Famous psychologist Albert Ellis developed a model of maladjustment focused on irrational (self-defeating) beliefs. Applying these 10 or so beliefs to events tends to make a person experience negative emotions. I led the development of a scale to measure those beliefs, and many researchers have used the scale in published research. I hope that psychotherapists also use it with their clients. I will put the scale below. The first 10 items convey the core irrational beliefs. The second 10 items repeat the same concepts.
You can complete the scale yourself. Large samples of university students usually have a mean score of about 60, with a standard deviation of about 10. Scores over 70 suggest elevated levels of irrational beliefs. Also, it is possible to look at responses to individual items and see whether you may be causing yourself misery by believing strongly in a certain type of irrational belief. Keep in mind that your responses may be influenced right now by what you have just read about “irrational” beliefs.
The usual treatment for irrational beliefs is to help the client (1) see how a belief is irrational or self-defeating, (b) identify incidents where the person applies the belief to events (usually leading to negative emotions), (3) use countering thoughts such as asking “What is the evidence for that thought? What is the value of thinking that?,” and (4) use rational replacement thoughts such as “I can exercise control over my emotions” and “I want to do well in life, but do not have to be perfect in everything I do.” For more information about treatment for self-defeating beliefs, see “A New Guide to Rational Lving” and other books by Albert Ellis (http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/12929.Albert_Ellis).
BELIEF SCALE
Please use the scale below to express how much you agree with each of the following statements. Write your response next to the statement number.
1. Strongly disagree
2. Disagree somewhat
3. Neither agree nor disagree
4. Agree somewhat
5. Strongly agree
____ 1. To be a worthwhile person I must be thoroughly competent in everything I do.
____ 2. My negative emotions are the result of external pressures.
____ 3. To be happy, I must maintain the approval of all the persons I consider significant.
____ 4. Most people who have been unfair to me are generally bad individuals.
____ 5. Some of my ways of acting are so ingrained that I could never change them.
____ 6. When it looks as if something might go wrong, it is reasonable to be quite concerned.
____ 7. Life should be easier than it is.
____ 8. It is awful when something I want to happen does not occur.
____ 9. It makes more sense to wait than to try to improve a bad life situation.
____10. I hate it when I cannot eliminate an uncertainty.
____11. Many events from my past so strongly influence me that it is impossible to change.
____12. Individuals who take unfair advantage of me should be punished.
____13. If there is a risk that something bad will happen, it makes sense to be upset.
____14. It is terrible when things do not go the way I would like.
____15. I must keep achieving in order to be satisfied with myself.
____16. Things should turn out better than they usually do.
____17. I cannot help how I feel when everything is going wrong.
____18. To be happy I must be loved by the persons who are important to me.
____19. It is better to ignore personal problems than to try to solve them.
____20. I dislike having any uncertainty about my future.
For more information about the scale, see:
Malouff, J., Schutte, N., & McClelland, T. (1992). Examination of the relationship between irrational beliefs and state anxiety. Personality & Individual Differences, 13, 451 456.
Malouff, J., Valdenegro, J. & Schutte, N. (1987). Further validation of a measure of irrational belief. J. of Rational Emotive Therapy, 5, 189 193.
Malouff, J., & Schutte, N. (1986). Development and validation of a measure of irrational belief. J. of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 54, 860 2.
What is your level of self-defeating beliefs? Do you see how each of the beliefs in the scale can be self-defeating?
John Malouff, PhD, JD, Assoc Prof of Psychology
Well, I’m wondering whether these beliefs change through time. For me, I have a sense that I was definitely more self-defeating at certain times in my life when my sense of self was put to the test, like being dumped by a girlfriend – damn that hurt back then, I seem to vaguely recall, and I took a beating and dissolved into irrational thoughts for a week or two. Also, a couple of times in my life when I hit a major career crisis point (truthfully, ego related, or at least hubris related). I see an immense practical value using this scale in a clinical setting for any psychotherapist, for establishing the status quo, and monitoring progress. Clients like filling in surveys online these days, before the session – wonderfully helpful, and I am finding, quite honest in reporting. I wonder how Albert Ellis would have filled in the form after he was thrown out of his own institute around 90 years of age. I’m thinking he would have wavered for a moment, perhaps even ten seconds, not even enough time to get past question 5, then dismissed the irrational thoughts, and called his lawyer.
Hi Michael. Irrational beliefs may not harm a person as long as everything is going well. When things start to go wrong tho, the beliefs can interact with negative events to create lasting negative emotions. I have a feeling that no one is completely free of irrational thoughts, and that negative events can help produce irrational beliefs. Thoughts and events influence each other in complex ways.
Well, I was able to use this survey with a male client (24) and it opened up a whole discussion I’m sure we would not have had, or at least not in the same productive way. He scored 62 (normal), but what opened up the discussion were his three strongly held beliefs (and as I found out, very strongly held) – something I’m pretty certain would not have happened without this scale. He was completely comfortable completing a survey, then talking the next day, and this gave us a great starting point, allowing exploration of these major issues that affect his life.
Hi Michael. I am glad that you found the scale useful. Sometimes asking just the right questions leads to info valuable in helping a client. I also just asked a client to complete the Belief Scale. I am hoping the responses will point me toward cognitive-behavioral strategies for helping her reduce her anxiety.
Thanks for providing me irrational beliefs scale please grant me the permission to use this scale.
Anyone may use the scale for research or clinical purposes.