Relationships between Rational beliefs and anxiety

The relationships between rationality, as measured by the recently developed Rational Behavior Inventory (RBI), and several commonly used measures of anxiety are examined in both a general student sample (N = 144) and a clinically tested anxious sample (N = 34). Although differing aspects of rationality were related to anxiety for the two groups, consistent negative correlations were found between specific irrational beliefs and measures of test, state, and trait anxiety. The observed relationships of decreased rationality associated with increased levels of anxiety lend support to the theoretical basis of cognitive restructuring forms of therapy, and to the concurrent validity of the RBI.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44343/1/10608_2005_Article_BF01183895.pd