The Road to Tolerance: The Philosophy of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy [Paperback]

Albert Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

In this overview of one of the most successful forms of psychotherapy - Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) - its creator and chief advocate, Albert Ellis, explains at length the principles underlying this therapeutic approach and shows how beneficial it can be, not only for therapy but also as a basic philosophy of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Now over 90 years old, the ebullient cognitive therapy pioneer Ellis has written more than 75 books, most of which advocate his brand of psychotherapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Writing in the no-nonsense style that characterizes his public speaking, Ellis opens his latest with an overview of how his therapeutic principles evolved. Dismissing Freudian therapy as ineffectual and opposing Jung's mysticism, Ellis believes in helping clients banish self-defeating thoughts, or "negative nonsense," in order to take control of their lives. Ellis, who claims to have discovered his main idea—that people largely upset themselves with these negative thoughts—in classical and Asian philosophy, recommends his teachings as a general guide to life. Assuming religious belief to be the most prevalent popular philosophy, he discusses—with the cautiousness of a self-declared atheist—some of the benefits of religious belief but warns against fundamentalism. He also pours doubt on religion's capacity for improving thought processes. And he takes on—not for the first time— Ayn Rand's Objectivism, using some entertainingly gossipy anecdotes culled from personal encounters with her. Throughout, Ellis demonstrates how it might be possible to salvage religion's humanistic and caring aspects for the purposes of therapy. Ellis's fans will enjoy his characteristically forthright engagement with definitions of spirituality and his honest, lively reappraisal of his own thought.
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About the Author

ALBERT ELLIS, PhD, author of more than seventy-five books--including many popular best-sellers--is the president of the Albert Ellis Institute for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. He has practiced psychotherapy, marriage and family counseling, and sex therapy for more than sixty years. Among his many publications are RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY: IT WORKS FOR ME--IT CAN WORK FOR YOU; OVERCOMING DESTRUCTIVE BELIEFS, FEELINGS, AND BEHAVIORS: NEW DIRECTIONS FOR RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY; and (with Raymond J. Yeager) WHY SOME THERAPIES DON'T WORK: THE DANGERS OF TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY.

Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591022371
• ISBN-13: 978-1591022374
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #553,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

(1913-2007) Albert Ellis held M.A and Ph.D. degrees in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. He was the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), the pioneering form of the modern Cognitive Behavior therapies. He was the president of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York, where he practiced individual and group psychotherapy, supervised and trained psychotherapists, and presented many talks and workshops at the Institute and throughout the world. He published over seven hundred articles and more than sixty books on psychotherapy, marital and family therapy, and sex therapy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing New, November 10, 2004

By 

Thanks2Albert "REBT enthusiast" (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Tolerance: The Philosophy of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Paperback)

If you've read a lot of his other material, then this book provides nothing new. In fact, I would prefer to read his other books, which directly teach you how to impove your thinking.

This is like reading a weaker version of his recent book REBT: it works for me / it could work for you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm, mature reflections of a 90-year old, February 24, 2008

By 

Hector "Hector" (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Tolerance: The Philosophy of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Paperback)

I feel this book does add a lot to Ellis' more well known and earlier books; this is the mature and warm view of an old man looking back, seeing more of 'the wood for the trees' - recognising the importance of tolerance between people, and that most mental health problems come from setting ourselves absolutist, rigid demands which cause us to be disturbed when they are unfulfilled.