In the ABCDE model, what does D stand for?

• A. Activation
• B. Evaluation
• C. Explanation
• D. Disputation

Answer: (D)

Disputation is the step where you actively challenge the belief that followed the activating event. After you notice what happened and the belief you formed, disputation involves testing that belief with questions like: What evidence supports this? Is there another possible explanation? How would someone else view this situation? Is holding this belief helpful or just comforting in the short term? The goal is to weaken the grip of irrational or unhelpful beliefs and replace them with more balanced, adaptive ones, which then changes the emotional and behavioral response (the effect). Activation refers to the triggering event itself, not the questioning process; Evaluation and Explanation aren’t terms used in this part of the model, so they don’t capture the practice of actively challenging the belief.