@philosophyminis: Many people hold irrational beliefs that are making them unhappy, because our beliefs define our mindset, and our mindset defines how we experience the world. And according to Albert Ellis, we can change this. In the 1950s, Ellis developed a therapy known as Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. The idea is that a lot of people carry with them four core irrational beliefs. They are a kind of destructive and negative self-talk that we can resolve. First, there is demandingness, where we think the world has to go a certain way. For example, 'My dad has to talk to me.' Second, there is awfulising, where we think that things are worse than they actually are. 'My dad didn't talk to me, therefore he doesn't love me.' Third, there is low frustration tolerance, where we think that we cannot cope with something. 'I cannot live without my dad's love.' And finally, there is global evaluation, where we think that a one-off or occasional event reflects a wider trend. 'My dad didn't talk to me at Christmas, therefore he will never talk to me.' And so, a standard therapy session for Ellis involves teaching the patient how to identify these irrational beliefs, how to dispute them, and how to cope with them should they reappear. I'm often asked, 'What is the point of philosophy?' And I say that philosophy is a great way to sort our thinking and our mindset, because our mindset defines what we experience, and what we experience defines our moods. And so, getting to analyse the irrational, ill-thought-out beliefs at the heart of REBT is a great example of how effective philosophy can be.

Jonny Thomson

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Wednesday 26 August 2026 14:15:00 GMT