In Rational Behavior Therapy, what does cognitive-emotive dissonance refer to?

• A. It is a method for disputing irrational beliefs.
• B. It is a refocus of attention that helps align feelings and thoughts.
• C. It describes the content of logical thought.
• D. It is a method to increase dream recall.

Answer: (B)

Cognitive-emotive dissonance in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is the tension that comes from a mismatch between what you think (cognition) and what you feel (emotion). When irrational beliefs drive emotional responses, the resulting conflict between thinking and feeling creates distress. The therapeutic aim is to refocus attention on the beliefs fueling the emotion and to shift toward more rational interpretations so that feelings and thoughts align more closely. This alignment reduces the emotional disturbance because the person’s appraisal of events becomes consistent with healthier, more realistic beliefs.

Disputing irrational beliefs is a key technique used to address this dissonance, but it’s the process of clarifying and altering the belief system that resolves the mismatch. Describing the content of logical thought doesn’t capture the emotional incongruity at issue, and increasing dream recall is unrelated to this concept.