All Gas, No Brakes: Fright

[DISCLAIMER]

Jeffrey (2016) is the fourth commercial mixtape by rapper Young Thug, featuring the track “Wyclef Jean”, which was produced by TM88 and Supah Mario. It’s reportedly in homage to singer and lyricist Wyclef Jean, yet the song bears no meaningful connection to Jean’s legacy.

On the track, Young Thug addresses a one-night stand by stating, “I told her keep going on the gas, fuck the brakes. Only here for one night, let me put it on your face.” If you don’t comprehend the sexual innuendo about what “it” is, then you may be too young for this post.

In any event, per one source, the urban phrase “all gas, no brakes” means “When you don’t stop. A saying meaning to do something to the fullest without pausing the action.” It’s idiom that means moving forward with maximum effort, relentless energy, and no hesitation or restraint.

When viewing this phrase through the proverbial lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a psychoeducational lesson comes to mind. Now, I invite you to consider this relatively short demonstration involving one of the major techniques used by this psychotherapeutic model.

REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, not the occurrence itself, that causes an unpleasant Consequence. This is known as distress or disturbance.

In particular, there are four predominate irrational beliefs which people often use to distress or disturb themselves: global evaluations, low frustration tolerance, awfulizing, and demandingness. When contemplating these unproductive scripts, think of the acronym GLAD.

Additionally, from a psychological standpoint, people distress or disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection.

For context, giving your car all gas (i.e., depressing an accelerator pedal, thus increasing fuel injection to a vehicle’s mechanical system) with no brakes (i.e., foregoing engagement of a vehicle’s critical safety mechanism used to slow or stop forward motion) causes an outcome.

As an example, from an A-C view, all gas and no brakes (Action) causes increased velocity of your car (i.e., it goes faster in a particular direction), as the chances of danger thus increase (Consequence). However, if you endure fright during this Action, then a B-C chain is at hand.

What I’m advocating herein is for you to take personal responsibility and accountability (collectively “ownership”) for the reactions you experience as a direct cause of a B-C connection. Now, according to the American Psychological Association, fright is thusly defined:

[T]he emotional reaction that arises in the face of a dangerous or potentially dangerous situation or encounter. Fright differs from fear in that the danger is usually immediate, physical, concrete, and overwhelming. Physiological changes in the body associated with fright include trembling, widening of the eyes, and drawing away from the fear-producing stimulus.

Imagine that you go all gas, no brakes (Action), you Believe, “If I die, then life is meaningless [G], because I couldn’t bear to leave this life just yet [L], as that would be awful [A], so I better not die while flying down the highway [D],” and you then experience fright (Consequence).

Addressing how people upset themselves with unhelpful attitudes, the ABC model incorporates Disputation of unproductive philosophies of life in order to explore Effective new beliefs. Whereas rigid beliefs cause self-disturbance, flexible beliefs result in an un-disturbed condition.

Photo credit, property of YSL and 300, directed by Pomp&Clout, fair use

In the video for “Wyclef Jean”, the director humorously used children’s toy vehicles as props. Unproductively, many adults treat their methods of transport as though they’re also toys. Barreling down roadways throughout the globe, these people cause their own fright.

Unlike an accident with a toy car, there may be severe outcomes for motor vehicle accidents. Especially when going all gas, no brakes, causing your own fright may simultaneously correlate with the A-C experience of other motorists who then use B-C chains, resulting in fright.

Although you don’t own the unpleasant outcomes of other people, you can take personal ownership for how your maladaptive behavior contributes to their experiences. To use a crude statement, similar to Young Thug’s lyrics, you end up fucking everyone involved in the event!

Ergo, it may be unwise to move forward with maximum effort, relentless energy, and no hesitation or restraint. Now, I submit this lesson for your consideration. If you go all gas, no brakes, what may be the consequences of your behavior—even if not involving motor vehicles?

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

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