Safar Abdi - Faculty of Humanities, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
Tayebeh Sharifi - Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
Ahmad Qazanfari - Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
Kamal Solati - Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background and aims: Irrational beliefs in brilliant talent students can influence their psychological hardiness and lead to adverse socialand academic outcomes. The present study mainly aimed to compare the effectiveness of group reality therapy and positive psychotherapyin improving the irrational beliefs and psychological hardiness of male brilliant talent high school students in Shahrekord during ۲۰۱۷.Methods: The present experimental research, used pretest and posttest design including intervention and control groups. The studypopulation included all the male gifted students in Shahrekord (N=۲۷۶) who were first screened and then, ۶۰ individuals were selectedby convenience random sampling. Next, the individuals were assigned a number and then divided into two experimental groups (eachcontaining ۲۰ students) and one control group (including ۲۰ students) using a random number table. Afterward, group reality therapy andpositive psychotherapy interventions were performed within eight and ten weeks for the experimental groups, respectively. In addition,Jones Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) and Kobasa’s Psychological Hardiness Scale were employed to data collection. Six months after post-testimplementation, the students were followed up. Finally, the data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni posthoc test.Results: The findings revealed that group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy led to a decrease in irrational beliefs while suchtherapies improved psychological hardiness in brilliant talent students (P < ۰.۰۰۱). Conversely, the results of the post-hoc test indicatedno significant difference between the effects of group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy on irrational beliefs and psychologicalhardiness in brilliant talent students (P > ۰.۰۵).Conclusion: In general, group reality therapy and positive psychotherapy reduced irrational beliefs whereas they improved psychologicalhardiness of the brilliant talent students and therefore, these therapies can be used as effective interventions for the intended population.

Reality therapy; Positive psychotherapy; Irrational beliefs; Psychological hardiness; Brilliant talents