Who founded Rational-Emotive Therapy?

• A. Aaron Beck
• B. Albert Ellis
• C. Carl Rogers
• D. B.F. Skinner

Answer: (B)

Albert Ellis founded Rational-Emotive Therapy, a cognitive-behavioral approach that links emotional distress to irrational beliefs about events. The core idea is that not the activating event itself, but how we interpret it, drives our feelings and actions. In RET, the therapist helps the client identify automatic irrational beliefs, challenge them through disputing, and replace them with more rational, flexible thoughts. A useful way to organize this is the ABC model: Activating event, Beliefs about the event, and Consequences (emotional and behavioral). By disputing the irrational beliefs, the client changes the emotional and behavioral response to the situation, leading to more adaptive outcomes. This foundational method later evolved into Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).

For context, Aaron Beck developed Cognitive Therapy focusing on restructuring negative automatic thoughts; Carl Rogers pioneered client-centered therapy emphasizing the therapeutic relationship and unconditional positive regard; B.F. Skinner is known for behaviorism and operant conditioning.