Tales of rationality: the rational emotive behavioral monomyth as a metaphorical alignment of rational emotive behavior therapy and the Hero’s Journey narrative structure

TL;DR

This paper proposes using the Hero’s Journey narrative as a metaphor to better understand rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT).

Contribution

It introduces the 'rational emotive behavioral monomyth' (REBM) as a novel metaphor aligning REBT with the Hero’s Journey narrative structure.

Findings

The stages of the Hero’s Journey align with REBT processes and theory.

Using this metaphor can aid practitioners and clients in understanding REBT.

REBM offers a new narrative framework for applying and explaining REBT.

Abstract

In the present paper, a metaphor is proposed for the depiction of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) with a view to aiding practitioner and client comprehension of the fundamental processes of REBT. Specifically, it is argued that the processes, and broad framework, of REBT is akin to an archetypal narrative story structure known as the Hero’s Journey, or monomyth. In the Hero’s Journey, an ordered narrative framework is followed that presents the heroic story of a protagonist, a device that has been employed across art, literature, film, and marketing. In the present paper, this Hero’s Journey story arc is used as a metaphor for REBT, with each stage of the Hero’s Journey related to a part of REBT theory and application. In the current paper, the alignment of the components of the Hero’s Journey and the components of REBT are presented in some detail. The author describes this approach as the rational emotive behavioral monomyth (REBM) and outlines how it can be positioned and applied in practice.

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