University of Virginia Library

Self-Deceptions Seen As Magical Thinking

By Charley Sands

"We live in a real world and the
closer our perceptions come to the
verifiable reality the better we are."
So said Dr. Maxie C. Maultsby in a
demonstration of his theory of
Rational Emotive Therapy at the
first Annual Professional Seminar
held at the University Friday. Dr.
Maultsby, a "very rational man"
according to Earl A. Glosser,
director of counseling, captured his
audience of teachers, counselors
and therapists while discussing his
radically new approach to
psychotherapy.

Rational-Emotive Therapy
(R.E.T.) is based on the existence
of an objective reality. Dr.
Maultsby says that reality can be
perceived or experienced but it is
independent of observer experience
or perception. Value judgements
can be made about it, but reality is
uninfluenced by them and is not
subject to their justification.
Essentially, maladaptive behavior
toward an environment comes from
faulty perceptions and faulty
thinking; it is not the fault of the
environment.

Self-deceptions about reality,
called "magical thinking" by Dr.
Maultsby, are reality fakes used by
those whose perceptions and
thinking about reality are mistaken.
When magical thought patterns are
used, they will produce maladaptive
behavior by expecting by expecting
reality to exist in the absence of the
essentials for its production. In
example Dr. Maultsby says, "if the
sole prerequisites for making a coat
are 1) needle, 2) thread, 3) cloth,
and 4) buttons, it matters not how
much the coat is needed or desired;
the coat will not be produced if all
one has are buttons and cloth. No
amount of bemoaning the 'snow
and cold weather' or 'cursing cruel
fate' will produce the coat. Until
needle and thread are obtained, the
individual will not be able to make
the coat.

As its name implies, R.E.T.
relies heavily on logic. Here logic is
used only as a method of relating
smaller parts to their greater
patterns. Anything logical is devoid
of value judgment and cannot
influence the quality of its greater
whole. It follows that what is
logical has meaning only when
considered in relation of smaller
parts to their greater patterns. Dr.
Maultsby asks us "to consider only
the concept of speed of movement
from the third floor to the sidewalk
below. It would be logical to jump
through the window. But were the
speed of movement plus personal
safety the concept, the use of an
elevator would be logical and a
jump through the third story
window would become illogical.
Yet were the building on fire and
escape by the elevator and stairs cut
off, then a jump through the
window would be logical in either
concept."

One of the most important
concepts to be understood for
R.E.T. is the distinction between
that which "should be" and that
which is "personally preferable".
Dr. Maultsby uses the example of a
distraught mother crying over the
death of her young son killed at a
busy intersection. "'A traffic light
should have been there. My son
always observes traffic signals. If a
light had been there, this would
never have happened.' Those were
logical but at the same time illogical
assertions. In the concept of
habitual behavior they were logical.
A young boy who usually observes
traffic signals would have observed
one at that intersection, too. From
the 'reality' standpoint however, in
that they would have reality exist
without having had its essentials for
existing fulfilled.

Only when the essentials for
'being' have been fulfilled does
'being' (reality) exist. Any apparent
exception is usually magic or
pretense. There was no traffic light.
To say that a traffic light 'should
have been' is to say that reality can
exist without its essentials. Such a
statement is a denial of reality and
at best an unspoken appeal to
magic." Dr. Maultsby's argument
may seem a mere exercise in
hair-splitting, but the argument
does have a pragmatic implication.
As the doctor points out, "The use
of should in the sentence 'A traffic
light should have been there' is the
common usage in which the
meaning of 'moral obligation' was
intended. Obligation means duty
imposed by law and/or promise.
Not fulfilling either in our society is
usually grounds for getting upset
and/or demanding that someone be
punished. The fact was that the
essentials for a traffic light at the
intersection had not been fulfilled.
Thus a more probable description
of reality would have been 'I wish a
traffic light had been there' or 'It
would have been preferable for
me...,' etc. But there was no real
justification for the use of 'should'.
On the other hand there were very
real reasons for not using it.

That which 'should be' can only
be that which is. This is so because
that which is the only thing for
which the essentials for existing
have been fulfilled. Anything else is
description of the "personally
preferable". The unspoken
substitution of desires for the
essentials for reality, then having
one's mind not notice the
difference is one type of thought
pattern that can lead to poor
mental health." Clearly this is bad
for the individual, but the situation
also can involve others in its
illogical process. " 'A light should
have been there' implies injurious
neglect and makes fixing of blame,
punishment, and/or redress seem
appropriate. Commonly this is
expressed as, 'They caused it and
they must pay.' " Therefore, the
mother's conclusions are important
not only for herself but also for
how she will act towards others in
the future.

R.E.T. in action resembles
nothing more than a lively
argument. Using a tape recording of
one of his sessions, Dr. Maultsby
demonstrated his basic therapy
technique. Unlike a conversation,
however, the R.E.T. session has a
distinct pattern as the therapist
constantly forces his client (as he
likes to call them) to view his
problems from a rational
standpoint. The therapist is
merciless in dealing with irrational
responses built on irrational
thought patterns. The tape was of a
session with a teacher who believed
that her students were secretly
laughing at her and was suicidally
depressed. Dr. Maultsby pounced
on every illogical response to his
questions. When she said, "I just
know that they're laughing at
me!"., the doctor asked her exactly
how she knew. Often he asked for
proof: "Give me some evidence
that I can see. You say that you can
just feel it! I want you to show
me." Halfway through the session
the teacher laughed for the first
time. A note of relaxation was
noticeable as she began for the first
time to confront her problems in a
new, logical way instead of reacting
in her previous irrational thought
patterns.

R.E.T. relies heavily on the use
of what the doctor calls
"homework assignments". After
every session he makes the tape
recording available for the client to
listen to in a more detached
manner. "Many times a client will
come to me and say, 'I really
sounded silly on that tape, didn't
I?' I say 'yes' and we press on." The
purpose of this homework is to
help the client make his own
insights into his behavior. "The
patient is his own therapist. I try to
make only prodding suggestions
and let him make up his own mind
about what is wrong with him."

Dr. Maultsby encourages the use
of group therapy for his clients. He
says that while people may not see
people who have exactly the same
problems they do see something of
themselves in others. He maintains
that, "other people constantly make
me feel bad" or stupid, angry, etc.
"The reality," he says, is that in the
absence of physical attack, only the
person experiencing the emotion
can make himself feel anything.
And he makes himself feel a given
way by telling himself things that
make the emotion seem logical. For
example: an angry male student
says, "He called me stupid" as a
justification for his being angry.
The explanation is that the angry
student really believed he was
stupid prior to having been so
called. So the real reason he is
angry is probably his belief that he
is stupid and that is 'bad' to be
stupid. Also he probably thinks it is
even worse to be found out to be
what he most certainly thinks he is,
i.e. stupid. Conversely, had he been
called a 'great man' he would have
probably felt 'good' because he
would like to be one and feels
'good' when called one even
though...he knows that he is not
one. In both cases it was the
individual doing the feeling who
also created it. Therefore, he could
have prevented it had he realized
what he was doing. Also he can
now stop his anger almost
immediately if he... wants to do so.
By working to correct any real
personal flaws and learning to
calmly accept himself without
reservation in spite of any
uncorrective flaws, he can make
himself immune to hurt feelings
that result from being 'called
names'." He adds that, "This is not
always easy to do, but it is almost
always possible. You don't have to
be unhappy if you don't want to."

According to Dr. Maultsby, the
effectiveness of R.E.T. has been
surprising even to him. He has come
to believe that there is no such
thing as an ineffective session. "A
client always comes away with at
least one insight to help him in
everyday life." Some get more than
that. One patient ended her session
by calmly informing Dr. Maultsby
that: "You know something? You
have a tremendous superiority
complex, doctor."