I’ve paid close attention to the buildup to the 2024 United States (U.S.) presidential election. This is because I enjoy practice of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) in both my personal and professional life. Lately, I’ve received a lot of practice. Allow me to explain.
REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when Activating events (“Actions”) occur and people maintain irrational Beliefs about the events, these unhelpful assumptions – and not the actual occurrences – are what cause unpleasant cognitive, emotive, bodily sensation, and behavioral Consequences.
In particular, there are four predominate irrational beliefs which people often use: demandingness, awfulizing, low frustration tolerance, and global evaluations. In REBT, the process of upsetting oneself with these unfavorable beliefs is referred to as self-disturbance.
Briefly expanding upon the aforementioned self-disturbed assumptions, when considering how demandingness works think of terms such as should, must, or ought. As an example, “Politicians shouldn’t subvert expectations of their constituents by catering to special interest groups!”
In regard to awfulizing, thing of terms such as terrible, horrible, or agonizing. For instance, “It’s awful how politicians often run on a platform to help the U.S., though they ultimately serve their own interests as our nation’s citizens foot the bill!”
When contemplating the matter of low frustration tolerance, think of statements such as “I can’t stand it” or “This is insufferable!” Use of these terms implies that an individual literally can’t tolerate or accept undesirable circumstances. “I can’t even,” one may unhelpfully claim.
Now, I’ll dedicate a little more focus toward global evaluations, as the title of this blogpost relates to these sorts of negative ratings. This self-disturbing process occurs when negatively rating oneself, others, or matters of life while excluding other balanced information.
To assist with illustration of this unfavorable type of belief, I’ll call your attention to the 2015 hip hop documentary and album Live from the Streets, produced by the talented Mr. Green. If you enjoy authentic underground hip hop, I suspect you’ll like most of what Mr. Green offers.
On the aforementioned album is a tracked entitled “Human in Disguise,” featuring beatboxing and a hook by Matisyahu, a piano sample by Kyon Williams, and rapping by lyricist Benefit. From his own song “Close My Eyes,” the Matisyahu hook states:
They just type and can’t see; open up your eyes
Every politician is a human in disguise
They say them a tease and the waves is rough
And it won’t come my way
Hop in the zed, and jump to time to work and it nah time to play
The line “every politician is a human in disguise” serves as a global evolution. This is because the statement proposes that politicians are so detestable that they don’t even rate the title of a human being.
For instance, suppose that a person unproductively believes, “Every politician is a human in disguise, because they’re all demonic!” In the buildup to today, Election Day, I’ve heard many allegations of partisan actors which serve as irrational beliefs in the form of hyperbolic rhetoric.
A surprising number of these claims compare one side of the sociopolitical aisle to malevolent spirits. This is a global evaluation, because it suggests that these supposed devilish individuals don’t qualify for human status. Rather, they are somehow functioning in league with Satan.
From an REBT perspective, all people are recognized as fallible human beings. None of us are perfect, because we all make mistakes. Even when acting in a displeasing manner, especially when doing so intentionally, we aren’t our behavior. Ergo, none of us are demonic humans in disguise.
This is a difficult concept for some people to grasp. For instance, I’ve worked with clients who rigidly maintain that undesirable behavior is synonymous with an undesirable person. Someone who acts badly is therefore considered to be bad.
However, even if I were to grant the irrational premise that people are their behavior and that one who acts badly is bad, is it not possible that such an individual may be capable of performing good deeds? Even Adolf Hitler was said to have behaved well toward animals.
The totality of an individual’s worth is reduced to nothing – or in the case of a human in disguise who actually functions more like a monster or demonic entity, the person is rendered to less than nothing. This is an unproductive method of interfacing with the world.
Addressing how people upset themselves with unhelpful attitudes, the ABC model incorporates Disputation of these unproductive assumptions in order to explore Effective new beliefs. Noteworthy, Actions and Consequences aren’t Disputed, only unproductive Beliefs.
When further contemplating how people disturb themselves with unfavorable narratives, I now turn to Benefit’s final verse in “Human in Disguise.” Using the self-disturbing script of victimhood and global evaluation, the lyricist states:
The honest common citizen’s a systematic victim
But he doesn’t realize that it’s the system that has tricked him
And has stripped him of his rights
And convinced him that he’s free, so against his sense he won’t commence to hop the fence and flee
But the truth is something evident, that common sense can see
And he feels an ominous presence that dominates the scene
Now he’s watchin’ the TV and he’s sort of confused
‘Cause they’re distortin’ the views
They choose to report in the news
Plus he’s dead-broke, he can’t afford to be used
By any system that’s rigged to let the poor be abused
And he sees the politician’s plan to profit on disaster
And he realizes Babylon’s a propaganda master
So, now he keeps his eyes wide-awake
Not surprised by the fake lies devised by the snake
And he keeps his faith in the fact that the truth will forever rise
Whoever tries to sever ties to clever lies never dies
Whatever anyone can say about Benefit, I doubt one can honestly suggest he’s a rapper and not a lyricist. Yet, I digress. He portrays the average citizen as an unwitting victim of ominous politicians. This human-in-disguise belief is what causes self-disturbance. Allow me to expand.
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.
As an example, U.S. politicians extract wealth from citizens and finance wars abroad (Action) which may result in the death of many people (Consequence). From an A-C perspective, revenue (taxation) funds deadly wars (Action) which cause immense suffering (Consequence).
Still, when war occurs (Action) and one unhelpfully Believes, “I can’t stand these demonic humans in disguise,” then one will likely self-upset into an angry disposition (Consequence). Thus, self-disturbance is caused by a B-C connection.
Helpfully, REBT uses the technique of unconditional acceptance to relieve suffering. This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance, unconditional other-acceptance, and unconditional life-acceptance.
When practicing REBT, I try to help people to stop upsetting themselves through use of B-C connections, though I can’t fully resolve their A-C experiences. After all, I can’t stop U.S. government officials from stealing our money and financing deadly actions worldwide.
Therefore, I invite you to pay as close attention to the self-narratives you and other people use, as closely as I’ve paid attention to the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Doing so may afford you an opportunity to practice REBT so that you don’t disturb yourself about matters which are out of your control and influence.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, 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 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 helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
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