This study is meant to replicate research by O’Toole (1997), investigating the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT), and REBT combined with REST, in reducing and treating social anxiety disorder (SAD). The present study used a counselling programme grounded in REBT and/or REST to re-examine the effects of REBT and/or REST on treating SAD in college students in a Saudi Arabian university. An experimental pre-test, post-test, control group design was utilised, and quantitative and content analysis data were collected and analysed using O’Toole’s measures after being ‘Arabicised’ and standardised. Social anxiety was measured using the Interaction Anxiousness Scale and the Shyness Scale. Seventy-five volunteers, who were undergraduate students at King Abdul Aziz University, participated in the study. The measures were used in placing the clients in their respective groups in the empirical study and for comparing pre-testing data with post-testing and follow-up results. Findings indicated that both treatments of REBT-only and REST plus REBT proved effective in the reduction of prior irrational beliefs, considering their reduced irrational thinking scores at the advanced stages of the study. That notwithstanding, follow-up post-comparison analyses confirmed that REST plus REBT therapy is more effective than REBT only. Content analysis data derived from the reflections and cognitions of the participants yielded findings that support and integrate with the results obtained from the quantitative study, which involved the use of numerical scales. The findings were later compared and contrasted with the basal study findings and in congruence with prior research reviewed. Finally, the present study recommended that REBT should be supported by REST to gain more effective psychotherapeutic results with SAD patients by efficaciously reducing their irrational beliefs. The study also recommended conducting future research to tap into the relationship between religiosity and REBT, harnessing REBT/REST counselling programmes.

The aim of this study is research of irrational beliefs of Ellis in connections with personality variables in penitentiary background. This study is oriented to differences in this domains by prisoners according to the kind of criminal offence too. Prisoners were administrated (N=208; violent criminal offence N=100, property criminal offence N=108) PSSI - Inventory of styles and personality disorders (Kuhl - Kazén, 2002), Quenstionaire SPARO (Mikšík, 2001), Inventory of irrational beliefs (IBI; Koopmans et al.) and scale IPA (Kondáš - Kordačová, 2000). Results refer to signifikant high rate of prisoners irrational beliefs and their specific personality configuration. Differences in prisoners personality in according to the kind of criminal offence was not affirm. Prisoners irrationality of Ellis relate mainly to schizotyp styl of personality and to others personality variables of behavior under stress. This study offers an qualitative and longitudinal view in this problematic, too. Outcomes of this study are to use for concret work with prisoners, for creation of treatment program toward influence their attitudes, beliefs and general kognitive framework, their is relate to their criminal offence; for checking of effectiveness this programs and for inspiration in another reasearch in penitentiary...

The aim of this study is research of irrational beliefs of Ellis in connections with personality variables in penitentiary background. This study is oriented to differences in this domains by prisoners according to the kind of criminal offence too. Prisoners were administrated (N=208; violent criminal offence N=100, property criminal offence N=108) PSSI - Inventory of styles and personality disorders (Kuhl - Kazén, 2002), Quenstionaire SPARO (Mikšík, 2001), Inventory of irrational beliefs (IBI; Koopmans et al.) and scale IPA (Kondáš - Kordačová, 2000). Results refer to signifikant high rate of prisoners irrational beliefs and their specific personality configuration. Differences in prisoners personality in according to the kind of criminal offence was not affirm. Prisoners irrationality of Ellis relate mainly to schizotyp styl of personality and to others personality variables of behavior under stress. Outcomes of this study are to use for concret work with prisoners, for creation of treatment program toward influence their attitudes, beliefs and general kognitive framework, their is relate to their criminal offence; for checking of effectiveness this programs and for inspiration in another reasearch in penitentiary population too. Key words: irrational beliefs, personality of prisoner, kind of criminal offence.

Text in Afrikaans / Students who study part time find themselves in a situation, with much pressure, which causes stress. The reason for this study was therefore to investigate the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Therapy as a coping technique for students in order to handle stress. A qualitative analysis was conducted and data was gathered primarily through group therapy and interviewing. The results of the research led to the conclusion that Rational Emotive Therapy could be effectively applied by students as a stresscoping mechanism / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

Text in Afrikaans / Students who study part time find themselves in a situation, with much pressure, which causes stress. The reason for this study was therefore to investigate the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Therapy as a coping technique for students in order to handle stress. A qualitative analysis was conducted and data was gathered primarily through group therapy and interviewing. The results of the research led to the conclusion that Rational Emotive Therapy could be effectively applied by students as a stresscoping mechanism / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

Esta dissertação analisa uma organização ocultista, sediada na cidade de São Paulo, com o auxílio da Teoria Crítica da Escola de Frankfurt e da psicanálise freudiana. Pretendemos com isso compreender em parte o processo de formação da subjetividade moderna dentro da sociedade totalmente administrada, bem como discutir a irracionalidade da cultura refletida no sujeito como um eco do social. O trabalho conclui que a transição do capitalismo concorrencial para o capitalismo de monopólios gerou uma busca por valores espirituais muito de acordo com a lógica do consumo de massas. Concluímos também que a irracionalidade de tais renascimentos religiosos, dos quais a Pró-Vida é um exemplo, representam o reflexo da patologia social da razão humana. / This thesis analyses an occultist organization, placed in the city of São Paulo, with the help of the Frankfurt Schools Critical Theory and the Freudian psychoanalysis. Our intention is to understand in part the modern subjectivity formation process inside the wholly administrated society, and to discuss the culture irrationality reflected on the subject as an echo of the social. The thesis concludes that the transition from concurrent to monopolist capitalism has generated a search for spiritual values according to the logic of mass consumption. We also conclude that this religious revival irrationality, of that which the Pró-Vida group is an example, represents the reflex of the social pathology of human reason.

This thesis aimed to investigate predictors of body image which were irrational beliefs, socially-prescribed perfectionism, social comparison, physical activity level and satisfaction with life among university students. Participants were included of 790 undergraduate students from different departments of in a large state university and sample is selected according to convenience sampling method. Multidimensional Body Self Relations Scale, Irrational Beliefs Scale-Short, Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism Scale, Social Comparison Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale and demographic information form were used to collect the data. Multiple regression analysis was used to explain the hypothesized model of predictors of body image. Results indicated that irrational beliefs, social comparison, physical activity level and satisfaction with life predicted body image positively whereas the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism was positive but non-significant. In addition comparing the mean scores of scales by gender, total score of body image was higher in men than women. Findings of this study revealed that social comparison was playing a significant role in forming body image followed by spending little time vs. much time engaging with sportive activities, irrational beliefs, satisfaction with life and having little time vs. average time for physical activities. Results were discussed regarding to the relevant literature.

The Irrational Beliefs Inventory (IBI) was built to measure self-defeating beliefs as conceptualized in Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy. The IBI has five factors: worrying, rigidity, problem avoidance, need for approval, and emotional irresponsibility. A three-phase cross-cultural study was conducted to translate and adapt the IBI from English to Icelandic, and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) approach was used for a test of factorial validity and cross-cultural invariance. In Phase 1, the IBI was translated from English to Icelandic, using a forward-translation and back-translation. Two forward-translators and two back-translators were recruited. In Phase 2, qualitative interview methods were used in both the U.S. and Iceland to gain insights into the meaning of the items on the IBI. In the U.S., 21 university students provided insights in a group discussion, and four students were individually interviewed in depth about individual items on the IBI. In Iceland, four university students were interviewed in depth about the meaning of individual items. Three Icelandic psychology professionals were recruited to evaluate the appropriateness of the IBI for the Icelandic culture. In Phase 3, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to check factorial validity and cross-cultural invariance of the IBI. The total sample size in Phase 3 was N=1547, all college students, with n=827 in the U.S. and n=720 in Iceland. Overall, the CFA did not support the fit of the IBI's original five-factor model, although the fit was slightly better in the Icelandic version. Fit indices conflicted; the chi-square and comparative fit index (CFI) showed poor fit, while the RMSEA and SRMR showed acceptable fit. Correlated error was found between 85 item pairs in the U.S. model, and between 68 item pairs in the Icelandic model. Modifications were attempted to the original model by including the correlated errors, and a multigroup CFA was conducted. Adding the correlated errors slightly improved the fit of both models, but only 11 out of the IBI's 50 items were found to have equivalent item factor loadings and intercepts between the countries. Results from the psychometric analysis and qualitative interviews indicated that the IBI needs to be rewritten if the measure is to be used for research in Iceland. The results were discussed in light of a recent analysis of REBT-based measurement instruments, and implications for cross-cultural research on highly abstract constructs such as irrationality were discussed.

Esta dissertação analisa uma organização ocultista, sediada na cidade de São Paulo, com o auxílio da Teoria Crítica da Escola de Frankfurt e da psicanálise freudiana. Pretendemos com isso compreender em parte o processo de formação da subjetividade moderna dentro da sociedade totalmente administrada, bem como discutir a irracionalidade da cultura refletida no sujeito como um eco do social. O trabalho conclui que a transição do capitalismo concorrencial para o capitalismo de monopólios gerou uma busca por valores espirituais muito de acordo com a lógica do consumo de massas. Concluímos também que a irracionalidade de tais renascimentos religiosos, dos quais a Pró-Vida é um exemplo, representam o reflexo da patologia social da razão humana. / This thesis analyses an occultist organization, placed in the city of São Paulo, with the help of the Frankfurt Schools Critical Theory and the Freudian psychoanalysis. Our intention is to understand in part the modern subjectivity formation process inside the wholly administrated society, and to discuss the culture irrationality reflected on the subject as an echo of the social. The thesis concludes that the transition from concurrent to monopolist capitalism has generated a search for spiritual values according to the logic of mass consumption. We also conclude that this religious revival irrationality, of that which the Pró-Vida group is an example, represents the reflex of the social pathology of human reason.

This study explored the influence of irrational beliefs on adolescent secondary school learners’ Mathematics achievement in Zimbabwe. Learner, home and school factors which influence secondary school learners’ Mathematics achievement were discussed and relevant studies were scrutinised. The theoretical views of Albert Ellis regarding the characteristics, effects, acquisition and maintenance of irrational beliefs were discussed together with the major irrational beliefs and their possible relationship with learners’ Mathematics achievement. A sample of 306 randomly selected adolescent Mathematics learners comprising 182 girls and 124 boys in the 14 to 18 year age range participated in the study. A composite questionnaire with subscales on learners’ irrational beliefs, socio-affective variables and perceptions was used during the empirical investigation. Six major hypotheses were tested. The study established that learners’ irrational thoughts about Mathematics correlate negatively with their Mathematics achievement. Learners’ irrational thoughts about Mathematics correlated negatively with motivation, self-concept, parental involvement, and teacher-learner relationships and positively with stress, anxiety and faulty perceptions. Regression analysis proved that learners’ irrational beliefs, socio-affective variables and perceptions jointly explain a greater proportion of the variance in Mathematics achievement than any one of these factors on its own. Therefore, learners’ Mathematics achievement is affected by irrational beliefs together with their socio-affective variables and perceptions. Practical recommendations were given to Mathematics education stakeholders such as teachers, school counsellors, parents and learners to minimise poor Mathematics achievement attributable to irrational beliefs and the allied variables explored in this study. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)