Relationship Belief Inventory (RBI) — Adapted Educational Version
Reflect on beliefs that can sabotage intimate relationships.
Adapted from Eidelson & Epstein (1982). For self-reflection, not diagnosis.
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About the RBI
The Relationship Belief Inventory (RBI), developed by Eidelson & Epstein (1982), is one of the most widely used measures of dysfunctional relationship beliefs in cognitive-behavioral couples therapy. The original 40-item version has 5 subscales of 8 items each.
Because the full 40 items are copyrighted by Baucom & Epstein (1990) and not openly available, this kuakua.app version is an Adapted/Educational version using 20 publicly verifiable items (4 per subscale). It is intended for self-reflection, not as a substitute for the validated clinical instrument.
The Five Subscales
Each subscale has 4 items (range 0–20). Total range 0–100. Higher scores on any subscale indicate stronger endorsement of that dysfunctional belief. Reverse-scored items are recoded before summing.
Interpreting Your Results
Higher scores indicate more dysfunctional beliefs. Reflect on which subscales are highest — these are areas where cognitive restructuring may benefit your relationship.
Note: Bradbury & Fincham (1993) found that some RBI subscales have modest reliability in community samples. Treat results as a starting point for self-reflection, not a definitive assessment.
References
- Eidelson, R. J., & Epstein, N. (1982). Cognition and relationship maladjustment: Development of a measure of dysfunctional relationship beliefs. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50(5), 715-720. 10.1037/0022-006X.50.5.715
- Baucom, D. H., & Epstein, N. (1990). Cognitive-behavioral marital therapy. Brunner/Mazel.
- Bradbury, T. N., & Fincham, F. D. (1993). Assessing dysfunctional cognition in marriage: A reconsideration of the Relationship Belief Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 5(1), 92–101.
- Bradbury & Fincham (1993) — open-access PDF: https://fincham.info/papers/pa93rbi.pdf
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