The anxiety, depression and other neurotic behaviors evolve through a process described by professor Albert Ellis (1913 -) in four stages or phases that lead to them. He named them using four letters each on representing one stage:

Stage A: The A phase is known as the activator. It is generally a negative fact that happens in our lives which is able to trigger the process. For example, a person has not been able to perform well in his work that day; he begins to reach such conclusions like he is good for nothing, that he is unable to carry out his tasks, etc. This fact makes him reach negative conclusions of himself and will lead him to the following stage.

Stage B: This stage is known as the base of our reasoning. In this phase the individual makes a series of negative reasonings that will be in match with the A fact or activator and will reinforce it. This stage is also known as of ‘catastrophic pansies’, because all kind of negative thoughts take place. In the previous example, this phase corresponds to the conclusions that the individual makes about his inability. Another example could be a young boy that invites a girl to have a date is rejected. This is the activator fact; then he will begin to reach such conclusions like he is not very attractive, that he is not good for women and will never marry and so. As you can see this is nothing but a distorted reflection of the reality.

Phase C: It is the consequence or result of the whole previous process that concludes in a state of anxiety or even in depressive states.

Phase D: It is the possibility that we have of interrupt this process that takes us to more anxiety or depression. It is known as deduction and the individual will make an interior objective analysis of the situation that takes him to make a correct decision. This internal dialogue is very important, because we can leave the state of anxiety or we can even avoid to fall in one. It is our only weapon against the whole process, because as we know, the use of pills and other means constitute transitory solutions to the problem. The situation will continue existing and hoping the conditions show up to produce the state of anxiety again.

It is important to emphasize that the individual doesn't pass directly from the stage A to C. It is not the negative fact or activator the one that produces the anxious state automatically. It is the stage B, where the negative conclusions take place, the one that definitively drives us to the state of anxiety.