A Taste of My Own Medicine

[DISCLAIMER]

There was a phase through which I went in the ‘90s when I found it humorous to misappropriate various items while gifting the pilfered products to other people. Back then, a “five-finger discount” related to theft of property and I felt joy when redistributing stolen goods.

For instance, mounted wall clocks, fire extinguishers, and other random items were transferred from one area of my high school to the lockers of my friends. I considered such behavior especially funny when the stakes were high, which sometimes involved authority figures.

As an example, a buddy of mine had a locker directly in front of a teacher’s room. Standing nearby when observing him open his locker, out fell various school property items as the educator looked puzzled behind my friend and I almost urinated myself while laughing.

Technically, it wasn’t larceny, because the lifted items didn’t leave school grounds. However, I also befriended people who ganked personal property outside of school grounds. Looking back, I understand how morally and ethically wrong it was to have taken part in such devious behavior.

Still, I thought my actions were fun and funny at the time. Eventually, I received a taste of my own medicine—harsh or unpleasant treatment that is like the treatment someone has given other people—when I fell for a scam involving a BMW that I purchased from a local thug.

When believing that I properly purchased the vehicle while making monthly payments, the man who conducted the fraudulent scheme wound up “repossessing” the BMW after receiving monetary installments. So, I got a taste of my own medicine and my beliefs about it were bitter.

From the perspective of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), the ABC model illustrates that when undesirable Actions occur and people use irrational Beliefs (iBs) about such events, it’s one’s own assumptions and not the situation which causes unpleasant Consequences.

For example, a thug “repossessed” the car for which I was paying (Action) and I unfavorably Believed, “He shouldn’t have broken our deal and it’s awful that I’m now without money and a car!” Using this self-disturbing narrative, I experienced sorrow and anger (Consequence).

Yet, it wasn’t “repossession” of the BMW that caused my reaction. Rather, my iB created a bitter dose of medicine that other people also presumably swallowed when on the receiving end of my juvenile delinquent behavior. However, those people didn’t deserve that dose of medicine.

On the other hand, I knew that when conducting business with a thug that there was potential for fuckery. However, people who had their property misappropriated by me and my friends didn’t benefit from prior knowledge of the fucked up possibilities in store for them.

Whereas I deserved a taste of my own medicine, other people who were victimized by my foolish behavior weren’t deserving of iB bitterness. Contemplating this matter further, I’m reminded of the 2001 album Mista Don’t Play: Everythangs Workin by Project Pat.

In particular, the song “Cheese and Dope” comes to mind, as the rapper famously stated, “Takin’ fed chance after chance, but I got to dance to the rules of this shit, that’s why I keep a revolver. How the hell you robbers gonna’ rob the robber?”

Project Pat used the iB, “I got to dance to the rules of this shit,” which constitutes use of an absolutistic should, must, or ought-type of self-narrative. Similarly, I once unproductively believed that I had to carry weapons, because a taste of my own medicine was forthcoming.

However, I didn’t care to consider that robbery was something that I shouldn’t have done in the first place. Even when irrationally preparing to get jacked, a robber wound up robbing the robber. Hence, I got a taste of my own medicine.

Of course, not all of my dastardly deeds from the ‘90s were influenced by iBs. Sometimes I playfully misappropriated merchandise while using rational beliefs (rBs), as was the case when stowing items in my buddy’s locker at school.

As an example, I once put a fire extinguisher in a friend’s locker (Action) while Believing, “I know this teacher and she should find the situation as funny as I do,” as I then felt joy while laughing (Consequence). Here, I used a preferential should self-narrative.

This form of rB is flexible, unlike a rigid absolutistic should belief. As it turned out, the teacher initially appeared puzzled, then smirked, and she eventually saw me laughing while she simply smiled and walked away. This is the distinction between how iBs and rBs function.

Not long after graduating, I moved to Colorado and was visited by a girl with whom I lived for a period of time when in high school. Aware of my behavior regarding the humorous misappropriation of items, she and her friends gave me a taste of my own medicine.

I was presented with various absurd gifts, to include a fire extinguisher (Action). My rB concerning the event was, “I should’ve known something was up by the way they were behaving,” and I experienced joy while laughing quite a bit (Consequence).

In this post, I chose to provide humorous and serious anecdotes to demonstrate a psychoeducational lesson about how beliefs impact emotional and behavioral outcomes. If you’d like to know more about REBT and how to un-disturb yourself, then I’m here to help.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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