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Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Vol. 24, No. 3, Fall 2006 ( 2006) DOI: 10.1007/s10942-006-0044-zPublished Online: December 15, 2006
ABSTRACT: The author discusses three aspects of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) that occasionally make him wince. They are: REBT does not adequately address issues relating to diversity-sensitive counseling; there is a tendency for some REBT adherents to display poor interpersonel skills, and lack a philosophical commitment to the interdependence of humans on one another; and, there is a tendency for REBT to promise more than it can deliver. A list of 15 recommendations and wishes for a new and improved version of REBT are included.
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) occasionally makes me wince. Admittedly, the following article says a lot about me and my values. I am torn between my own search for a perfect theory (Weinrach, 1973, 1982, 1991, 1994a, b) and accepting the fact that REBT is not quite as perfect as I wish. Clearly, what makes me wince may not make the next person wince. I wince when I sense that something is not quite right. Obviously, most of my concerns apply to some extent to other approaches, as well. After all, none of them is perfect, either. But I do not care about the other approaches; I care about REBT.
My comments are limited to what makes me wince about an otherwise deservedly powerful psychological theory and philosophy of life. The three wince-producing issues are: REBT does not adequately
Reprinted from Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 14(1), 6378, 1996.
The author expressed his appreciation to Dominic DiMattia and Ellen Finkelstein who provided valuable suggestion to a draft version of this article and to Windy Dryden who initiated this dialog and saw it through to its publication.
Stephen G. Weinrach was a professor of counseling and human relations at Villanova, PA and a Fellow of the Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy in New York. He maintained a private practice in Havertown, PA. He died in 2004.
183 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
REDUCING REBTS WINCE FACTOR: AN INSIDERS PERSPECTIVE
Stephen G. Weinrach Villanova University
184 Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
address issues relating to diversity-sensitive counseling; there is a tendency for some REBT adherents to display poor interpersonal skills,...