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The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

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Apparently, Albert Ellis, the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, or REBT, is the author or co-author of some 55 books. Some are obviously no longer in print, while others merely duplicate existing material. This compendium of Ellis' thought is perhaps the most exhaustive, one-volume set available, and for that reason alone, this book is to be recommended above all others. It contains all the essentials to a guide to well-being using REBT.

The book is divided into three parts: Part I is about Sex, Love, and Marriage and deals with such diverse subjects as vaginal vs. clitoral orgasm, sex fascism and censorship, intercourse in all its flavors, unhealthy love and its causes and treatments, sex-love: its adventure and contribution to personality growth, the nature of disturbed marital interation (e.g., jealousy, extramarital affairs, distrust, etc.), and why Dr. Ellis became interested in such issues. Many of these essays are over 50-years old, and yet are every bit as vibrant and informative today as when first written. Some issues may at first cause consternation, such as the advocacy of adolescent masturbation and premarital sex, while other essays contain a sort of "eureka!" value at how we are our own most destructive individuals in our most committed relationships. Those who thought the Sixties brought sexual liberation will be impressed with just how advanced Ellis' thought was a decade or two earlier. His liberating attitudes towards sexuality in general, and "mishaps" in particular, are well worth the book alone.

Part II concerns REBT in practice: The theory behind rational psychotherapy, the value of being human, techniques for disputing irrational beliefs and the human ego, the use of REBT imagery, achieving self-actualization, and how to use REBT to cope with disability. For those unfamiliar with the A-B-Cs of REBT, Ellis takes the reader on a step-by-step analysis of the process of coping with irrational behavior. "A" stands for actuating event, "B" stands for rational and irrational beliefs, and "C" stands for consequences. In life, we encounter actuating events that emote either (a) a rational or (b) an irrational belief, which then develop their consequence. Ellis gives examples of such events, both rational and irrational beliefs, and the consequence when one belief rather than other is chosen. The idea, of course, is to choose rational over irrational beliefs (the single most important locus of why we can or can't handle certain situations) to produce the healthiest consequence. This is the Core of REBT.

Part III concerns rational living in an irrational society. I don't know of any of the other 55-or-so books that deal with this subject so explicitly. Topics include Labor-Management relations, the "Objectivist" view of self-esteem, a case against religiosity, application of REBT to an emotional education, REBT as a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy, addictive behaviors and personality disorders, and how to incorporate REBT in one's psychotherapeutic practice. Included in these topics are the conformity or non-conformity and the indivduality of the individual, self-awareness, acceptance of ambiguity and uncertainty, tolerance of self and others, acceptance of humans and their "animality," commitments and intrinsic enjoyment, creativity and originality, social interest and ethical trust, self-direction, flexibility and the scientific outlook, unconditional self-acceptance, risk-taking and experimentation, the joys of hedonism, and work and practice. This is only a partial list of the topics covered. But each topic alone, not to mention the collation of all of them together, go the great distance in helping one's self adapt to, and be adept at, life's vicissitues. Many of the externals we cannot change, or can only change minimally, but how we react to them can wholly be changed, and that is what REBT claims to do best.

Most chapters build on preceding chapters, so the temptation to read "ahead" is discouraged. Many of the chapters begins with an Ellis aggrandisement, but are not detrations to the overall theme of the book. Some of the techniques to overcome irrational beliefs, I believe, could have been better explicated (for an excellent explication and therapy of irrational beliefs, I recommend Elliot Cohen's "What Would Aristotle Do?"). But, for a single source of many, if not most, of Ellis' thought and therapy, this is the book to have. Highly recommended.

Ellis makes no effort to hide his political and social liberalism. He's quite open about his Atheism, advocacy of sexual freedom and skepticism about the values of capitalism. (For the last, refer to his 1968 book, _Is Objectivism a Religion?_, unfortunately now out of print.)

But unlike the whining victimization now embraced by liberal and leftist intellectuals, Ellis takes a refreshingly old-fashioned, but nonetheless effective, approach towards helping people with their problems. He emphasizes over and over again that people upset themselves with their irrational and unscientific thoughts about their situations in life. Emotional disturbance is a self-inflicted philosophical and ideological disorder.

Sure, people can be hurt or exploited by circumstances beyond their control, but how they respond to these circumstances determines whether they meet adversity effectively or not. Not that long ago, facing adversity with head held high was called "strength of character." Because so many people in our wealthy society grow up sheltered from real threats to their health and safety (as compared with children in those impoverished or war-torn places we see on the evening news), psychological "threats" assume an importance all out of proportion to their actual danger. The suffering is real, nonetheless, and Ellis has spent his life well in developing techniques for helping the emotionally dysfunctional to straighten out their emotions by identifying and disputing irrational beliefs.

This book contains a wonderful survey of Ellis's writings, showing all aspects of his thought and career. If you want to learn how to improve your emotional health, this book is a good place to begin.

This is by far one of the best books for the fan of Ellis and REBT.
It's quite in depth and intelligent, but thankfully easily understandable to the average person.

Ellis, unlike Rogers, is not all touchy feely and full of fake humility.
Al tells it like it is, with clarity and precision, with humor and joy, and with ideas that have proven to be effective.

Buy this book by THE greatest psychotherapist of all time! Of course not that you SHOULD or MUST buy it, but if you get the inside joke then this book is definetly for you!

Of all psychological models, I have personally gotten the most out of the ideas behind Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. I've read the criticisms, I understand where it may or may not work for everyone. But personally I got hold of these concepts at the right moment of my life to really make a constructive and lasting impact. The notion of focusing on negative present behaviors instead of constantly revisiting the past appealed to me mightily-- and I've used these tools myself a great deal. What I like best is that while a therapist can be a guide, these are models that anyone can learn.

The thing is, I had never read anything by Ellis directly, so I picked up this book with some rather high expectations. Which, I'm sorry to say, weren't met. I mean, the ideas are all there, but not really developed in more depth than I have had them to date-- I didn't learn more, didn't gain a deeper understanding. But that may say more about me than about the prospective reader of this book. Several of the essays were new, but of areas probably only really interesting to those studying the history of psychology-- for instance, Ellis' writings about sex and sexuality

Worse, though, something about Ellis' voice was actually kind of grating. On the one hand, I liked that he was writing in terms and using language that should be clear to any reader-- blessedly jargon-free. On the other hand, I missed any tone of self-examination. I missed any feel for humbleness.

But maybe he shouldn't be humble? I don't know. I know that I'm not much better off than I was before I began the book. But if you're new to the ideas of REBT, then it may be a decent place to begin. Decide for yourself.