quite comfortable with them, especially if they help maintain a long-term relationship with your partner.

Why do you consider these goals to be your main ones? Because you believe that happiness and success are associated with them.

You have chosen them based on your personality, family and cultural traditions, and personal preferences. Excellent. You have chosen these goals (C) and you can stick to them until it becomes necessary to make contact with other people who also have their own personal goals.

Now imagine that you are alive and well, but the important goal for you - to have a long-term relationship - is blocked. At level A (activating or adverse events), what happens is that the person you want to have as your partner does not want to build a relationship with you, says: “Get out of my life! I don't want to have anything to do with you. You're not my type at all!"

Variable A interferes with your goals and makes you unhappy. That's such a nuisance. At the same time, level C (emotional consequences) guarantees you unpleasant experiences. You feel overwhelmed, disappointed, because your goals, desires and interests have completely collapsed, everything ended in failure.

After your goals are not realized when faced with A (adverse event), you feel overwhelmed and disappointed (at level C). Such feelings can be considered negative, but at the same time healthy and useful - it would be strange to rejoice when you are rejected. It would also be strange to treat the situation indifferently. This would mean that you are ready to give up the idea of building a long-term relationship in the future and will no longer try to find a partner for yourself.

The A-C connection within REBT suggests that when some of your goals (C) are blocked under the influence of activators (A), it is quite normal to experience quite strong negative feelings, or emotional consequences (C). Otherwise, you simply will not be motivated to strive for the best, to experience more favorable events that will help you sooner or later realize your most cherished goals.

However, the A-C relationship within REBT suggests that you should not dive into unhealthy or negative feelings at the C (consequence) level after you have encountered adverse A (activators). Unfavorable Cs are presented in the form of such feelings as severe anxiety, depression, hatred and anger towards oneself and others, self-pity. Why should we try to avoid such experiences? Because it interferes with the achievement of the goal and causes suffering.

The A-C connection is also designed to warn you against the self-deprecation that often accompanies unhealthy emotional Cs. If you feel depressed (C) after being rejected by a potential partner (A), then in another similar situation, communicating with another potential partner, you may experience insecurity (C) or even refuse to date anyone in the future. After all, this is how you protect yourself from possible failures and, as a result, from experiences. The other extreme is the desire to meet with a large number of potential partners in the hope of establishing a relationship with at least one of them.

REBT says you can choose how you behave and what emotions you experience.

When goals that are important to you are unachievable, you can decide for yourself whether to have healthy or unhealthy feelings about this (C - consequences). You can also choose behavior options - adequate or self-destructive.

Now we have come to level B of the ABC model within the REBT. B is your belief system: what do you think about, dream about and how do you feel about A. First, B includes preferences, desires and needs; secondly, our requirements, obligations, obligations belong to this group. Thus B is a range of beliefs that can lead to healthy or unhealthy outcomes (C).

Figure out your priorities first. Your significant reasonable goal is to find a reliable and permanent partner. At level A (adverse event), you are rejected by your chosen potential partner. The relationship didn't work out.

Now suppose that your core belief (B) about rejection (A) is just a wish or a possibility: “I'm sorry I got rejected. I don't like getting rejected. But I have other options as well. I can find another suitable partner with whom I can build a happy and strong relationship. If everything doesn't turn out the way I want, my life will not end there. I can still be happy even if I don't have a long-term relationship or if I don't have a relationship at all. Okay, now it’s time to think about how I can find a suitable partner. ”

Now that you have decided on your beliefs about your preferences at level B, how would you rate your response to adversity at level A? Answer: slightly upset, very upset and disappointed. These are healthy feelings because you didn't get what you wanted.

These negative feelings motivate you to move on. This is good.

Sadness, disappointment, regret and frustration is a stimulus that requires you to change your attitude to adverse conditions A and try to find something useful in them that would help you accept the situation and adapt to it.

It's a different matter if you choose to feed your demanding or other irrational beliefs (B) about adverse circumstances A (unhappiness). Let's say you've been rejected and you start telling yourself, “No one should ever reject me! Everyone should accept me! I need a reliable partner, and being rejected now means that I am a worthless person! This rejection is just a disaster for me! I won't survive this! I should stop trying to find a relationship. " What would be your feelings at level C (consequences) in this case?

Most likely it will be depression, panic and self-hatred. What will your categorical beliefs (B) and unhealthy feelings (C) lead to in this case? Perhaps no good. They will force you to refuse new meetings and acquaintances. Another option is that you decide to stay with a partner who is not very interesting to you. Not the best choice!

Model ABC. Psychology. People, concepts, experiments

WikiReading

Psychology. People, concepts, experiments
Paul Kleinman

Contents

Model ABC

Albert Ellis believed that every day a person observes and interprets the events that take place and over time these interpretations are transformed into irrational judgments, in accordance with which he acts in the future. From these judgments depends on what consequences a certain event will lead to. The figure below shows a model of the ABC theory by Albert Ellis.

Activating event and its consequence

1. A. Boss falsely accuses you of stealing and threatens to fire you.

2. B. Your reaction: “How dare he? He has no reason to blame me!”

3. C. You are furious.

The ABC model makes it clear that event B leads to event C rather than A directly triggering event C. You are not angry because you have been wrongfully accused and threatened; you are infuriated by your conviction that you should not be treated in this way, which arose in stage B.

Scientific definition

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy assumes that psychological problems arise from erroneous inferences that prevent a person from acting effectively. In the course of psychotherapeutic sessions, organized in a strictly structured manner, the patient realizes that his feelings and thoughts influence behavior, and begins to change them.

This text is an introductory fragment.

Model ABC

ABC model Albert Ellis believed that every day a person observes and interprets the events that take place, and over time these interpretations are transformed into irrational judgments, in accordance with which he acts in the future. It depends on these judgments which

Martindale Model

Martindale model A model of creativity based on network representations and designed to synthesize the ideas of E. Criss, Mednick and Mendelssohn was proposed by Martindale. This concept contains the already familiar idea of the existence of two types (processes) of creative

Loss model

Loss Model The loss of a puppy, doll or purse may seem completely insignificant to parents, but it is a very important event in the life of a child, and in the future this model can take root in his mind. This can be seen in any example, in particular, in

Loneliness Model

Loneliness model One of my clients was an only child. As a child, for various reasons, he was not allowed to play with his peers. Now he is over 60, but he has remained single. He unconsciously, on a subconscious level, "repels" people from himself,

O.R.U.L.I.E.

Model "O.R.U.ZH.I.E." Abbreviation O.R.U.ZH.I.E. is deciphered as follows: Openness Relaxation Confidence Life Energy Playfulness Once again, everything is in a circle ... In order to check what you lack for full inclusion in the state of high

Spiral model

spiral model This model is mentioned in the works of many theorists [384; 385; 401]. The spiral model of conflict escalation demonstrates that escalation is the result of actions and reactions that form a vicious circle. Offensive tactics used

Inner Self Model

Inner self model The reassessment we are carrying out also serves to rethink the inner "I" of the individual, and not only of women, but of man in general. Classical theories, as you know, are focused on the study of the psychological development of an individual,

Conditional model

Conditional model In modern psychology, since the time of Freud, the opinion has been established that personality traits are the most important cause of human behavior. This point of view is rejected by the followers of behaviorism, who consider the very concept of personality "far-fetched

Hierarchical model

Hierarchical model The core of Eysenck's theory is the concept he developed that the elements of personality are arranged hierarchically. Eysenck built a four-level hierarchical system for organizing behavior. The lower level is specific actions or

7. HYPOTHESIS AND MODEL

7. HYPOTHESIS AND MODEL The fact that the psyche is not available for direct observation encourages scientists to clothe their assumptions (i. e., hypotheses) about its structure in the form of some model in order to then study this model. The model can be mathematical, i.e.

7.1.1. Ego Psychological Model

7.1.1. Ego-psychological model This model is based on the concept of defense systems, such as unconscious adaptive mechanisms, which are the main means of overcoming instinct and affect: G. Vaillant [488, 490] believes that there is a hierarchy of such mechanisms in

Model SCARF

Model Scarf You have probably already noticed that many of the primary pleasures and threats discussed in the previous few scenes are similar and in many ways interconnected. For example, at that unfortunate phone meeting, Colin experienced not only a threat to his status, but

Model

Model An essentialist who walks his own path is in control of his actions.

Learn more

Ellis abcde model

What is Albert Ellis' ABC Model in CBT Theory? (Incl. PDF)

This Article Contains:

A Brief History on CBT & REBT

What Is The ABC Model?

How To Treat Cognitive Distortions & Irrational Beliefs

5 ABC Model Worksheets (PDF)

ABC Model

Understanding our Response to Stress and Adversity Handout

ABC Problem Solving Worksheet

CBT Exercise – The ABCD Method

ABC Functional Analysis Worksheet

A Take-Home Message

ABCDE Model - Improving Emotional Intelligence

Like this:

Key Resources

Recent Posts

Email subscription

What is an ABC model? — Knife

See also

Model ABC. Psychology. People, concepts, experiments

Model ABC

Martindale Model

Loss model

Loneliness Model

O.R.U.L.I.E.

Spiral model

Inner Self Model

Conditional model

Hierarchical model

7. HYPOTHESIS AND MODEL

7.1.1. Ego Psychological Model

Model SCARF

Model