Albert Ellis’ 14 Self Defeating Beliefs Disputation Guide

This guide presents a clear, structured exposition of Albert Ellis’ fourteen self-defeating beliefs, as formulated within Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). It explains how rigid, absolutist thinking patterns, not external events, generate persistent emotional distress, and how Ellis’ method of cognitive disputation logically dismantles those beliefs.

The book is educational, not a workbook or self-help program. Each belief is analyzed using the A-B-C-D-E model, detailing how it operates, the psychological cost it creates, the logic behind disputing it, and the rational alternatives that reduce disturbance without promoting unrealistic positivity.

Written in an academic, precise style, this guide is intended for readers who want a deep understanding of cognitive appraisal, emotional regulation, and philosophical change, grounded in one of the foundational frameworks of modern cognitive psychology.

It offers clarity, intellectual rigor, and conceptual strength, not quick fixes, exercises, or motivational promises.