The Passing Of Albert Ellis

I was sad to read in Time magazine this week of the passing of Albert Ellis. Just last month I heard him described as the “most influential psychologist alive today;” sadly no more.

He’ll be remembered for his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, (previously called Rational Emotive Therapy, updated in the early nineties).

Although I never had the privilege of meeting Ellis, his ideas have greatly influenced both my professional and personal life. His insistence on replacing absolute words like “must” (as in “I must get this job.”) with softer, more accurate words and phrases such as “would like” (as in “I would like to get this job”) have often given me a sense of proportion and balance on those occasions when I’ve felt frustrated.

It’s a reflection of his quirky character that he referred to the habit of using absolute words like “must” as “must-erbation”.

The world needs more of Ellis’ kind of thoughtful irreverence.