Theories Of Epictetus Behavioral Therapy

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Epictetus philosophy states, “What disturbs men’s mind is not the events, but their judgment of events.” Albert Ellis used Epictetus philosophy as the foundation of his theory, rational-emotive-behavioral therapy (REBT) (Thompson & Henderson, 2011, p. 208). Thompson and Henderson (2011) states REBT practitioners emphasize present events and how we react to them. The theory of REBT stresses that, as human beings, we have choices. We control our ideas, attitudes, feelings, and we arrange our lives according to our own dictates (p. 209). Base on the definition of REBT, people are neither good nor bad given that the theory focuses on the thinking process of a person and how their thoughts plays a role in their behavioral decisions. The film Falling …show more content…
An important dialogue occurred during one of the phone calls to Beth: William: I've passed the point of no return. Do you know what that is, Beth? That's the point in a journey where it's longer to go back to the beginning. It's like when those astronauts got in trouble. I don't know, somebody messed up, and they had to get them back to Earth. But they had passed the point of no return. They were on the other side of the moon and were out of contact for like hours. Everybody waited to see if a bunch of dead guys in a can would pop out the other side. Well, that's me. I'm on the other side of the moon now and everybody is going to have to wait until I pop out.
Beth: The police are …show more content…
Thompson and Henderson (2011) declared, “it is easier to avoid facing many life difficulties and self-responsibilities than to undertake more rewarding forms of self-discipline” (p. 211). In William perspective, to retreat and correct his choices is harder than moving forward avoiding his past. When he proclaim to Beth that he is at a point where going forth is shorter than going back, William was convinced that his behavior was acceptable and what happened in the past is in the past. Thompson and Henderson (2011) continue to state, “human unhappiness is externally caused, and people have littler or no ability to control their sorrows or rid themselves of their negative feelings” (p. 211). William never told Beth verbally that she is causing him unhappiness. Through his non-verbal messages, such as facial expression and tone of voice, it is apparent that Beth does produces melancholic feeling in William. These feeling can result in lack of control in behavior. Because William internalizes these feeling, he is warning Beth that murdering her is legal if he has a rational reason. Eventually, towards the end of the film, William encounters Sergeant Prendergast. Sergeant Prendergast plays the role as a REBT
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