Identify the correct facts describing Rational Emotive Therapy from the statements below:
(A) The central thesis of the theory is that emotional beliefs mediate between antecedent events and consequences.
(B) Rational Emotive Therapy is a cognitive therapy given by Aaron Beck.
(C) The Antecedent -Belief-Consequence analysis is carried out.
(D) Irrational beliefs are assessed through questionnaires and interviews.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (C) and (D) only
(A) The central thesis of the theory is that emotional beliefs mediate between antecedent events and consequences. Correct. The central thesis of Rational Emotive Therapy is that beliefs mediate between the antecedent events and their consequences: an event does not upset a person by itself; the belief about it leads to the negative emotions and behaviours. In the theory these are the irrational beliefs, thoughts full of ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’.
(B) Rational Emotive Therapy is a cognitive therapy given by Aaron Beck. Incorrect. RET is a cognitive therapy, but it was formulated by Albert Ellis. Aaron Beck gave another cognitive therapy, in which childhood experiences build core schemas that later produce negative automatic thoughts.
(C) The Antecedent -Belief-Consequence analysis is carried out. Correct. The first step in RET is the ABC analysis: the antecedent events that caused the distress are noted and the irrational beliefs are found.
(D) Irrational beliefs are assessed through questionnaires and interviews. Correct. The irrational beliefs are assessed through questionnaires and interviews, and then refuted by the therapist through non-directive questioning.
Note: It seems that there is a mistake in the original NTA paper, which prints ‘emotional beliefs’ in statement (A) when it should read ‘irrational beliefs’, the words of the theory. The intended reading is clear, because the statement describes the beliefs that stand between an event and its consequences, and in RET these are the irrational beliefs.
NCERT (2025-26): “Cognitive Therapy … Albert Ellis formulated the Rational Emotive Therapy (RET). The central thesis of this therapy is that irrational beliefs mediate between the antecedent events and their consequences. The first step in RET is the antecedent-belief-consequence (ABC) analysis. Antecedent events, which caused the psychological distress, are noted. The client is also interviewed to find the irrational beliefs, which are distorting the present reality. Irrational beliefs may not be supported by empirical evidence in the environment. These beliefs are characterised by thoughts with ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’, i.e. things ‘must’ and ‘should’ be in a particular manner. Examples of irrational beliefs are, ‘One should be loved by everybody all the time’, ‘Human misery is caused by external events over which one does not have any control’, etc. This distorted perception of the antecedent event due to the irrational belief leads to the consequence, i.e. negative emotions and behaviours. Irrational beliefs are assessed through questionnaires and interviews. In the process of RET, the irrational beliefs are refuted by the therapist through a process of non-directive questioning. The nature of questioning is gentle, without probing or being directive. The questions make the client to think deeper into her/his assumptions about life and problems. Gradually the client is able to change the irrational beliefs by making a change in her/his philosophy about life. The rational belief system replaces the irrational belief system and there is a reduction in psychological distress. Another cognitive therapy is that of Aaron Beck.…” |