Conclusion
Mahoney, Guidano, and other modern constructivists and process-oriented therapists are partly on the right track and are making some interesting additions to traditional cognitive therapy. But they sometimes also revert to inefficient and side-tracking psychoanalytically-oriented methods of therapy. RET, in both its individual and family therapy approaches, attempts to use the most effective and hardheaded of the so-called rationalist methods—including active—directive changing of unrealistic and irrational Beliefs, skill training, problemsolving, bibliotherapy, in vivo desensitization, and reinforcement procedures-and it also employs many of the methods of the cognitive constructivists—including the disclosing of tacit philosophies; the achievement of a profound philosophical change in clients' attitudes toward themselves, toward others, and toward life situations; the use of the therapist's relationship with clients to show them how to unconditionally accept themselves; and the employment of many dramatic, emotive, and experiential exercises to change clients' feelings as well as their thoughts and behaviors. RET is particularly interested in effecting both individual and familial change as quickly and as efficiently as feasible. It is therefore rational (efficaciously hedonic)and emotive (energetically experiential). Or at least tries to be!
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adler, T. (1989). Study finds genetic defect linked with schizophrenia.American Psychological Association Monitor, 20(1), 15.
Bandura, A. (1986).Social foundations of thoughts and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Hartley, W. W. (1962).The retreat to commitment. New York: Knopf.
Beck, A.T. (1976).Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York: International Universities Press.
Beck, A.T., Rush, A.J., Shaw, B.F., & Emergy, G. (1979).Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford.
Berne, E. (1972). What do you say after you say hello? New York: Grove.
Bowlby, J. (1969).Attachment and loss. I: Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
Bowlby, J. (1973).Attachment and loss. II: Separation. New York: Basic Books.
Bowlby, J. (1980).Attachment and loss. III: Loss: Sadness and depression. New York: Basic Books.
Bradley, P. B., & Hirsch, S. R. (Eds.) (1986).The psychopharmacology and treatment of schizophrenia. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Chess, S., Thomas, T., & Birch, H. G. (1965).Your child is a person. New York: Viking.
Crawford, T., & Ellis, A. (1989). A dictionary of rational-emotive feelings and behaviors.Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, 7(1), 3–27.
Dobson, K. S. (1988). The present and future of the cognitive-behavioral therapies. In K. S. Dobson (Ed.),Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (pp. 387–414). New York: Guilford.
D'Zurilla, T. J., & Goldfried, M. R. (1971) Problem-solving and behavior modification.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 78, 107–126.
Ellis, A. (1957).How to live with a neurotic: At home and at work. New York: Crown. Rev. ed., Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Books, 1975.
Ellis, A. (1958). Rational psychotherapy.Journal of General Psychology, 59, 35–49. Reprinted: New York: Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy.
Ellis, A. (1962).Reason and emotion in psychotherapy. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel.
Ellis, A. (1965a).The treatment of borderline and psychotic individuals. New York: Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy, Rev. ed., 1988.
Ellis, A. (1965b). Workshop in rational-emotive therapy. Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy, New York City, September 8.
Ellis, A. (1969). A weekend of rational encounter.Rational Living, 4(2), 1–8.
Ellis, A. (1971).Growth through reason. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Books.
Ellis, A. (1972a).Psychotherapy and the value of a human being. New York: Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy.
Ellis, A. (1972b). Helping people get better rather than merely feel better.Rational Living, 7(2), 2–9.
Ellis, A. (1973).Humanistic psychotherapy: The rational-emotive approach. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Ellis, A. (1976a). The biological basis of human irrationality.Journal of Individual Psychology, 32, 145–168. Reprinted: New York: Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy.
Ellis, A. (1976b). RET abolishes most of the human ego.Psychotherapy, 13, 343–348. Reprinted: New York: Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy.
Ellis, A. (1977).Anger-how to live with and without it. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press.
Ellis, A. (1979). The theory of rational-emotive therapy. In A. Ellis & J.M. Whiteley (Eds.),Theoretical and empirical foundations of rational-therapy (pp. 33–60). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Ellis, A. (1984). Is the unified-interaction approach to cognitive-behavior modification a reinvention of the wheel?Clinical Psychology Review, 4, 215–218.
Ellis, A. (1985a).Overcoming resistance: Rational-emotive therapy with difficult clients. New York: Springer.
Ellis, A. (1985b). Expanding the ABC's of rational-emotive therapy. In M. Mahoney & A. Freeman (Eds.), Cognition and psychotherapy (pp. 313–323). New York: Plenum.
Ellis, A. (1987a). The impossibility of achieving consistently good mental health.American Psychologist, 42, 364–375.
Ellis, A. (1987b). A sadly neglected cognitive element in depression.Cognitive Therapy and Research, 11, 121–146.
Ellis, A. (1988a). Are there “rationalist” and “constructivist” camps of the cognitive therapist?Cognitive Behaviorist, 10, 13–17.
Ellis, A. (1988b). Further comments on dichotomies and classifications in the cognitive therapies,Cognitive Behaviorist, 10, 22–23.
Ellis, A. (1988c).How to stubbornly refuse to make yourself miserable about anything—yes, anything! New York: Lyle Stuart.
Ellis, A. (1989a). Rational-emotive therapy. In R. J. Corsini & D. Wedding (Eds.),Current psychotherapies. 4th ed. Itasca, IL: Peacock.
Ellis, A. (1988b). Ineffective consumerism in psychotherapy. In W. Dryden (Ed.),Therapeutic stress and change: contributions from cogitive psychotherapy. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Ellis, A. & Becker, I. (1982).A guide to personal happiness. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Books.
Ellis, A., & Dryden, W. (1987).The practice of rational-emotive therapy. New York: Springer.
Ellis, A., & Harper, R. A. (1975).A new guide to rational living. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Books.
Ellis, A., & Yeager, R. (1989).Why some therapies don't work: The dangers of transpersonal psychology. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus.
Ellis, A., Young, J., & Lockwood, G. (1987). Cognitive therapy and rational-emotive therapy: A dialogue.Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 1(4), 137–187.
Fairburn, C. G. (1985). Cognitive-behavioral treatment for bulimia. In D. M. Gardner & P. E. Garfinkel (Eds.),Handbook of psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. New York: Guilford.
Frank, J. D. (1973).Peruasion and healing. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins.
Freud, S. (1965).Standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud. London: Hogarth.
Garner, D. M., & Bemis, K. M. (1985). Cognitive therapy for anorexia nervosa. In D. M. Garner & P. E. Garfinkel (Eds.),Handbook of psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. New York: Guilford.
Green, J., Bax, D. M., & Tsitsikas, H. (1989). Neonatal behavior and early temperament.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59, 72–81.
Guidano, V. F. (1988). A systems, process-oriented approach to cognitive therapy. In K. S. Dobson (Ed.),Handbook of cognitive behavioral therapies (pp. 307–356). New York: Guilford.
Haley, J. (1973).Uncommon therapy: The psychiatric techniques of Milton H. Erickson. New York: Norton.
Hayek, F. A. (1978).New studies in philosophy, politics, economics, and the history of ideas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Korzybski, A. (1933).Science and sanity. San Francisco: International Society of General Semantics.
Lazarus, R. S. (1966).Psychological stress and the coping process. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984).Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
Mahoney, M. J. (1976).Scientist as subject. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
Mahoney, M. J. (1988). The cognitive sciences and psychotherapy: Patterns in a developing relationship. In K. S. Dobson (Ed.),Handbook of the cognitive-behavioral therapies (pp. 357–386). New York: Guilford.
Maultsby, M. C., Jr. (1984).Rational behavior therapy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Meichenbaum, D. (1977).Cognitive-behavior modification. New York: Plenum.
Neisser, U. (1967).Cognitive psychology. New York: Appleton-Century Crofts.
Peveler, R. C., & Fairburn, C. G. (1989). Anorexia nervosa in association with diabetus mellitus-a cognitive-behavioral approach to treatment.Behavior Research and Therapy, 27, 95–99.
Polanyi, M. (1966).The tacit dimension. New York: Doubleday.
Popper, K. R. (1959).The logic of scientific discovery. New York: Harper & Bros.
Raimy, V. (1975).Misunderstandings of the self. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rogers, C. R. (1961).On becoming a person. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.
Rosenthal, D. (1970).Genetic theory and abnormal behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Rosenthal, D., & Kety, S. S. (Eds.) (1968). The transmission of schizophrenia. Elmsford, NY: Pergamon.
Seligman, M.E.P. (1975).Helplessness. San Francisco: Freeman.
Weimer, W. B. (1975). The psychology of inference and expectation. In G. Maxwell & R. M. Anderson (Eds.),Induction, probability and confirmation. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Weimer, W. B. (1977). A conceptual framework for cognitive psychology. In R. Shaw & J. D. Bransford (Eds.),Acting, perceiving and knowing. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Werner, E. E. (1989). High-risk children in young adulthood.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59, 72–81.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Keynote address to World Congress of Cognitive Therapy, Oxford, England June 29, 1989
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ellis, A. Is rational-emotive therapy (RET) “rationalist” or “constructivist”?. J Rational-Emot Cognitive-Behav Ther 8, 169–193 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01066283
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01066283