According to Beck's Cognitive Therapy, how should clients adjust their personal rules?

• A. Make rules less extreme and absolute, drop false rules, and substitute adaptive rules
• B. Rigidly maintain rules despite evidence
• C. Create more extreme generalizations
• D. Rely on therapist's rules

Answer: (A)

Beck’s Cognitive Therapy targets the rigid rules we impose on ourselves and the world. People often feel distressed because they hold absolutist rules like “I must always be perfect” or “If something goes wrong, I’m ruined.” The therapeutic move is to notice these rules, test them against reality, and replace them with more flexible, adaptive ones. By softening extreme rules and dropping those that aren’t true or helpful, clients develop beliefs that tolerate mistakes, uncertainty, and varying circumstances while still guiding their behavior in constructive ways. For example, changing “I must never fail” to a more adaptive rule like “I prefer to do well, but I can learn from setbacks and still move forward” reduces distress and supports healthier action. This approach emphasizes the client developing and using balanced rules rather than maintaining rigidity, blindly following external directives, or increasing generalizations.