Albert Ellis and rational emotive behavior therapy

Albert Ellis Contributions to the Psychology Field - REBT

There are many forms of psychotherapy psychologists use today to help patients overcome irrational and self-defeating behaviors. One of the most popular forms of therapy is CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy, a form of therapy that was born from Albert Ellis, who developed REBT. This paper will describe how the development of REBT changed the way therapists' today counsel patients and help them overcome self-limiting behaviors so they may live more self-fulfilling and satisfying lives, no matter their past history.

Many theorists contributed to the psychology field including Albert Ellis, who, in 1955 was credited with discovering a new type of psychotherapy he called "rational emotive behavior therapy" or REBT. Many consider the discovery of this form of psychotherapy one of the greatest of all time, and many credit Dr. Albert Ellis as being one of the "most influential psychologists of all time" (AEI, 2007). REBT is according to many, the earliest beginning of what psychologists now refer to as "CBT" or cognitive behavioral therapy, which requires an individual review their beliefs, morals, values and thought processes that direct behavior (Ellis, 2000a). In much the same way, REBT is also a type of "action oriented psychotherapy" (AEI, 2007; Ellis, 2000a, 2000b) that requires the client or patient to review their beliefs, actions and other behaviors or thoughts that result in any unwanted behavior, and replace them with thoughts and actions that can improve the quality of their life. Albert Ellis is credited with finding AEI; the institute named after him that has a goal of promoting REBT therapy and helping psychologists learn new and action-oriented methods of psychotherapy.

Overview of REBT

Many describe REBT as an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy. This is because REBT requires active participation from the client or the patient, two terms that one may use interchangeably. Ellis suggested that by using REBT, clients could improve the quality of their lives and their perception of life by focusing more on the present rather than the past, and examining any self-defeating attitudes, emotions or compensatory behaviors an individual uses during their life that prove to be stressful. Ellis suggests by exploring these compensatory behaviors and replacing them with positive ones, a client can change their "individual set of beliefs, attitudes, personal rules & expectations" so that emotional distress or disappointment is reduced (AEI, 2007).

Most psychotherapists today base their cognitive behavioral approaches one Ellis' REBT therapy. The idea is psychotherapists help patients realize what if any dysfunctional beliefs they use that are not life-promoting, and on realization, then work to change these beliefs into ones that improve satisfaction, emotion and one's ability to live their life more socially and acceptably (AEI, 2007).

To change behavior, psychotherapists can use many different tools. The type of tools they use may depend on the issue the patient is dealing with or the habit they want to gain control over. According to the Albert Ellis Institute, REBT can help anyone develop a "philosophy and approach to living" that will improve or heighten their "effectiveness and satisfaction" whether they are at home, at work or when participating in activities with friends in the community; this in turn will improve the individual's ability to "enhance" their own "emotional health and personal welfare" so that they live the best life possible (AEI, 2007).

Albert Ellis - the Pioneer of Paradigms

Albert Ellis pioneered REBT, which many early psychologists suggests was a new paradigm or model for psychotherapy that encourages an individual to ignore the past and concentrate on the future. This however, is not wholly true, as in REBT therapy a patient is encouraged to review the thoughts or values they learned early in life; however, psychotherapy is also different in that it changes the way people look at their present by encouraging patients to live a better life by releasing behaviors learned in the past that harm a person's current beliefs and those that direct their current behavior (AEI, 2007; Ellis, 2000b). REBT does acknowledge a person's past may influence or direct the behaviors and attitudes one holds tightly to as they grow; it also promotes the notion that no one can change the past. If someone finds the past has influenced the present in negative or dysfunctional ways, then they should look at the reasons this is happening and rather than dwell on the past, create positive statements that will change the way a patient acts from the day they enter therapy forward. The goal is for the patient to create positive, life-changing and life-enhancing actions and adopt better behaviors, behaviors that will lead to success rather than failure.

Many believe REBT is one of the best forms of therapy one may engage in because it is much more optimistic in its approach than other forms of therapy. REBT also enables a patient to learn basic problem solving skills that will help them maintain a life that is self-enhancing long after therapy ends. REBT is not a form of therapy that encourages people to become inefficient, but rather one that encourages a person to become self-sufficient, so they do not need to rely on others to feel. Instead patients learn to feel, something they learn to do by drawing on internal skills, abilities and talents.

Some people believe that REBT encourages the patient to do away with all negative emotions, which is not a correct interpretation of this form of psychotherapy. It actually encourages the individual to express any emotions that come up in therapy or in life. REBT teaches patients how to live healthier lives by preventing overly negative emotions from becoming overwhelming. Far too often patients have the tendency to develop depression and anxiety because they live a life that is based more on emotions that dwell on past failures or harms than present opportunities. When someone learns to accept the past for what it is and learns new behaviors for coping with unhappy lives, they can then move forward in life on a positive note. They learn how to keep all emotions in perspective, and how to address their emotions in a product manner. For example, if someone goes to therapy for aggression, they would first attempt to identify the early experiences that led to aggression. If these perspectives involved a dysfunctional home or parent, the patient would learn to recognize how this person or factor impacted their life in a negative way. The patient might also learn how the past influences their present-day opinions and behaviors when negative events happen. Meaning, the person learns how and why they utilized aggression in the past, or helps the patient recognize how repressing their early emotions because of a dysfunctional environment led to aggression in the present. Then the REBT therapists would help the patient achieve "emotional balance" by teaching the patient various tools for thinking more logically, positively and "levelheadedly" about their lives and the people they interact with in the course of their life (AEI, 2007; Ellis, 2000b).

Some people mistakenly feel REBT encourages one to avoid all negative emotions including anger or anxiety, but there are instances where such emotions are warranted. For example, if someone were to cut you off on the highway, resulting in a near collision, it is appropriate to feel shocked, intensely agitated and perhaps unhappy; however, it is not appropriate for these feelings to convert into rage, nor is it healthy to allow these emotions to dominate one's feelings in life in the long-term. Using REBT approaches the individual can learn to think and act in a more positive manner even when bad things happen. A person can recognize when things go wrong; the point is to prevent wrongdoings from dominating one's life. REBT encourages a person to dwell on the positive so they are able to "minimize debilitating emotions" (AEI, 2007). In the example used of the car accident, the victim can express their feelings of fear, unhappiness or anxiety, and then should move on in an acceptable manner so they are better able to react intelligently and thoughtfully rather than irrationally.

The Albert Ellis Institute suggests the maxim they live by, one originating by Reinhold Neiburh is this: "Grant me the courage to change the things I can change, the serenity to accept those I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference" (AEI, 2007; Ellis, 200b). This maxim is often used by modern-day therapists, especially those conducting group therapy sessions. Many addictions counselors also use this mantra for alcoholics and other drug addicts. The idea is one can learn to become empowered if they take all that happens to them moderately; this will in turn result in an enhanced ability to recognize harmful emotions when they start, and cope with them before they become out-of-control and dangerous. The more a person dwells in a state of unhappiness, the more likely they are to transform their unhappiness to depression or other severe states of emotion that aren't necessary.

Ellis is also credited with developing the "value of rational self-acceptance" (AEI, 2007) which suggests people should learn to accept the way they are while alive so they can better enjoy their life rather than live a self-deprecating or feeble existence. Patients must learn that the quality of their lives is contingent on their ability to love their own self without condition, so they may then learn to love others without condition and treat them accordingly (AEI, 2007; Ellis, 2000b). In a world where competitive and aggressive personalities are hailed as necessary to achieve greatness, it is not hard to see why so many people would need help learning how to appreciate their own being and their achievements without becoming ego-gratifying and hurting others (AEI, 2007; Ellis, 2000b). If one were to follow the paradigm established by Ellis exactly, they are more likely to worry about helping out others than "proving" themselves; they are also more likely to seek out joyful and happy events rather than dwell on dysfunctional pastimes (AEI, 2007; Ellis, 2000b).

Ellis provided the psychology community with many tools they can use in therapy to help patients achieve this goal of self-love and joyful existence. It is important in psychotherapy that therapists have more than one tool in their belt, because not all approaches are accepted by all people. Because people are uniquely different, there may be times when the therapist try other tools or use a combination of tools to realize results. This does not mean the psychotherapist needs to adopt a different "philosophy" of psychotherapy; meaning, the therapist can still use an REBT approach, but they will try to help a patient by using one of many tools REBT encompasses. For example, some of the tools a therapist that believes in REBT might use may include positive affirmations, self-nurturing, skill training especially with regard to communication and assertiveness (AEI, 2007; Ellis, 2000b). This last one may seem out of the scope of REBT, but assertiveness is a positive skill when it is put to good use and not used to harm or belittle others. When REBT discusses the term "assertive" it suggests a person should learn how to be true to their feelings, behaviors, values, emotions, wants, needs and desires (Ellis, 2000, 2000b). Someone that can walk into a group and expect people to accept them for who they are regardless of their beliefs is someone that is assertive. Many people confuse assertiveness with aggression. Aggression is a form of anger that usually results when a person is not secure in their own being, or a learned behavior one uses as a coping mechanism when they feel vulnerable or anxious.

REBT has changed much since its early inception during the mid 1950s (Nielsen, Johnson & Ellis, 2001). It is now considered a "constructivist and postmodern" therapy at the same time, and also a therapeutic approach that is "highly active-directive" or action-oriented (Nielsen, Johnson & Ellis, 2001: 41).

This means that despite negative attitudes one may have, one must approach emotion in a way that relates to the patient. This helps the therapist and the patient establish rapport, something that is necessary in any care giving relationship. If a doctor wants to treat a patient for a disease or has a patient they want to see in the long-term as is the case in family practices, then the doctor operating the practice has to learn how to build rapport. This is a fact Ellis admits he discovered later in life (Ellis, 2000a) because during his early years he had no interest in religious beliefs. However, even Ellis eventually had to admit that a person or patient's religious beliefs and values can affect the outcome of therapy. This is especially true of patients that have deeply ingrained beliefs they are not willing to change, because in doing so, they will negate some aspect of their culture or their beliefs and value systems.

Because of this, Ellis admitted it is at times appropriate to respect the patient or client's religious maxims, even if they conflict with that of the patient. The therapist has a duty to help the patient learn positive ways of acting and changing their behavior that will not interrupt their cultural values or beliefs, unless those beliefs or values are truly self-deprecating or harmful to the individual or the people the client lives with. Fortunately there are many approaches an REBT therapist or cognitive therapist can take if they find they need to counsel someone that holds stringent certain religious beliefs or practices, including the belief of heaven or hell and sin and redemption (Ellis, 2000a).