ABCs of CBT

M I N D F U L N E S S PR AC T I T I O N E R
ABC’S OF CBT
ABC’S OF CBT
People respond to being stuck in traffic differently. Where one person will honk their horn in rage, an-
other will turn on some peaceful music and just sit and wait and another will become overwhelmed with
anxiety because they’re going to be late. Why do people have different reactions to stress and adversity?
Many people believe that negative events cause them to act in certain ways. However, research tells
us that our reactions are based on our beliefs about the situation rather than the situation itself. When
adversity happens, the first thing we attempt to do is explain to ourselves why it happened rather than
examine what beliefs we have which caused us to feel the way we did.
Psychologist Dr Albert Ellis created the ABC model to help people understand the meaning of their reac-
tions to adversity:
A is the adversity—the event or situation.

B is the belief or thought—our explanation about why the event/situation happened.
C is the consequent emotion and behaviour—the feelings and behaviours our belief causes.
A = Activating Event/Adversity
Activating events are triggers that cause potential stress. There are different types of stressors; for exam-
ple, most people would find life event stressors, such as the death of a loved one, extremely difficult and
stressful. Then there are ‘daily hassles’ which are more common stressors. Not everyone finds these daily
hassles stressful because our individual beliefs, thoughts and perceptions regarding the daily hassles
determine if the event is stressful for us or not.
B = Belief/Thought
When we’re born, we come into this world as a clean slate: we have no beliefs, opinions, perceptions or
views. As soon as we can talk and listen, we begin to learn the opinions of our parents, our peers, class-
mates, etc. We automatically begin using these beliefs as a template for interpreting ourselves, others
and the world in general. The main problem is that others will not necessarily have the same template,
beliefs and views as we do.
Individuals use their beliefs to interpret what is happening to them. These beliefs might be accurate,
optimistic, possible and flexible, in which case, these types of beliefs or thinking skills can help to reduce
the amount of stress a person experiences in life. However, a lot of beliefs take the form of automatic
negative thoughts which are often rigid, inflexible and pessimistic and this can play a huge part in ex-
acerbating an individual’s stress levels. Fortunately, it’s possible to change our beliefs and, as a result,
reduce our stress levels.
The aim of the ABC model is about shifting the focus away from external events and onto our internal
processing of the event (i.e. our beliefs). Our interpretation of the event is a subconscious reaction which
occurs automatically. This idea developed from the Freudian Iceberg theory, which explores the concept
that there are three levels of consciousness: the conscious, subconscious and unconscious.
ABC’S OF CBT
C = Consequent Emotion/Behaviour
The final part of the A+B=C equation is Consequent Emotion/Behaviour. This refers to the feelings/
behaviours that occur as a result of an individual’s beliefs and self-talk in response to the trigger. These
feelings/behaviours might include stress, fear, worry, anxiety, frustration, anger, aggression, depression,
irritability, avoidance, social withdrawal, etc.
A never equals C: it’s a process. A + B = C. Here’s an example of the ABC framework applied to a young
woman whose boyfriend has just ended their relationship.
A = Activating Event = ‘My boyfriend has left me.’
B = Belief = ‘I can’t live without him. Everyone always breaks up with me. There must be something wrong
with me. Life isn’t worth living without someone to love and care for me’.
C = Consequent Emotion/Behaviour = Feels depressed. Has no motivation to go out or do the things that
she normally enjoys.
Here’s an example of a different reaction that someone else might have to the same problem.
A = Activating Event = ‘My boyfriend has left me.’
B = Belief = ‘I’m sad that it’s over, but it’s his choice to walk away. It’ll take me time to get over this but I
know this is not a reflection on me and I will be OK’.
C = Consequent Emotion/Behaviour = Feels sad that the relationship has ended but continues with the
things she enjoys in life.
This ABC Framework helps individuals begin identifying their limiting beliefs and build awareness of
how they think. By identifying thoughts that are often irrational, illogical and unhelpful, they can start to
dispute them and begin to practise replacing them with healthier alternatives.

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M I N D F U L N E S S PR AC T I T I O N E R

A is the adversity—the event or situation.

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