Albert Ellis originally posited that there were twelve false ideas that people fell prey to believing.  These are worth thinking about, even thought they tend to fall under THREE MAJOR IRRATIONAL beliefs that Ellis distilled later in his career.

I’m going to put these into my own words, so this is my “translation” of the original 12 that Ellis discussed in 1955.  You might want to check out The Albert Ellis Reader, edited by Ellis and Blau, because it has a great collection of his writings.  Anyway, here are the 12–see if you do any of these:

1. We believe that it is life or death that we get love and approval from others.
2. We think that people who do wrong acts things are 100% evil.
3. We think that when things aren’t going the way we want them to go, that it is terrible, horrible, and catastrophic & that life must be as we want it to be.
4. Because we want this, we think that unpleasant conditions mustn’t exist–when they do, they are the source of unhappiness.
5. We think that if something is outside of our comfort zone, we should feel scared & anxious about it.
6. The idea that hassels shouldn’t even exist!
7. The idea that we have to always rely upon something greater than ourselves, rather than on ourselves.
8. The idea that we have to be competent and good at everything we do, in all ways.
9. The idea that if something affected us once, it will affect us indefinitely (that the past dictates the present & future).
10. The idea that other people have to do what we want them to do.
11. The idea that human happiness is something that just happens & takes no work on our parts.
12. The idea that our emotions just happen & we don’t have any control over them.

Eventually, Ellis distilled this into 3 main irrational beliefs that people use to disturb themselves.  These are also known as the 3 MUSTS & are

1. I must do well & gain approval.
2. Others must treat me fairly & nicely.
3. Conditions must be comfortable and hassle free.

Next time you’re feeling depressed, angry, panicky, or whathaveyou….see if you’re doing any of these.  Part of the joy of turning toward your own inner guidance is that you will become more self-directed and more aware of the truth or fallacy of your beliefs.

–Dr. Pam

http://www.myinnerguide.com