Ellis ABC

• Ellis believed that depressives mistakenly blame external events for their unhappiness however it is their interpretation of these events that is to blame for their distress. He proposed that the key to depression is irrational beliefs. Depression is produced by the irrational thoughts triggered by unpleasant events. In his ABC model: ...
• ... A refers to an activating event. A circumstance, event or experience that happens in an environment around you. It will trigger ...
• ... beliefs, B, about the event which will be either rational or irrational.
• C is consequences. Rational thoughts lead to healthy emotions and reactions whilst irrational thoughts lead to unhealthy emotions and reactions which can lead to depression.
• It is not the activating event that causes the consequence; the consequence is caused by the beliefs about the activating event. Having irrational beliefs leads to unhealthy negative reactions and emotions which in turn leads to depression. Individuals who become depressed interpret unpleasant events excessively negative or threatening ways at point B