Albert Ellis, who in the 1950s founded cognitive therapy in the US, died yesterday at home in New York. He was 93. He gave his last interview to Jules Evans, whose portrait of Ellis in this month’s Prospect described a man who remained dedicated to the Stoic values that underpinned his system and to the teaching to which he devoted his life. In his later years, Ellis fell out with the trustees of the institute he founded, who tried to eject him from the board—yet he remained stoical about even this, describing the board members as “fucked-up, fallible human beings, just like everyone else.” You can discuss this article in the comments boxes below.
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[...] he had a falling-out with the albert ellis institute– but that did not keep him from sticking to his stoical values: the board members were, he said “fucked-up, fallible human beings, just like everyone [...]
Musturbation is evil and pernicious
Masturbation is good and delicious – Albert Ellis
I am a close friend and supporter of Dr. Albert Ellis and his wife Debbie Joffe Ellis. The article written by Julian Evans is one of the most perceptive of the hundreds that have been written about Al in recent days. Jules did an excellent job of understanding both the man and his philosophy. Well done!
Gayle
Wonderful article by Jules Evans, a new name to me. But to call the article “the last interview by Albert Ellis” leaves me thinking perhaps I only accessed but part of the article. What interview?! John Nagenda.
I’m glad that the author of this article has come out of the mentally troubled woods thanks to CBT. He doesn’t explain exactly what the method of CBT is, and we are left to believe that it really is forced positive thinking, American faux happiness. It is also clear that the author may need a little more training in realism if he is coming out with ridiculous attempts at humour like this one:
“Perhaps if our troops were taught more Stoic values, they would be less inclined to cry when someone took away their iPods.”
Can the author name on single example of this happening? Or is it just a silly childish joke?
Good piece, well written I find, and important that the writer has himself benefited from CBT. Albert Ellis is new to me. But I have been studying Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus and applying their teachings to contemporary life, and recognise the figure of the stoic philosopher in Ellis. Especially as he spends his last hours teaching from his bed – truly reminiscent of Socrates.
On the substance of CBT, I think it is difficult to put it across in such an article without making it sound glib and superficial. After all, there are large social forces encouraging us to be victims, and lots of profits being made. BUT what I don’t like about short therapies and NLP is that the alteration in our habits of perception can take a long time, and Diogenes et al saw it as a lifetime’s work, a way of being, rather than a quick fix. Satori may be instantaneous… but there is a path of learning involved, rather than a mere act of consumption.
Anyway, thanks to Jules Evans for this introduction to a remarkable man.
Good piece well written. Looking forward to Evans’ book. Ralph Waldo Emerson needs a mention in this field too!
In reply to Andrew Bousfield, who thinks I am joking about military personnel crying when someone takes away their Ipod – Andrew, sadly it’s no joke. It was a reference to the case of some British sailors who were kidnapped by the Iranian navy.
Read the article linked below, which says:
Arthur Batchelor, an operator maintainer on HMS Cornwall, was ridiculed after selling his story to a newspaper and saying his interrogators called him ‘Mr Bean’.
He also admitted he cried himself to sleep after the Iranians took his iPod.
You can read it here:
http://tiny.cc/i3g8o
All the best,
Jules