Fundamental Viewpoints Adlerian theory considers that there are tasks of life, which include love, work, society, spirituality, and self ( Watts, 2000, pg. 13) and each one exists within a person. When a person has a true sense of community feeling or the sense of belonging does a person have a high social interest (Curlette & Kern, 2010). Social interest happens when the individual’s thoughts and behaviors contribute to society as a whole. (Watts, 2000, pg. 13-14).
Adlerian theory states that everyone has a style of life or lifestyle that develops in childhood (Curlette & Kern, 2010), this is unique to each individual and this helps a person cope with “the tasks and challenges of life” (Watts, 2000, pg. 2). There are several key concepts to Adlerian theory. This theory looks at a person from a holistic and systematic approach from their social context or interaction with self and others (Bitter & Nicoll, 2000, pg. 33). The client is the expert on his or her life and contains the thoughts, behaviors, convictions, and beliefs that cause them to consult a therapist.
An important concept of Adlerian theory is family constellation; this explains the personality traits of a person in birth order. A person’s private logic creates feelings of inferiority, thus it is natural for a person to for a person to strive for superiority. A person’s ultimate life goal is for him or her to be perfect version of self (Bitter & Nicoll, 2000, pg. 39; Bitter & Nicoll, 2004, pg. 45). According to RationalEmotive Behavior Therapy, people contain of irrational and rational beliefs.
Dryden (2009) defines rational beliefs as flexible and not extreme and irrational beliefs as rigid, extreme, and has no empirical basis. Irrational beliefs contain demands of must, should, needs, and ought (Ellis, 2001, pg. 65; Sacks, 2004, pg. 24). The use of the “ABCDE” model helps to understand the irrational beliefs. An activating event (A) causes the belief (B) which creates negative emotions or consequences (C). Once a person understands that their belief is irrational, they can dispute (D) it.
This is done through questioning and challenging that belief which would result in “effective new philosophy” (E) or rational belief. When the activating event is acknowledge by the client, this creates a high frustration tolerance (Dryden, 2009, pg. 25; Ellis, 2001, pg. 92; Ellis, 2001, pg. 147; Dryden, 2009, pg. 79). High Frustration Tolerance is the belief that a person “is incapable of tolerating of having what they must have” (Hyland & Boduszek, 2012, pg. 107). Ellis (2001) tates that clients need unconditional self-acceptance and unconditional other-acceptance to get better.
Unconditional other-acceptance gives the client to courage to dispute their irrational belief but need unconditional self-acceptance to dispute the belief completely. Views of Abnormal and Normal Behavior Adlerian theory determines behavior patterns from their family constellation, their early recollection, strengths, weakness, and coping styles (Bitter & Nicolli, 2000, pg. 37). Michael P. Maniacci (2002) determines that there are two types of behavior: normal and pathological. Normal behavior consists of feelings of inferiority that does not interfere with life tasks. However, abnormal behavior does interfere with life tasks.
Abnormal behavior can be a “product of organ inferiority”, stressors from life tasks, or lifestyle convictions (pg. 359). Just like Adlerian theory, REBT determines that irrational beliefs do interfere with “one or two specific areas or more generally across different areas” of life (Dryden, 2009, pg. 25). These irrational beliefs cause an action that result in a person not being able to experience life. REBT “doesn’t ignore the role of the environment and fully recognizes that the environment interacts with our innate biological tendencies to disturb ourselves” (Hyland & Boduszek, 2012, pg. 107).
Adlerian theory uts more emphasis on social functioning as a determinate of normal and abnormal behavior (Maniacci, 2002, pg. 357-8). Therefore, “all behavior is rooted in socially constructed meaning and is only understandable with reference to its socially embedded context” (Bitter & Nicoll, 2004, pg. 42). Each individual has their own “rules of interaction” and when there is a shift in these, it creates abnormal behavior (Bitter & Nicoll, 2004, pg. 46). However, REBT believes that people with irrational beliefs tend to take them to dysfunctional behaviors because of strong biological tendencies (Ellis, 2001, pg. 102).
Further, REBT maintains that abnormal behaviors are “influenced by biological tendencies and environmental and social conditions, but are largely created and sustained by a philosophy of dogmatic, rigid commands or demands and irrational conclusions” (Sacks, 2004, pg. 24), . The activating event that produces irrational belief leads to consequences that cause psychopathology. Adlerian Theory and REBT state that behaviors are indeed goal-oriented (Hyland & Boduszek, 2012, pg. 107; Watts, 2000, pg. 14).
Both theories do agree that these beliefs are difficult but not impossible through change (Ellis, 2001, pg. 102; Bitter & Nicolli, 2000, pg. 9-40). Assessment of Normal and Abnormal Behavior A therapist develops an assessment, to understand the client’s problem and its effect on his or her life. In REBT, therapist uses the ABC model to identify the irrational belief, the event that caused it, and the emotional consequences that result. This gives the therapist guidance on how to assist the client in disputing irrational beliefs (Sacks, 2004, pg. 25). Dryden (2009) states that in REBT, the therapist, does an assessment after discussing the consequences of the belief. The assessment consists of understanding the context or situation in which the belief occurred.
From there, the therapist determines if the belief is real or imagined. In the context of this situation, clients make inferences and which are important in determining what the client was most disturbed about context of the situation. Ellis (2001) stresses that thinking and feeling is important to understanding the dysfunction. Adlerian Theory uses a lifestyle assessment which consists of their family constellation, early recollection, and private logic to determine if there is a diminish in social interest or they are meeting a life task (Watts, 2000, pg. 12-15).
This creates a “holistic picture” (Bitter & Nicolli, pg. 36). Similar to REBT, the lifestyle assessment identifies those dysfunctional behaviors in Adlerian theory. Facilitation of Behavior Change Adlerian theory considers encouragement, crucial for a behavioral change using empathy and active listening (Watts, 2000, pg. 14-15). Also, REBT agrees that encouragement is need for a client to change their irrational beliefs to rational beliefs (Ellis, 2001, pg. 82). Adlerian theory shows that improvement will occur naturally because of encouragement (Lemire, 2007, pg. 61).
Establishing and maintain an encouraging environment in which modeling” occurs, automatically shapes the behavior (Lemire, 2007, pg. 63). Encouragement helps clients make decisions that they can use immediately (Bitter & Nicoll, 2000, pg. 38). The therapeutic relationship is collaborative which makes behavior change to occur (Ellis, 2001, pg. 82). In REBT and Adlerian theory, the client must have intellectual insight and emotional insight to facilitate change. When a client has intellectual insight, it means that they understand the difference between rational and irrational beliefs.
Emotional insight affects his or her feelings, behaviors, and thinking, giving a deep understanding that will lead a significant change (Dryden, 2009, pg. 136). Another concept to REBT, is disputing an irrational belief, which is another step to facilitating change. Client disputes a belief with empirical, logical, and pragmatic arguments. By doing this, the client is able to “construct a rational alternative” turning to a flexible belief. When the client is ready, they will use the rational alternative and it will become a rational belief (Dryden, 2009, pg. 46-150). REBT, unlike Adlerian theory, states that when a client fully accepts themselves and others unconditionally, it enhances their selfdirection and causes change. REBT uses social interest to help facilitate (Ellis, 2001, pg. 84). Both theories agree that people have the resources to change and the therapist uses these to help facilitate change.
Even though, people do have these resources, they also cause clients to develop and maintain irrational beliefs and behaviors (Ellis, 2001, pg. 18; Watts, 2000, pg. 15; Bitter & Nicoll, 2000, pg. 7; Bitter & Nicoll, 2000, pg. 39). There are techniques that the therapist uses to help the client facilitate a behavioral change. Techniques Adlerian theory has four different techniques that therapist use during therapy. The therapist establishes a relationship using “mutual respect, genuine interest, and fascination” and their senses, this lets the client know that the therapist is “interested, competent, and fully present” (Bitter & Nicoll, 2000, pg. 34). The establishment of a strong therapeutic relationship will make the therapy successful (Watts, 2000, pg. 14).
A strong therapeutic relationship is also essential for REBT to help the client overcome irrational beliefs (Ellis, 2001, pg. 82). The therapist understands the dynamics of a client through a subjective and objective interview. “The subjective interview should help the counselor develop an understanding of motivational and behavioral patterns in the person’s life. ” In Adlerian therapy, the therapist asks a client about if they did not have the symptoms, they were experiencing. If the client’s life is the same but with the cause eliminated then the cause is psychological.
However, REBT uses Socratic questioning, which encourages the client to think about irrationality of his or her irrational beliefs and vice versa (Dryden, 2009, pg. 163). The objective interview helps the therapist understand the client in relation to the world, client’s strengths, weaknesses, and coping techniques. To understand the client’s social context, the therapist must understand their family constellation and early recollections. In Adlerian theory, therapists use disclosure because clients understand through interactions.
Goals are instrumental to both Adlerian theory and REBT. These goals change the client emotionally and behaviorally (Sacks, 2004, pg. 28). The main goal of REBT is to change the irrational belief to a rational belief. However, one thing that the therapies agree up is that they do not eliminate or cure the client as the overall goal (Dryden, 2009, pg. 115; Bitter & Nicoll, 2000, pg. 37). Adlerian therapists use goals as a tentative guideline that is adjustable as the sessions continue.
The concepts reorientation and reeducation are useful in helping the client change direction, cope better, and “meet life with new understanding. ” Encouragement, which both therapies use, empowers the client make changes (Bitter & Nicolli, 2000, pg. 34-37). When the therapist cannot get through to a client that heir irrational belief is irrational, the therapist uses didactic explanations. The therapist breaks the irrational belief into parts and explains in simple language about why the belief is false.
The therapist and client discuss the point made and see if the client understands the point. If the client still does not understand then the therapist discusses any “misconceptions” the client develops (Dryden, 2009, pg. 170). Just like REBT, Adlerian therapy techniques are flexible and are unique to the individual (Watts, 2000, pg. 15). REBT consists of several types of cognitive, emotive, and behavioral techniques that produce actions that help the person to change (Sacks, 2004, pg. 26-8).