Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy

by Albert Ellis

Psychology Today recently named Dr. Albert Ellis one of the three most influential psychologists of the 20th century. In this revised classic, Dr. Ellis reveals the secrets of his revolutionary Rational-Emotive Therapy, a technique that can help people overcome psychological and emotional disturbances in surprisingly few therapeutic sessions.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Counselling, Personal Development, Self Help

479 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Albert Ellis was an American psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). He held M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Columbia University and American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He also founded and was the President of the New York City-based Albert Ellis Institute for decades.
He is generally considered to be one of the originators of the cognitive revolutionary paradigm shift in psychotherapy and the founder of cognitive-behavioral therapies. Based on a 1982 professional survey of USA and Canadian psychologists, he was considered as the second most influential psychotherapist in history (Carl Rogers ranked first in the survey; Sigmund Freud was ranked third).

Reviews

[Will Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it's a little dated now, Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy provides an excellent overview of the early development of what is now known as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.

The theory and practice of REBT evolved over the years since this book was written (and homosexuality is no longer seen as a disorder). But if you want to know more about the history and the evolution of REBT, then I thoroughly recommend this book to you.

[Agoes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini sudah diterbitkan cukup lama (saya baca yang edisi tahun 1962), tapi gagasan yang dituliskan oleh Albert Ellis dalam buku ini masih menarik untuk dipelajari. Tulisan dalam buku ini ditujukan kepada psikolog yang tertarik untuk mempelajari psikoterapi secara lebih mendalam. Buku ini tidak hanya membahas pendekatan Rational Therapy yang diciptakan oleh Albert Ellis (belakangan berubah nana menjadi REBT - Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy), melainkan membahas tentang psikoterapi secara umum. Perbandingan yang dibuat oleh penulis antara Rational Therapy dan psikoterapi lainnya (psikodinamik, behavior, eksistensial, dll.) cukup menarik, karena pembaca jadi lebih dapat mengetahui persamaan dan perbedaan antara tiap psikoterapi yang ada pada saat itu.

Judul buku ini merupakan konsep utama yang dibahas dalam tulisan Albert Ellis, yaitu bahwa kognisi dan emosi merupakan komponen dari kepribadian seseorang yang saling berpengaruh. Dengan kata lain, kita tidak bisa membahas emosi tanpa melibatkan kognisi, begitu juga sebaliknya. Pemikiran ini kemudian berkembang hingga sekarang menjadi landasan dalam berbagai pendekatan CBT.

Ini merupakan buku yang sangat sering dikutip oleh berbagai tokoh psikoterapi, dan menurut saya perlu dijadikan daftar bacaan wajib bagi mahasiswa psikologi Klinis yang ingin mendalami psikoterapi agar dapat lebih memahami klien yang dihadapinya.

[Cherene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and while I don't agree with some of his ideas, I think there is a lot of good material in here. I really like Ellis's rational emotive therapy, and I can totally see how it would be very helpful in a lot of counseling situations. This book was easy to read, and had some useful informtion in it.