Anxiety

ABC Model & Disputing

Find the 'must' underneath the distress and question it.

ABC Model & Disputing

What it is

ABC Model & Disputing is a REBT/CBT technique that breaks down events into the Activating event, irrational Beliefs, emotional Consequences, and active Disputing.

Why it works

Distress is not caused directly by activating events, but by the rigid beliefs we hold about those events. Disputing irrational demands ("musts" and "shoulds") shifts emotional consequences from despair to healthy concern:

Interactive Shift

ABC Disputing Shift

Unhelpful Cognitive LoopIrrational Demand (Must-urbation)

I made a mistake, so I am a total failure and nobody will respect me.

Practicing with Camic

Camic guides you through tracing your ABC sequence in real time, identifying automatic beliefs and disputing irrational demands.

Applied in real situations

Sources

Ellis, A. (1962). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. Lyle Stuart. Ellis, A., & Dryden, W. (2007). The Practice of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (2nd ed.). Springer. David, D., Cotet, C., Matu, S., Mogoase, C., & Stefan, S. (2018). 50 years of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 304–318.