Skip to main content

Mental Health REBT Broccoli and Brussell Sprouts

'Broccoli is horrible it really sucks!' exclaimed the year 7 student. 'No it doesn't,' said another. I like it!' A quick survey of the class indicated that most didn't like broccoli however a few did. Similarly with brussell sprouts but fewer still liked them.

Substitute 'broccoli' with 'maths' or 'school' and you can do the same excercise and get similar results. Of course students will like or dislike whatever it is they like or dislike but the object of their approval or disapproval isn't the cause of this i.e. it's more about what they think about broccoli. Broccoli is just broccoli and isn't good or bad unless of course you believe it is! Same for maths, school, gerbils and elderberries. 

This is what REBT teaches students and if this is true then perhaps we can change how we feel about things if we change how we think about them. This is the mission of Rational Emotive Behaviour Education (REBE). Based on Albert Ellis' Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy REBE introduces to children his ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance. This helps students understand that the thing or happening in question isn't entirely responsible for how he/she feels and acts i.e. that what happens (A) exclusively makes feelings and behaviours (C-emotional and behvaioural consequence). What he/she believes (B) plus the happening or thing (A) makes the actions and feelings experienced (C) i.e A+B=C!

So things like broccoli and brussell sprouts are neither good or bad unless you think they are. It would be helpful for students to reflect on the type of thinking which apportions blame exclusively to other things/events outside of the self e.g. 'it makes me mad when I have to pack up.' Better to rethink and ask ourselves 'what is happening that I believe shouldn't be happening? What am I getting that I don't want? ' Is 'it' making me angy or am I making me angry?' 

Broccoli and brussell sprouts - food for thought!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Grieving the Loss of Self When Narcissistic Feed Dries Up

Professor Sam Vaknin is an authority on narcissistic personality disorder. His videos are informative and well communicated which helped my understanding of this condition. A narcissists  'feed' dries up when the supply of others adulation and affirmation withers and stops. A crisis ensues when the narcissist realises that incoming approval has diminished and their idealised self is under attack. The contrived and carefully constructed 'self' is no longer acknowledged and valued by external sources. They cease 'to be' because the sources feeding their self sees through the narcissists grandiose and phony veneer. The self they have concocted and which demands the positive regard and affirmation of those they have trained to adore them, is but an irrational virtual representation of the real world. There's a disparity between the narcissists version of reality and how things really are, projecting a world of fantasy replayed on a loop inside their heads, feedi...

APPROVALISM – the philosophy of the ‘love slob’

An approvalist is one who practices the philosophy of Approvalism. An approvalist lives life for the service of others seemingly without thought for self, ministering to the needs of others, making life ‘better’ for them. A good approvalist needs to do for others and her worth is measured according to how others view her and how helpful she can be to others. Approvalists say ‘yes’ to others demands and requests and are ultra sensitive to the needs of others (they must be rescued and saved). If they don’t perform to their own lofty expectations or (quelle catastrophe!) others don’t seem to value them (as they should) then they tend to harshly judge themselves as being ‘bad’ and may down themselves harshly! They will think, ‘I should have known that he needed support. I should have been there. I should have done better. I am a loser. It’s my fault he is in such a mess.’ They may also experience deep anger and direct it towards those ‘who do not appreciate me, after all shouldn’t they ...

Positive Psychology and Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

The ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance illustrates how feelings and behaviour at C are determined by what happens at A and B i.e. what we believe (B) about what happens (A). This is an A+B=C philosophy. What happens when our constructed view of ourselves equates to an A=C way of believing e.g. failing at A makes me feel depressed at C and causes me to give up. An A=C philosophy ‘If I fail at A I feel really bad at C 'it' (A) makes me angry and sad’ is problematic for our less resilient kids because they are unaware that constructed beliefs at B have a lot to do with it! 
A is what happens e.g. 'someone has rejected me!' and C is how I feel and act in response to A e.g. 'I feel really sad because she has rejected me so I stay at home etc' The depth of despair and how long it lasts will depend on how self accepting the person is. If a child ‘needs’ the approval of others he/she is at risk of depression, anger, anxiety because...