What does b stand for in the ABC theory of emotion regulation?

In the ABC theory of emotions, B refers to an individual’s belief, cognitive evaluation and interpretation of the triggering event, and is the core variable that determines the final emotional and behavioral results.

This theory was proposed by American psychologist Ellis. Many people default to the fact that specific event A directly led to emotions or behavioral results C such as anger, depression, and anger. They often ignore that B in the middle is the real "emotional switch." To put it bluntly, B is the first thought that pops up in your mind when you encounter something. Many times you don’t even realize it exists, but it has quietly determined your next reaction.

When I sort out the emotions of visitors, the most common situation I encounter is that as soon as we sit down, everyone complains, "It's because of such-and-such that I'm so annoyed." After sorting out the situation, I find that it may not be a problem at all to blame the same thing on another person. Take for example the situation where someone stepped on someone while commuting and left without apologizing. If the thought in your mind is "Why is this person so incompetent? He deliberately stepped on someone without even saying sorry", you will probably be angry all the way until you get to the company. ； If your subconscious interpretation is "Maybe he was in a hurry to catch the subway and didn't notice that he stepped on someone, and I wasn't seriously hurt," you may turn around and forget about it, and it will not affect your subsequent mood at all. There is also the same project plan that was rejected by the leader for revision. Some people think that the leader deliberately targeted them and that they are not capable enough. They have been working in emo for several days and have no motivation. Some people feel that it has just fixed the loopholes that they did not consider. After the modification, they will avoid a lot of pitfalls. The difference between the two results is all due to B.

Of course, many consultants in front-line practice in recent years have pointed out that all emotional problems cannot be attributed to individual B's problems. If you encounter an obviously unreasonable person A who has been squeezed in the workplace for a long time and has been maliciously bullied, the client is asked to adjust B to "be more liberal". This is essentially a kind of victim blaming. At this time, it is more important to prioritize A than to adjust B. We can also be more careful when regulating our emotions. If we are stuck in a bad mood for no reason and can't get out, we might as well stop and ask ourselves, "What was the thought that came to my mind just now?" ”, maybe you can find out the unnoticed B, and your mood will be relieved for the most part.