Assessing Irrational Beliefs
What It Is
Identifying the specific irrational, evaluative beliefs a client holds about an activating event. This is one of the most important REBT skills because without clearly identifying the belief, disputation is impossible.
Why It Matters
Clients often describe their distress vaguely (“I’m anxious,” “I feel bad”). The therapist’s job is to excavate the belief underlying the emotion.
How to Use It
1. Understand the Activating Event (A)
First, clearly establish what happened:
- “So your boss gave you critical feedback in the meeting. Is that right?”
- Get details, but don’t get lost; you need to identify the client’s B (belief), not just the facts of A
2. Move to the Consequence (C)
Ask about the emotional/behavioral outcome:
- “How did that leave you feeling?”
- “What did you want to do in that moment?“
3. Identify the Belief (B)
This is the crucial step. Use Socratic questioning:
Direct question:
- “What were you telling yourself about the feedback?”
- “What does that feedback mean to you?”
- “What were you afraid of?”
Exploring demands:
- “Were you thinking he should have said something different?”
- “What should have happened?”
Exploring evaluations:
- “What does this say about you?”
- “What’s so bad about the feedback?”
- “Why is that a problem?”
Exploring awfulizing/catastrophising:
- “What’s the worst that could happen?”
- “And then what?”
- “And if that happened, what would that mean?“
4. Clarify the Belief
Once you’ve identified it, make sure it’s clear:
- Inaccurate inference (“Nobody likes me” is different from the evaluative belief “I must be liked”)
- The evaluative core (“I must perform perfectly or I’m a failure”)
- The philosophical claim (What’s the demand? What’s being evaluated?)
5. Distinguish From Inferences
Remember: REBT focuses on evaluative beliefs, not just cognitive distortions.
- Inference: “They dislike me” (factual/predictive)
- Irrational belief: “They should like me, and if they don’t, I’m unlikeable” (evaluative/demanding)
Common Irrational Beliefs to Listen For
| Belief Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|
| Demandingness | ”I must succeed,” “They should respect me,” “I have to be perfect” |
| Awfulizing | ”This is terrible,” “It’s unbearable,” “I can’t handle this” |
| Global evaluation | ”I’m a failure,” “I’m unlikeable,” “I’m worthless” |
| Discomfort intolerance | ”I can’t stand feeling this way,” “I can’t tolerate uncertainty” |
| Should statements | ”I should be further along,” “They shouldn’t have done that” |
Therapeutic Stance
- Collaborative, not confrontational: “Can you help me understand what you were thinking?”
- Curious, not prescriptive: “Interesting—tell me more about that”
- Precise: Keep asking until the belief is clear; vague beliefs can’t be disputed effectively
- Validating: “That makes sense that you’d believe that, given what you’re experiencing”
What It Looks Like
Client: “I’m so anxious about the presentation tomorrow.”
Therapist: “What specifically are you anxious about?”
Client: “I’ll mess up.”
Therapist: “And if you did mess up, what would that mean?”
Client: “Everyone would judge me. They’d think I’m incompetent.”
Therapist: “And if they thought you were incompetent, what would be bad about that?”
Client: “I’d be a failure. I’d never recover from it.”
Therapist: “So you’re believing that messing up in a presentation would mean you’re a failure—a total failure, not just someone who gave an imperfect presentation?”
Client: “Yeah, exactly.”
Therapist: “And that feels unbearable?”
Client: “Yes. I can’t let that happen.”
[Irrational belief identified: “I must perform perfectly or I’ll be a failure and it will be unbearable”]
Pitfalls to Avoid
| Pitfall | Better Approach |
|---|---|
| Stopping at emotion: “I feel anxious” | Keep asking: “What about the situation makes you anxious?” |
| Accepting first answer as the real belief | Often the first answer is a surface thought; keep digging |
| Assuming the belief without asking | Ask; don’t tell the client what they should be thinking |
| Getting distracted by details of A | Focus on the client’s interpretation of A, not just the facts |
| Confusing inference with belief | ”Nobody likes me” (inference) vs. “I must be liked” (belief) |
Practice Criteria
The client and therapist can move on to disputation when:
- The belief is clearly stated and specific
- It’s an evaluative/imperative belief, not just an inference
- The connection between the belief and the emotional consequence is clear
- The client recognises and acknowledges the belief (“Yes, that’s what I was thinking”)
Sources
A technique from REBT.