Ellis' ABC model

• Ellis' ABC model

  (A) Activating event

  (B) Beliefs

  (C) Consequences
• (A) Activating event

  • irrational thoughts are triggered by negative events, we get depressed when we experience these
• (B) Beliefs

  • Musturbation - the belief we must always succeed
  • Utopianism - the belief life is always meant to be fair
• (C) Consequences

  • when activating events trigger irrational beliefs, there are emotional/behavioural consequences
  • these are unhealthy in the case of depression
• (E) - Partial explanation

  • Ellis explains reactive depression but not all cases arise from activating events which suggests there must be other explanations
• (E) + Practical application in CBT

  • lead to CBT, evidence supporting the idea of challenging irrational beliefs lowering depression
• (E) - Doesn't explain all aspects of depression

  • explains why some people are more vulnerable than others but not the deeper/more complex symptoms