Albert Ellis (1913-2007) was a renowned American psychologist, who was born in Pittsburg (Pennsylvania) on September 27, 1917, and died on July 24, 2007 in Manhattan, at the age of 93.
He became known worldwide for various contributions to the field of psychology; one of them, the development of rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), a type of therapy focused on modifying patients’ irrational beliefs and unrealistic expectations, which we will discuss in more detail later.
He also established his own institute (), in 1959. Years later, in the ’70s, he also founded The School of Lifea REBT-focused institution aimed at children and preteens ages 6 to 13.
Origin: a difficult childhood
Albert Ellis was born in September 1913 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, into a Jewish family. He was the eldest of three brothers. His father, a man who was not very affectionate towards his children, was a businessman. Her mother, also emotionally distant, suffered from bipolar disorder, and in her autobiography, Ellis described her as “a self-absorbed woman.”
Parents were generally not at home, and Ellis gradually took on the responsibility of caring for her siblings. With the arrival of the Great Depression, also known as the Crisis of ’29, a great global financial crisis that lasted the years before World War II, the three brothers looked for work to help at home.
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Health problems
Albert Ellis had many health problems as a child. At the age of five he was hospitalized for kidney disease, and also for tonsillitis that became complicated. He himself explained that, between the ages of five and seven, he was hospitalized up to eight times.
His parents rarely visited him during these stays, and Ellis himself declared that he had learned to face his adversities, developing a growing indifference to the negligent upbringing he received.
a shy boy
As a teenager, Ellis was a shy boy who was intimidated by public speaking. However, at the age of 19 he decided to challenge himself with a talk at the Bronx Botanical Garden, for 100 people. It is said that this experience influenced him in such a way that he fed on it to develop his rational emotive behavioral therapy.
University
One day Albert Ellis was able to leave his hometown to study at New York University. Something that few know is that he first graduated in business administration, in 1934, and that he tried to start a business career and later try it in the field of writing. In fact, at that time he began working with his younger brother, opening a business making patches and trims for pants.
Psychology and sexuality
Albert Ellis showed a great interest in the study of sexuality, eroticism and love. He wrote several articles on these topics, including the book The Case for Promiscuity, although this was never published. Little by little he became more interested in sexology and clinical psychology, and all of this led him to enter the field of psychoanalysis, as we will see below.
PhD in clinical psychology
In 1942 Albert Ellis opted for Clinical Psychology, obtaining a Doctorate in that specialty at Columbia University. He then began to work in private practice, and continued studying various courses, especially focused on Freud’s psychoanalytic current. He was a vehement defender of this current, although later his orientation and ideologies changed.
Contributions to psychology
Although Albert Ellis defended the psychoanalytic current for many years, he began to question its effectiveness, under the influence of authors such as Alfred Adler, Erich Fromm or Karen Horney. He eventually stopped following this trend in his work to develop a much more directive therapy, REBT. Initially, in 1957, he called it rational therapy (RT), although he later renamed it with the name that is still valid today: rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT).
Many consider this therapeutic model as a precursor to cognitive behavioral therapy. The objective of REBT was to address all of the patient’s limiting beliefs, as well as her maladaptive behaviors.
At first, REBT was not accepted by the scientific community, as we will see later, although it gradually gained more strength, and today it continues to be a widely used and validated approach.
REBT by Albert Ellis
But what does Albert Ellis’ REBT consist of? Ellis, according to the CEDE Academy (2020), defined his therapy “as a method of rational-emotional-behavioral psychotherapy”, and over time it was integrated as a cognitive-behavioral therapy.
REBT is based on a series of philosophical premises and values, without whose acceptance the rest of the therapy cannot be understood. In the words of Ellis himself (1990), cited in the aforementioned CEDE manual (2020), REBT “is a psychotherapy system designed to help people live longer, minimize their emotional disorders and defeatist behaviors, and realize themselves.” themselves so that they can live a happier and more rewarding existence.”
Objectives of REBT
The three objectives of REBT are:
- Help people think more rationally (that is, more scientifically, clearly and flexibly).
- Contribute to feeling in a more appropriate way.
- Encourage them to act decisively, in the sense of achieving the goals they set.
REBT Basics
The 5 basic concepts of REBT, and with which we work extensively, are:
- Rational thoughts or beliefs.
- The right negative feelings.
- Inappropriate negative feelings.
- Inappropriate or self-defeating behaviors.
- Irrational beliefs.
The ABC Theory of REBT
One of the most important theories of REBT is the ABC theory of irrational thinking and emotional disturbance. Ellis recognizes the long philosophical tradition behind this theory, and to explain it he cites great Asian thinkers, such as Confucius and Buddha.
According to this theory, people would not be disturbed by the things that happen to them, but by the vision they have of those things, following the sequence A (event) – B (belief) – C (consequence). Thus, the name ABC comes from the elements of the theory and the names in English:
- A = Activating Event (activating event).
- B = Belief (belief).
- C = Consequences (emotional, behavioral or cognitive consequences).
To which three more are added:
- D = debate irrational beliefs.
- E = new rational beliefs replacing irrational ones.
- F = affective, cognitive and behavioral consequences of new beliefs.
A criticized theory
Although Albert Ellis, like many others, was harshly criticized for some of his contributions, the reality is that in the last half of his life his theories were accepted and even praised by the scientific community. Little by little the behavioral approach was recognized within psychology and Ellis was recognized as one of the great founders of this movement.
End of your life
Today Albert Ellis is considered one of the most influential psychotherapists in the history of psychology. Four years before he died, in 2003, he received an important award from the Association for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (United Kingdom), in recognition of REBT. And practically until the end of his life, Ellis continued working, giving interviews and doing what he liked most: writing and working.
However, in 2006 health problems came for Ellis, who was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. He was there for more than 1 year, at which time he asked to be transferred to his home, located at the top of the Albert Ellis Institute.
Albert Ellis died in Manhattan as a result of heart and kidney failure, at the age of 93 and in the arms of his third wife, psychologist Debbie Joffe Ellis.
Bibliographic references:
- CEDE Academy: various authors. (2020). Manual of Psychotherapies.
- Ellis, Albert; Abrahams, Eliot (2005). Rational emotive therapy. Mexico: Pax Editorial.
- Ellis A. (1994). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. Revised Edition.
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