Phil visits a therapist for treatment of his depression. The therapist tells him that his problems arise from a series of irrational beliefs about himself and about life which he
Has developed over the years. She says that to overcome the depression, Phil must
Replace his irrational beliefs with rational self-talk. Phil's therapist is most similar to
______ in the way she conceptualizes his problem.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ellis was a cognitive-behavioral therapist who developed the theory of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), which suggests that people's problems arise from irrational beliefs and negative self-talk. The therapist's focus on replacing irrational beliefs with rational self-talk is consistent with the principles of REBT. Sullivan was a psychoanalytic psychologist who focused on interpersonal relationships, Skinner was a behaviorist who focused on environmental factors shaping behavior, and Kelly was a humanistic psychologist who focused on individual experiences and subjective meaning-making. None of these perspectives are as directly relevant to the issue of irrational beliefs and cognitive restructuring as REBT.

Phil Visits a Therapist for Treatment of His Depression