The Effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy on Reducing Proactive and Reactive Criminal Thinking among Male Adult Offenders in Iran

Introduction: Cognitive factors, including error patterns in thinking, significantly contribute to the propensity for criminal and antisocial behavior. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the rational emotive behavior therapy on reducing proactive and reactive criminal thinking of male adult offenders in Iran. Method: A quasi-experimental design utilizing pretest, post-test and follow-up test and waiting-list control group was conducted. The study's statistical population included male Prisoners in Ardakan in ۲۰۲۳. Thirty male prisoners were selected by convenience sampling and randomized into experimental (n=۱۵) and waiting list control groups (n=۱۵). Participants of the experimental group received ۱۲ sessions of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) intervention; and all participants answered the criminal thinking styles-short form (Mitchell et al., ۲۰۱۷ Results: Findings revealed that proactive and reactive criminal thinking of male adult convict offenders in experimental group, as compared to control, at post-test phase significantly decreased (p<.۰۵). In addition, an improvement of the dependent variables in the follow-up phase has also been continued (p<.۰۵). Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, tin order to reduce proactive and reactive criminal thinking, REBT psychotherapy approach can be used.

Keywords:

Proactive and Reactive Criminal Thinking , REBT , offenders