Albert Ellis Irrational Ideas

How many times have wrong thoughts led you to unwanted situations? Thought can exert a powerful force on us. It decides that we want to think. The final decision is found within us.

Albert Ellis was one of the founders of cognitive psychology. He began developing this therapy in 1962 and named it “Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy” (REBT). Ellis believes that a large number of psychological problems are caused by patterns of irrational thoughts.

Ellis focuses his theory on the idea that “People do not change by fact, but by what they think about fact,” as said by the Greek, Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Therefore, it can be said that “REBT” is part of the following hypothesis:

It is not events (A) that create emotional states (C), but the way they are interpreted (B). If we are able to change our mental schedule, we will therefore be able to create emotional states that are less painful, more positive and consistent with reality.

So Albert Ellis listed a series of irrational beliefs and grouped them into eleven basic, irrational ideas that we summarize below:

1. “I need love and recognition from people around me” or “I need to be loved and get recognition from everyone important around me”.

2. “To be valuable, I must achieve everything I aim for” or “if I am a valuable person, I must always be competent, sufficient and capable of achieving everything I aim for”.

3. “Bad people must be punished for their bad deeds.”

4. “It is horrible and catastrophic that things are not, are or will be as I want or want.”

5. “Human unhappiness has its source in external causes and I can do virtually nothing to avoid or control the pain and suffering that this causes me.”

6. “I have to constantly think that the worst can happen.”

7. “It is easier to avoid than to face responsibilities and problems in life.”

8. “We must have someone stronger to trust.”

9. “My past determines my present and my future.”

10. “I have to constantly worry about other people’s problems.”

11. “Every problem has a real solution, and it’s a disaster not to find it.”

These fundamental, irrational ideas contain three basic notions that individuals demand absolute character from themselves, others, and the world.

1. I have the right to act and I must earn recognition through the way I act.

2. Everyone must act in a pleasant, considerate and just manner towards me; if they do not, they are worthy of contempt and must be punished.

3. The living conditions must be good and simple so that I can achieve practically everything I want without much effort or discomfort.

On the other side of the coin, however, we can find rational beliefs about all the beliefs presented above. Rational beliefs tend to be more flexible and do not place obstacles in our way, nor create the same intense stress as irrational ideas.

You need to find rational beliefs about those presented by Albert Ellis. Reflect on your own life if you have some time left. Make a list of the irrational thoughts that cause you discomfort, and in a separate column alternative ways of thinking. In this way, you can begin to untie the knots and open new paths to peace.

Photos by Francisco Rodriguez.