SIT has been used for the treatment of several
clinical problems, including rape and assault trauma,
posttraumatic stress disorder, and anger dyscontrol.
For example, Novaco (1977) describes the applica-
tion of stress inoculation procedures to deal with
the anger problems of adult depressed patients on
acute psychiatric wards. In essence, the procedures
involve the cognitive preparation of such patients,
the acquisition and rehearsal of the necessary skills,
and practice in the application of the skills. To cog-
nitively prepare patients, they are given instruc-
tional manuals describing the nature and functions
of anxiety, including a discussion of situations in
which anger is a problem, what causes anger, and
how anger can be regulated. The components of
this cognitive preparation include identifying per-
sons and situations that precipitate anger, learning
to differentiate between anger and aggression, dis-
criminating between justified and unnecessary
anger, and recognizing early signs of tension and
arousal in a provocation sequence.Beck’s Cognitive Therapy
Aaron Beck has been a pioneer in the development
of modern cognitive-behavioral treatments that
have been applied to a variety of clinical problems
(Beck, 1991). This model of intervention entails the
use of both cognitive and behavioral techniques to
modify dysfunctional thinking patterns that charac-
terize the problem or disorder in question (Beck,
1993). For example, depressed individuals are
believed to harbor negative/pessimistic beliefs
about themselves, their world, and their future.BOX14-5 Focus on Clinical Applications: Common“Irrational”IdeasThe 12 irrational ideas that Ellis (1977) believes are very
common in the thinking of many people are listed
below. Although most of us share this kind of thinking,
extreme reliance on such beliefs can be problematic.- The idea that you must, yes, must have sincere
love and approval almost all the time from all the
people you find significant. - The idea that you must prove yourself thoroughly
competent, adequate, and achieving; or that you
must at least have real competence or talent at
something important. - The idea that people who harm you or commit
misdeeds rate as generally bad, wicked, or villain-
ous individuals, and that you should severely
blame, damn, and punish them for their sins. - The idea that life proves awful, terrible, horrible,
or catastrophic when things do not go the way
you would like them to go. - The idea that emotional misery comes from
external pressures and that you have little ability
to control your feelings or rid yourself of depres-
sion and hostility. - The idea that if something seems dangerous or
fearsome, you must become terribly occupied
with and upset about it. - The idea that you will find it easier to avoid facing
many of life’s difficulties and self-responsibilities
than to undertake some rewarding forms of self-
discipline.- The idea that your past remains all-important and
that, because something once strongly influenced
your life, it has to keep determining your feelings
and behavior today. - The idea that people and things should turn out
better than they do; and that you have to view it
as awful and horrible if you do not quickly find
good solutions to life’s hassles. - The idea that you can achieve happiness by inertia
and inaction or by passively and uncommittedly
“enjoying yourself.” - The idea that you must have a high degree of
order or certainty to feel comfortable; or that
you need some supernatural power on which
to rely. - The idea that you give yourself a global rating as a
human and that your general worth and self-
acceptance depend upon the goodness of your
performance and the degree that people approve
of you.
SOURCE: From“A Basic Clinical Theory of Rational-Emotive Therapy,”by
A. Ellis, p. 10. In A. Ellis and R. Grieger (Eds.),Handbook of Rational-
Emotive Therapy. Copyright © 1977 by Springer Publishing Company,
Inc., New York 10012. Used by permission.418 CHAPTER 14