Harm: Negative, Though Healthy or Unhealthy Disgust

[DISCLAIMER]

In the above photo, I sat in a wheelchair at a hospital and attempted to portray the look of despondency (a state characterized by feelings of hopelessness and despair). Yet, my buddy who took the picture was cracking jokes, so I tried to hold back a smile. We then laughed quite a bit!

To some people, my depiction of a person with a disability may seem inappropriate. Moreover, some individuals may claim that my behavior was harmful (of a kind likely to be damaging). I can grant the former position, though I reject the latter claim. For context, one source states:

Harm is a moral and legal concept with multiple definitions. It generally functions as a synonym for evil or anything that is bad under certain moral systems. Something that causes harm is harmful, and something that does not is harmless.

I concur with the source, in that there are “multiple definitions” of harm. As an example, Merriam-Webster defines harm as “physical or mental damage: injury” and “to damage or injure physically or mentally: to cause harm (see harm entry 1 [as listed herein]) to.”

I argue that conflating physical harm with harm regarding mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”) is misleading. To demonstrate my argument, I’ll now provide a psychoeducational lesson on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).

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.

From an A-C view, person X is struck by a car when walking on a crosswalk (Action), as this unwelcome event causes physical harm, thereafter requiring use of a wheelchair (Consequence). Yet, when person X observes the above photo, a B-C connection is what causes disgust.

For clarity, the American Psychological Association defines disgust as “a strong aversion, for example, to the taste, smell, or touch of something deemed revolting, or toward a person or behavior deemed morally repugnant.” Concerning this post, person X causes one’s own disgust.

For instance, person X sees my depiction of a person with a disability (Action), Believes, “This guy is useless [G], and I can’t bear his behavior [L], as it’s awful to make fun of people like me [A], so it mustn’t ever be done [D],” and person X then experiences disgust (Consequence).

Noteworthy, REBT draws a distinction between healthy and unhealthy negative emotions. If person X merely experienced healthily self-distressed disgust, such an experience would be caused by a rational Belief (e.g., people preferably shouldn’t behave that way).

However, the above-illustrated irrational GLAD Belief would cause unhealthily self-disturbed disgust. Imagine that this negative, though unhealthy reaction was also accompanied by a behavioral component (e.g., engaging in cancel culture activities by trying to harm a person).

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.

I maintain that harm is a subjective matter. While physical harm may be relatively easier to identify (e.g., someone confined to a wheelchair), words, expressed beliefs, and other immaterial elements are arguably incapable of causing harm of this sort.

Yet, if one maintains the irrational belief that words, expressed beliefs, and other immaterial elements are capable of causing harm, and therefore absolutely mustn’t be allowed to exist in polite society, then I argue that one fails to understand, believe in, or practice the ABC model.

Besides, who’s to say that I don’t retain disabilities? I’m a 100% disabled veteran! Therefore, if we empirically must play the cancel culture game and irrationally endorse an A-C view of so-called “mental damage” (i.e., supposed harm), then who’s to say that person X isn’t harming me?

Do you see how foolish it is to conflate physical harm with so-called mental health harm? Virtually anything could be viewed as supposedly causing mental damage, though it typically requires a significant material impact upon one’s person to cause physical harm.

If you experience negative, though unhealthy disgust stemming from your irrational beliefs about anything I’ve expressed herein, then I encourage you to practice the ABC model. Yet, if you merely endure negative, but healthy disgust, then distress is likely preferable to disturbance.

No matter what B-C reaction you endure, it’s your beliefs which cause the result. In closing, no one can actually harm you with their words, expressed, beliefs, and other immaterial elements. Anyone suggesting otherwise may have one’s actions questioned in accord with so-called harm.

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 a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging 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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