Photo credit, property of New Line Cinema, fair use
There’s a scene in the spy comedy film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) that depicts a male British spy having been reanimated from his cryogenic state after 30 years and meeting his handler who will acclimatize him to the ‘90s, represented by the following dialogue:
Miss Kensington (handler): Mr. Powers, my job is to acclimatize you to the ‘90s. You know, a lot’s changed since 1967.
Austin Powers (spy): No doubt, love, but as long as people are still having promiscuous sex with many anonymous partners, without protection, while at the same time experimenting with mind-expanding drugs in a consequence-free environment, I’ll be sound as a pound.
Personally, the comedic work of art from 28 years ago holds up to the hilarity experienced when it first aired. Additionally, the highlighted scene herein retains value regarding the practice of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
REBT theory maintains that when an unexpected Action occurs and a person uses an irrational Belief about the situation, it’s one’s unhelpful attitude and not the undesirable circumstance that causes unpleasant cognitive, emotive, sensational, and behavioral effects as Consequences.
From a psychological standpoint, people disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection.
For instance, in the natural world and when considering the A-C connection, when a person is frozen in time or removed from civilization for three decades (Action), then the individual will likely have missed a lot of cultural changes which occurred when away (Consequence).
Still, think about what may occur if when reanimated (Action) a person unproductively Believes, “I should be able to have promiscuous sex with many anonymous partners, without protection, while at the same time experimenting with mind-expanding drugs in a consequence-free environment.”
A demandingness Belief of this sort – which is often expressed in the form of should, must, or ought-type narratives – may cause the unpleasant Consequence of frustration, annoyance, or disappointment when realizing that A-C experiences could result in sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Rather than upsetting oneself with a B-C connection, people are invited to use Disputation that may lead to an Effective new belief which replaces unproductive self-narratives. With the ABC model, a person learns to stop needless suffering which is caused by unhelpful assumptions.
Although the style of comedy used in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery may not appeal to everyone, I suspect that use of the ABC model could benefit virtually anyone. After all, there tend not to be many consequence-free environments in reality.
At least through use of REBT an individual can take personal ownership of the type of B-C outcome that one may endure. If one chooses promiscuous sex with many anonymous partners, without protection, while at the same time experimenting with mind-expanding drugs, there may be consequences.
Presumably, there was no actual consequence-free sexuality in 1967, I can attest to the truthfulness of this statement in regard to 1997, and not much has changed when considering 2025. Thus, choosing what sort of consequence one will endure is a matter of empowerment.
Admittedly, a foolish “free love” environment may seem empowering. However, A-C STIs are something about which a person dis-empoweringly may self-disturb when using a B-C connection. If you don’t want to upset yourself in this way, perhaps REBT may benefit you.
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 a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging 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
References:
Hollings, D. (2024, November 15). Assumptions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/assumptions
Hollings, D. (2024, October 29). Cognitive continuum. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/cognitive-continuum
Hollings, D. (2024, March 19). Consequences. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/consequences
Hollings, D. (2024, October 27). Correlation does not imply causation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/correlation-does-not-imply-causation
Hollings, D. (2022, October 31). Demandingness. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/demandingness
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Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Sensation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/sensation
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Hollings, D. (2022, December 23). The A-C connection. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-a-c-connection
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Nizzinny. (2017, June 25). Austin Powers International Man of Mystery: Miss Kensington [Image; video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/bo4Fon0h8zU?si=7DPU4hb1sMv4XmY4
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Powers:_International_Man_of_Mystery
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