Albert Ellis
Albert Ellis was a prominent psychologist known for developing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a cognitive-behavioral approach to psychotherapy. He earned his master’s degree in clinical psychology in 1943 and a doctorate in 1947 from Columbia University. Initially practicing psychoanalysis, he found it lacking in efficacy, which led him to create REBT. Founded in 1959, the Albert Ellis Institute serves as a hub for individual and group therapy, public presentations, and training for therapists. Central to REBT is the distinction between rational beliefs, which promote happiness and goal achievement, and irrational beliefs, which can lead to self-defeating behavior. Ellis emphasized a structured approach to therapy, using the ABC model to help clients analyze their thoughts and beliefs. Throughout his career, he authored significant works on the subject and received numerous awards for his contributions to psychology. Ellis's legacy includes not only a widely practiced therapeutic system but also a philosophy aimed at enhancing human well-being.
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Subject Terms
Albert Ellis
American psychotherapist, theorist, and trainer of therapists
- Date of birth: September 27, 1913
- Place of birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date of death: July 24, 2007
- Place of death: New York, New York
Type of psychology: Psychotherapy
Ellis created, developed, and promoted rational emotive behavioral therapy. Because he developed this efficient, easy-to-learn method, he is widely recognized as the founder of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Life
Albert Ellis received his master’s degree in clinical psychology in 1943 and his doctorate in 1947, both from Columbia University. After six years of practicing psychoanalysis, which he found inefficient, he developed rational emotive therapy, later renamed rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). In 1959, he founded the nonprofit Albert Ellis Institute, from which he offered individual and group therapy, public presentations, and training for therapists. After his important early books (A Guide to Rational Living in 1961 and Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy in 1962), Ellis also wrote voluminously on REBT.
REBT holds that people have two opposing types of beliefs: rational (contributing to their happiness and achievement of goals) and irrational (leading to self-defeat and dysfunctional behavior). Irrational beliefs fall into three categories: demands about the self (“I must always perform well and be approved of by significant people”); demands about others (“You must always treat me considerately”); and demands about life and the world (“Life must always be the way I want it and not too difficult”).
REBT’s principal technique is its ABC’s, a way of analyzing the client’s difficulties. “A” is the adverse or activating event that is retarding the client’s goals. “B” is the client’s belief (often irrational) about the event. “C” is the consequence (perhaps discomfort, anxiety, or procrastination) of the client’s belief. The therapist disputes, through questions and challenges, the client’s rigid, irrational beliefs so that they may be changed to less disturbing and absolute preferences.
Ellis received awards for distinguished contributions from the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, and the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy. Joseph Yankura and Windy Dryden sum up his influence by stating, “Ellis has not merely invented a widely practiced system of psychotherapy, he has created a philosophy of living which has the potential to help many human beings to lead happier, healthier and more productive lives.”
Bibliography
Albert Ellis Institute. Albert Ellis Institute. ABI, 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. http://www.rebt.org/
Bernard, Michael E., et al. “Albert Ellis: Unsung Hero of Positive Psychology.” Journal of Positive Psychology 5.4 (2010): 302–10. Print.
Dryden, Windy, and Raymond DiGuiseppe. A Primer on Rational-Emotive Therapy. 3d ed. Champaign: Research, 2010. Print.
Ellis, Albert. All Out! An Autobiography. Amherst: Prometheus, 2010. Print.
Ellis, Albert. “Being a Therapist.” Psychiatric Times 29.9 (2012): 7. Print.
Epstein, Robert. “The Prince of Reason: An Interview with Albert Ellis.” Psychology Today 34.1 (2001): 66–76. Print.
Farley, Frank, and Mona Sarshar. “The Albert Ellis Legacy.” Psyccritiques 60.14 (2015): PsycINFO. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
Yankura, Joseph, and Windy Dryden. Albert Ellis. London: Sage, 1994. Print.