Rational-Emotive Therapy: Understanding the Primary Cause of Distress

What is the primary cause of distress according to Rational-Emotive Therapy?

Final answer:

In Rational-Emotive Therapy, the primary cause of distress is the individual's B) interpretation of the event.

Explanation:

The primary cause of distress according to Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) is B) The interpretation of the event. RET emphasizes how our thoughts, particularly our irrational beliefs, are what primarily cause our emotional and behavioral distress. For example, in the case of Jon and Joe, Jon's cognitive distortions - or inaccurate ways of thinking - led him to interpret his situation in a way that resulted in emotional distress. He is applying an all-or-nothing thinking and overgeneralization, taking a small situation and making it seem much worse than it actually is. In contrast, Joe doesn't allow his interpretation of the situation to negatively affect his emotional wellbeing.