I am not a psychologist, but recently I learned about an interesting tool that can help one enhance their cognitive behavior. It is called the “A-B-C-D Model” or simply the “ABC cognitive model”.
It is developed by one of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) founders: Albert Ellis, PhD. This model can help one think and act more rationally, thus lead a stress free life.
The moment I learned about this model and understood how to apply it, it became an important tool in my daily life.
Background
We, as humans, are creatures of habit. Since our early age, we start to formulate our own interpretations and view of the world (and all the interactions that happen therein).
To some extent, one can say that our interpretations and views are constructed based on original believes, acquired believes (society, friends, family, peers, media, etc..) or well thought and learned believes.
After we form a certain belief, or judgement, the next time we encounter a situation (or a stimulus), we don’t think and reevaluate the situation again, instead we rely on the automatic thoughts that we previously formulated.
Automatic thoughts, do not have to be based on reality, instead they could be formulated based on preconceptions or various negative situations and then we tend to generalize and believe the generalization.
For example: you have been treated badly many times by rich people. You then come to a conclusion that all rich people are snobby and disrespectful / full of themselves.
That belief may have been true in the past when you formulated it, but today the situation is different. You are faced with another rich person that does not necessarily exhibit haughtiness or disrespect. But instead, due to our automatic believes, we will directly judge and generalize.
This is where Cognitive Behavioral Therapy comes in, to slowly re-learn and re-adjust the believes.
The ABC cognitive behavioral therapy works because of the simple premise that we think and act, roughly in four mental steps:
- Stimulus: what caused a certain thought or belief to trigger. A situation for example.
- Emotions and feelings: what did the stimulus trigger within ourselves? What kind of conclusion did we come up with? Are we angry? etc.
- Actions and behavior: how did we choose to react to the emotions that was evoked? We got angry because of our automatic believes, thus we raise our voice, fight or become mean for example
- Repeat: a new stimulus comes in, emotions are evoked, actions entail.
In the next section, I will explain how the A-B-C-D model works and give some examples.
The A-B-C-D model
The A-B-C-D is a classic model, it is outlined below and can be used in a variety of circumstances, to help one think and act more rationally:
- A = Activating Event. This refers to the initial situation or “trigger”. This is basically the situation at hand that triggered your mental though process.
- B = Belief System. Your interpretation of the situation, what you tell yourself about the event (your self talk) and your beliefs and expectations of others.
- C = Consequences. How you feel and what you do in response to your belief system (the emotional and behavioral consequences).
- D = Dispute. Examine your beliefs and expectations. Are they unrealistic or irrational? If so, what may be an alternative, more rational appraisal of the situation? A more realistic interpretation is likely to lead to different, healthier emotional and behavioral consequences.
Putting the ABC model into practice
Here is a simple example to illustrate the model:
A – Activating Event
You’re strolling down the street and someone you know walks right by you without saying hello.
B – Belief System
You think to yourself, “What did I do? He/she must be upset with me or doesn’t like me anymore.”
C – Consequences
You start to worry and feel bad about yourself, then you get a little angry and decide to give this person the cold shoulder next time you see them.
D – Dispute
…then you catch yourself and say, “Wait, he/she probably didn’t see me; perhaps he/she was distracted by something difficult that happened earlier that day.”
After you say this to yourself, you notice that you feel more relaxed, less worried, more rational. You decide to approach this person next time you see them to inquire about how they’ve been doing.
For the model to work, awareness is the first step. The “B” part (one’s belief system) is very conditioned (i.e., our beliefs and expectations of others are often conditioned by past experiences). Therefore, the thoughts and self-talk that initially occur are typically quite automatic and happen on a subconscious level.
The challenge is to pause, slow down and increase your level of awareness to identify the contents of A, B and C. With this information, you’re then more empowered to evaluate the situation rationally and alter your response (the “D” part) in a healthier way.
A great way to start experimenting with this model is to write down the contents of A-B-C on a piece of paper after you experience a challenging or difficult situation. Once you review A, B and C, fill in the D part (assuming that you didn’t already take this step). Writing the information down is better than trying to sort it thru in your mind. Writing will heighten your awareness, bring more clarity and make a more lasting imprint on your memory bank. Practicing the ABCDs after the fact will eventually lead to implementing these changes in the moment, when you’re actually experiencing the problem.
Download a more comprehensive CBT manual:
Resources:
- http://www.davidbonham-carter.com/abcmodelcbt.html
- http://www.davidbonham-carter.com/cbt-techniques.html
- http://www.psychologyliving.com/help-center/tools-for-emotional-health/a-b-c-d-model/
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