Jones Irrational Beliefs Test Research Articles

A comparison of the effectiveness of group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy on irrational beliefs and psychological hardiness in brilliant talent students

Background and aims: Irrational beliefs in brilliant talent students can influence their psychological hardiness and lead to adverse social and academic outcomes. The present study mainly aimed to compare the effectiveness of group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy in improving the irrational beliefs and psychological hardiness of male brilliant talent high school students in Shahrekord during 2017. Methods: The present experimental research, used pretest and posttest design including intervention and control groups. The study population included all the male gifted students in Shahrekord (N=276) who were first screened and then, 60 individuals were selected by convenience random sampling. Next, the individuals were assigned a number and then divided into two experimental groups (each containing 20 students) and one control group (including 20 students) using a random number table. Afterward, group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy interventions were performed within eight and ten weeks for the experimental groups, respectively. In addition, Jones Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) and Kobasa’s Psychological Hardiness Scale were employed to data collection. Six months after post-test implementation, the students were followed up. Finally, the data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test. Results: The findings revealed that group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy led to a decrease in irrational beliefs while such therapies improved psychological hardiness in brilliant talent students (P<0.001). Conversely, the results of the post-hoc test indicated no significant difference between the effects of group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy on irrational beliefs and psychological hardiness in brilliant talent students (P>0.05). Conclusion: In general, group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy reduced irrational beliefs whereas they improved psychological hardiness of the brilliant talent students and therefore, these therapies can be used as effective interventions for the intended population.

Non-Coronary Patients with Severe Chest Pain Show More Irrational Beliefs Compared to Patients with Mild Pain.

BackgroundDespite providing insufficient medical evidence of the existence of a real cardiac condition, patients with non-coronary chest pain still interpret their pain incorrectly. The present study, therefore, sought to compare the irrational beliefs in non-coronary patients with mild chest pain against those with severe chest pain.MethodsA cross-sectional design was used. The statistical population comprised non-coronary patients who presented to the Heart Emergency Center of Kermanshah city, Iran. Using a matching method, 96 participants were selected and studied in two groups of 48. The instruments used were the Comorbidity Index, Brief Pain Index, and the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test (short-form). The multivariate analysis of variance, chi-square test, and t-test were used for data analysis.ResultsControlling for the effects of age and comorbid conditions, the severity of three types of irrational beliefs, including emotional irresponsibility (P<0.001), hopelessness changes (P<0.001), and problem avoiding (P=0.002) was higher among patients with severe chest pain (according to effect level). However, in terms of demand for approval, no difference was seen between the two groups (P=0.180).ConclusionNon-coronary patients with severe chest pain showed a greater number of irrational beliefs in comparison to patients with mild pain. Irrational beliefs are common mental occurrences in patients with non-coronary chest pain, and they should be attended to by health professionals, especially in severe non-coronary chest pain. Further investigation to determine the association between irrational beliefs and non-coronary chest pain is necessary.

Comparison of type of irrational beliefs, marital conflicts and coping styles in women seeking divorce and women with intact marriages

Background: Family is a basic institution of society whose structure and relationships it affect the community. Obviously, studying the factors contributing to maintaining the family and strategies to deal with family problems are very important. The aim of the present study was to compare the type of irrational beliefs, marital conflicts and coping styles in divorce-seeking women and women with intact marriages in Tabriz, Iran. Method: The study method was descriptive, causal-comparative. The study sample included all 18-30 year-old married women seeking divorce and all 18-30 year-old married women with intact marriages in Tabriz, Iran. 200 women (2 groups of 100 women, one seeking divorce and one with intact marriage) were selected through convenience sampling in the first group and via simple random sampling in the second group. The instruments for data collection were standardized scales: Jones Irrational Beliefs Test, Sanaei’s Marital Conflict and Endler and Parker coping styles. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and MANOVA test. Results: The results showed a significant difference between the couples seeking divorce and women with intact marriages in terms of irrational beliefs, marital conflicts and coping strategies (P<0.001). The women seeking divorce had irrational beliefs, marital conflicts and emotion-oriented coping strategies. Conclusion: Irrational beliefs, marital conflicts and coping strategies in couples seeking divorce are important to be taken into account.

Comparison of Irrational Beliefs and Defence Mechanisms in Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Normal Individuals

This study aims at comparing beliefs and defense mechanism in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder and normal individuals. Sample consisted of 50 patients with obsessive compulsive disorder and 100 normal individuals. Defensive Styles Questionnaire DSQ-40, Whimsical-Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and Jones's Irrational Beliefs Test were used as the instruments of the study. To analyze the data descriptive statistics and independent t-tests were used. The results showed that there was a significant difference between two groups in their irrational beliefs and defense mechanisms. The findings of this study generally confirmed the findings of other studies. However, research in the field of defense mechanisms requires more attention.

Is Belief in a Just World Rational?

To estimate the relationship between the belief in a just world and irrational thinking, 62 undergraduates completed the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test and the Multidimensional Belief in a Just World Scale. It was hypothesized that belief in a just world precluded rational thinking. No significant correlations were found between scores on irrational beliefs and beliefs in a just world; however, post hoc tests indicated a significant relationship between age and scores on irrational belief in women, indicating that perhaps the older women were less prone to irrational beliefs.

A study of ?Belief? and ?Non-belief? items from the jones irrational beliefs test with implications for the theory of RET

Evidence supporting the fundamental position of Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) that dysfunctional emotions and behaviors are heavily influenced by irrational beliefs has been questioned due to the fact that many measures of beliefs contain items that actually refer to emotions and behaviors. In this study individual items on the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) (Jones, 1968/69) were rated by a panel of experts in RET as to whether they referred to beliefs, behaviors, emotions, or were ambiguous. Then “Belief” items and “Non-belief” items from the responses of 368 participants were extracted and scored separately. The “Non-belief” scores, based on items mostly referring to emotions and behaviors, were strongly related to measures of distress, as would be expected. But scores based on items unequivocally referring to beliefs were also significantly related to measures of emotional distress, psychosomatic symptoms, and suicidal contemplation. These findings are interpreted as clear support for RET's position on the relationship between irrational beliefs (B's) and dysfunctional emotions and behaviors (C's).

Cognitive variables related to suicidal contemplation in adolescents with implications for long-range prevention

In a series of studies with college and high school students (Total N=808) consistent and strong relationships were found between suicidal contemplation and the irrational beliefs considered by Rational-Emotive Theory & Therapy (RET) to underlie emotional distress. Suicidal contemplation was measured first by an item from the Beck Depression Inventory and subsequently by the Suicide Probability Scale. Irrational beliefs were measured by the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test and, in the third study, by the new Attitudes & Belief Scale-II as well. Groups formed on the basis of increasing indices of suicidal contemplation were found to be consistently, increasingly more irrational on both measures. Also groups created according to low, medium, and high levels of irrational beliefs (the “B” in RET) were found to be markedly different on “C” variables such as anxiety, depression, hopelessness, anger, psychosomoatic symptoms and suicidal contemplation. The findings were interpreted as strongly inferring a causational relationship from attitudes and beliefs to emotional distress and the contemplation of suicide. The implications of the findings for RET theory and for therapeutic and preventive strategies related to emotional distress and suicidal contemplation are clear. Other approaches to the explanation of suicide are cited and reference is made to a previous critical summary of them (Woods & Muller, 1988).

Irrational Beliefs and Three Interpersonal Styles

To examine whether certain irrational beliefs described by Albert Ellis covary with specific interpersonal styles, 217 undergraduates completed R. G. Jones's Irrational Beliefs Test and a revised version of the Interpersonal Checklist popularized by T. Leary. A principal components analysis of the structure of the Interpersonal Checklist produced three distinct factors, and factor scores derived from this were correlated with the 10 irrational beliefs measured. Eight of the irrational beliefs covaried with at least one interpersonal style. The irrational belief that “one must have approval from others” correlated with both an “hostile-dominant” and “submissive” interpersonal style. This finding, along with several other significant correlations, is explained through a negative reinforcement paradigm. All correlations were low to moderate in magnitude. Findings suggest that the relationship between certain irrational beliefs and different interpersonal styles may at times be fairly complex.

Irrational beliefs and psychosomatic disorders

Irrational beliefs were related to psychosomatic disorders in an adult sample of 57 male and 68 female psychotherapy clients and 62 male and 38 female adult nonclients. The client and nonclient samples differed markedly in a number of ways, but nevertheless, in both samples those with relatively high frequencies of psychosomatic disorders scored as more irrational on 7 of the 10 scales of the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) compared to those with relatively low frequencies of psychosomatic disorders. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses found Anxious Overconcern (AO) to account for 31.7% of the variance in the psychosomatic illness scores for the nonclient sample and 10.8% of the variance for the client sample. Subgroups within each sample formed on the basis of their AO scores (a “B-level” variable in RET theory) were subsequently found to be significantly different on the “C-level” variables of anxiety and psychosomatic disorders. It is argued that causal connections are implied and that the results are better understood in a monistic mind-body-unit conceptualization of the human organism.

Irrationality profiles for anger and anxiety

A fundamental position in Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) is that irrational belief systems cause emotional disturbance. This study adds to the body of recent research substantiating this position by showing significantly different profiles on the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) (1968/1969) for a nonclinical population (N=446) differentiated according to low, medium, and high anxiety and low, medium, and high anger. The profile differences not only support the above fundamental position, but also offer some further evidence for the validity of the IBT.

Further indications on the validity and usefulness of the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test

Markedly different profiles on the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) were obtained from a sample of mental health professionals, of clients in psychotherapy, and of women college students, and the differences were clearly interpretable. In a second study those with high (more irrational) scores on each scale were compared with those with low (more rational) scores on indicators of physical (psychosomatic) illness. On five of the scales as well as for the total score the more irrational groups had significantly more physical symptoms of illness. And, finally, tension headache frequency was found to be related to the total IBT score.

Adrenal hormone excretion and irrational thinking

Stress reactions to irrational thinking were assessed by studying the relationships between adrenal hormone levels and various psychological scales and indicators of stress symptoms. Of the psychological tests, the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test correlated significantly (negatively) with noradrenaline level. Further, both noradrenaline and adrenaline levels were strongly predicted by physiological variables and irrational beliefs.