Albert Ellis

Psychologist

1913-09-27 – 2007-07-24

Albert Ellis was an American psychologist who developed rational emotive behavior therapy. His work was foundational to modern cognitive-behavioral approaches in psychotherapy. He wrote extensively on emotional regulation and belief systems.

Quotes by Albert Ellis

Stop shoulding on yourself
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You have considerable power to construct self-helping thoughts, feelings and actions as well as to construct self-defeating behaviors. You have the ability, if you use it, to choose healthy instead of unhealthy thinking, feeling and acting.
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You have considerable power to construct self-helping thoughts, feelings and actions as well as to construct self-defeating behaviors. You have the ability, if you use it, to choose healthy instead of unhealthy thinking, feeling and acting.
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Stop shoulding on yourself
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I started to call myself a rational therapist in 1955; later I used the term rational emotive. Now I call myself a rational emotive behavior therapist.
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I thought foolishly that Freudian psychoanalysis was deeper and more intensive than other, more directive forms of therapy, so I was trained in it and practiced it.
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People could rationally decide that prolonged relationships take up too much time and effort and that they'd much rather do other kinds of things. But most people are afraid of rejection.
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Acceptance is not love. You love a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you accept everybody just because they're alive and human.
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There are three musts that hold us back: I must do well. You must treat me well. And the world must be easy.
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People have motives and thoughts of which they are unaware.
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I get people to truly accept themselves unconditionally, whether or not their therapist or anyone loves them.
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By not caring too much about what people think, I'm able to think for myself and propagate ideas which are very often unpopular. And I succeed.
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If something is irrational, that means it won't work. It's usually unrealistic.
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People don't just get upset. They contribute to their upsetness.
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Many psychoanalysts refused to let me speak at their meetings. They were exceptionally vigorous because I had previously been an analyst and they were very angry at my flying the coop.
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