Components of rational-emotive imagery: Two experiments with nonassertive students

Abstract

Unassertive students took part in two experiments to assess the contributions of emotional and cognitive rehearsal procedures in rational-emotive imagery. In each study participants received analogue treatment in groups, which met twice for one and a half hours. In Experiment 1 behavior rehearsal (BR) was more effective than emotional rehearsal (ER, which involved trying to attenuate unwanted feelings in fantasy) and cognitive rehearsal (CR, which involved examining negative, and rehearsing helpful, self-statements) as assessed by a self-report measure of assertiveness. In Experiment 2 combinations of Experiment 1 procedures were tested in a factorial design. On a behavioral test, BR proved more effective than the treatment combinations, but on questionnaire measures of social anxiety and irrational beliefs rational-emotive imagery (the combination of CR with ER) was superior to the other treatment conditions. Results are encouraging in that rational-emotive imagery was more successful than either component in isolation, even within the limits of a brief analogue study. Further clinical trials are needed.In rational-emotive imagery (REI) clients try to attenuate unwanted emotions of anxiety, depression, guilt, and anger using cognitive restructuring to "make themselves feel" less upset as they imagine specific troublesome situations (Ellis & Harper, 1975;Ellis & Knaus, 1977). This procedure is normally introduced to a client after the basic rationale and principles of rational-emotive therapy (RET) proper have been thoroughly explained. In that context REI is a particularly vivid and dramatic way of illustrating the role of cognitions in altering distressing feelings.To date, however, there have been few systematic studies of REI, and of those reported, REI has been evaluated only in combination with other RET techniques. Davis (1976) compared RET with RET combined with REI and with behavior rehearsal for 65 test-anxious students. Those who received RET alone fared as Geoffrey L. Thorpe, Ph.D., is associate professor of psychology at the University of Maine at Orono. Eric G. Freedman is a doctoral candidate in experimenta~ psychology at the University of Maine at Orono. David W. McC-~lliard, M.S, is Coordinator of Aftercare Services at Community Health and Counseling Services, Bangor, Maine.well as those who had the additional procedures. Similar results were obtained by Hymen and Warren (1978) who compared the effectiveness of RET alone with RET plus REI. A limitation of this study was that only 11 test-anxious students participated. In a study with Community Mental Health Center clients, Lipsky, Kassinove, and Miller (1980) evaluated the effectiveness of RET, RET plus REI, and RET plus rational role reversal (RRR). Control conditions were relaxation training plus support and a no-contact group. RET produced significantly better results than the control conditions and particularly so when REI and RRR were added to RET. This impressive study of 50 clients seems to be the first to have evaluated RET with a heterog...

Support measures for adolescents' school anxiety mitigation

“…Similar findings are reported by other foreign authors: Thorpe, Freedman, & McGalliard, 1984;Prihozan, 2000Prihozan, , 2005 In adolescence, girls worry about relationships with peers more often than boys, and a thought that peers will appraise them negatively cause stronger anxiety for girls rather than for boys. Pasinkova (1996) found that increased anxiety (as a personality trait) caused disorganisation of cognitive activity, which is expressed in a longer information perception and processing time, deterioration of educational and intellectual achievements (Škuškovnika, 2004).…”

50 years of rational‐emotive and cognitive‐behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…A total number of 82 studies from 84 distinct articles remained to be included in the meta‐analysis. The differences in counts were given by one article that included two different studies (Thorpe, Freedman, & McGalliard, ) and five articles that reported data on two different samples (David et al., ; Sava, Yates, Lupu, Szentagotai, & David, ; Szentagotai et al., for one sample, and Thurman, 1985a,b for the second sample). Out of these studies, 68 studies provided postintervention or follow‐up data for the comparative (between groups) analysis, and 39 provided within‐group data for pre‐post or pre‐follow‐up analysis.…”

“…A total number of 82 studies from 84 distinct articles remained to be included in the meta-analysis. The differences in counts were given by one article that included two different studies (Thorpe, Freedman, & McGalliard, 1984) and…”

A systematic review of the nature and efficacy of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy interventions

“…Reports on the same study were combined for data extraction (i.e., (a) [ 30 , 31 ], (b) [ 32 , 33 ], (c) [ 34 , 35 ] (d) [ 36 , 37 ] and (e) [ 38 , 39 ]. One report detailed two separate intervention studies and therefore, was split into ‘Study 1’ and ‘Study 2’ for data extraction [ 40 ].…”

“…In total, 162 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Our review highlights that REBT interventions have been delivered across the globe, with clinical, sub-clinical and non-clinical participants across a wide variety of domains, including education and healthcare [e.g., 40 , 64 ]. The interventions were typically psychoeducational in nature, adopted the ABC framework, included homework and were delivered face-to-face in group settings by a trained practitioner.…”