Epictetus, Epicurus and the Core Concepts of REBT
Albert Ellis, the creator and architect of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), as well as the progenitor of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), read and studied philosophy extensively in his early years, especially Hellenistic philosophers. His studies led him to believe that it is people’s own ideas and beliefs, as opposed to external events (i.e., the actions or opinions of others), that cause emotional and behavioral disturbances. The primary goal of the REBT lifestyle is for people to live life creatively and successfully, with a minimum of self-inflicted perturbation. Below are some words written by Epictetus (50 AD – 135 AD) and Epicurus (341 BC – 270 BC) that epitomize the REBT philosophy, and certainly influenced Dr. Ellis’ formulation of REBT principles and concepts.
Epictetus:
“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the notions they form concerning things.”
“When therefore we are hindered, or disturbed, let us never attribute it to others, but to ourselves.”
“When, therefore, anyone provokes you, be assured that it is your own opinion which provokes you.”
Excerpts from “The Handbook” by Epictetus.
Epicurus:
“Of all things most desirable, once got, we must have something else.”
“We need prudence to avoid cheating ourselves with short-lived pleasures that cost too much; wisdom to choose the simpler pleasures that cost less and last longer.”
“Some things are bound to go wrong in every life. That is our misfortune. But there is no need of brooding over them in gratuitous grief after they have gone, or dreading them in gloomy anticipation before they come. If either in anticipation or retrospect these evils are permitted to darken the hours when they are physically absent, that is not our misfortune; it is our fault and our folly.”
Excerpts from “Principle Doctrines” by Epicurus.
Reflection
REBT theory remains grounded in, and informed by, philosophy as well as science. Albert Ellis wrote about the contributions of Logical Positivists, especially Karl Popper (the pitfalls of inductive reasoning and a priori justification) while developing REBT principles. REBT therapists are committed to teaching scientific thinking, and encourage clients to scrutinize and test their beliefs, inferences, and evalutations. This allows clients to think rationally, and therefore act better and feel better. He also wrote about how Constructionists and Postmodern thinkers shaped his supposition that unhealthy emotions are created by personal mental constructs, as opposed to some particular and definitive objective reality. He postulated that people help create their own unhealthy emotions and problems, and, inasmuch, they can also create their own emotional solutions.
While REBT has evolved in part due to Existential and Constructionist thinkers, the approach still owes its foundation and much of its salience to the Hellenistic philosophers. Epictetus and Epicurus remind us that when other people and the world create adversity for us, we can (to a large degree, and with practice) choose how we think, feel, and act in those situations. They admonish us to pursue long-term, rational pleasure as opposed to short-term pleasure that may cause significant pain down the road. Finally, they teach us that life is lived in the “here and now” and we can choose not to waste our present moments fretting about the future or wallowing in the sorrow of past defeats and failures.
Writing this post and re-reading Epictetus, Epicurus, and Aurelius over the past few days has been a reminder to me of how prescient and timely their words remain several thousand years later. We remain incurably fallible and messed up as a human race. We haven’t really evolved much; the world has changed and many of our challenges are different, but the same themes show up when we are angry, jealous, depressed, anxious, envious, guilt-ridden and shamed. The philosophical perspectives offered by these ancient thinkers still apply.
