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120 CHAPTER 5Statement Pattern—6. I received a C on my first
chemistry test. I will never
become a doctor.
—7. My parents were not pleased with
my final grade in English. I can’t
do anything to satisfy them.
—8. My uncle has ulcers. It must run
in my family, and I know that I
am going to get ulcers.f. Magnifyingg. Personalizationh. ShouldsHOW CAN THE RATIONAL EMOTIVE APPROACH BE USED TO CHANGE EMOTIONS?The rational emotive approach proposes that irrational thinking fol-
lows an A-B-C-D-E model of development. “A” stands for an acti-
vating event. “B” stands for a belief (irrational) that follows the acti-
vating event. “C” stands for the consequence of the irrational negative
thinking. “D” stands for disputing the irrational or helpless belief that
followed the activating event and should be aimed at replacing the
maladaptive beliefs with an adaptive and realistic belief. “E” is the
new effect, that is, the improved way that one feels and acts after
actively disputing the maladaptive belief that followed the adversity.
Let’s look at the process:A (activating event)—Phil receives a D on his history exam-
ination
B (the irrational or helpless belief that follows the event)—
“I’ll never be a successful student.”
C (consequence)—Phil feels helpless and anxious and
believes that he will not succeed in the class.
D (disputing irrational beliefs)—“Ok... so I did poorly on
this exam. I know that if I prepare early and use better
study techniques, I can learn this stuff.”
E (new effect)—“I still feel disappointed that I didn’t do
well, but I now have a plan to do better in the future. I
can be a good student!”As you review the process from A to E, you will note some skills that
you must acquire (Merrell, 2001). First, you need to develop greater
awareness of your own emotional states and how they vary over time.
One good exercise to help you accomplish this goal is to draw a pie
chart to describe how your feelings were divided up during a particular