Which of the following is a core component of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy's approach to beliefs?

• A. Disputing irrational beliefs
• B. Dream interpretation
• C. Transference analysis
• D. Systematic desensitization

Answer: (A)

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy centers on how beliefs shape emotions. In REBT, emotional distress isn’t caused by events themselves but by irrational or rigid beliefs about those events. The key technique is disputing these irrational beliefs—checking them for logical soundness, empirical support, and practicality, then replacing them with more rational, flexible alternatives. This process is often framed with the ABCDE model: Activating event, Belief, Consequence, Disputation, and Effective new belief. By consistently disputing and reframing irrational beliefs, clients learn to regulate their emotions and behaviors more adaptively. The other options come from different therapeutic traditions: dream interpretation is linked to psychoanalytic theory, transference analysis to psychodynamic work with the client–therapist relationship, and systematic desensitization to behavioral therapy methods for anxiety through gradual exposure.