What Is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy? (+ REBT PDF)

How rational do you think we humans are?

This may seem like an abstract and philosophical question, but the way you answer it has a huge impact on the way you help your clients.

If you’re like many of today’s therapists, you might answer that people are far less rational than we believe ourselves to be. Diving into this answer, you’ll find both a problem (people are thinking and behaving irrationally and suffering because of this) and a solution (we can adjust our thinking and behavior to be more rational).

In this post, you’ll learn about the foundations, theories, and techniques of a groundbreaking therapy that is built on this answer: rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT).

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What Is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy?

REBT is underpinned by the understanding that the way we think influences our emotions and behavior, and it attempts to help clients change the way they think to reduce negative symptoms and improve their quality of life (Albert Ellis Institute, n.d.a).

The theory underpinning this type of therapy is that humans are not entirely rational creatures (Taylor, 2016).

REBT assumes that many people with emotional or behavioral problems struggle due to the way they perceive their experiences rather than simply the experiences themselves, and adjusting those perceptions is the key to healing.

The creator of this theory, Albert Ellis, posited that approaching our problems in a more rational way could have a significant impact on our negative emotions and dysfunctional behaviors; from this hypothesis, REBT was born (Albert Ellis Institute, n.d.b).

A brief history

REBT has a long history of over 60 years, and its story continues to evolve. These are the main milestones so far:

1. In the early 1950s, Albert Ellis noticed a gap in therapy work and hypothesized that the thoughts people have and the way they think could be much more vital for understanding and treating clients than current therapies assumed. Ellis began working on a new therapy modality that was founded in this hypothesis (Ellis & Joffe Ellis, 2019).
2. Ellis first formulated REBT as “rational therapy” in 1957 (David et al., 2017).
3. In 1961, Ellis changed the name to “rational emotive therapy” to correct the misperception that this therapy modality ignored emotions (Albert Ellis Institute, n.d.b).
4. In another corrective attempt to accurately capture the modality, Ellis finally settled on rational emotive behavior therapy in 1993 (Albert Ellis Institute, n.d.b).
5. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in 2017 that reaffirmed the efficacy of REBT as a therapeutic modality (David et al., 2017).

How Does REBT Work, and What Are Its Benefits?

Ellis theorized that many of our emotional and behavioral problems spring from basic irrational assumptions, or assumptions that are not totally grounded in reality, and influence us to act in ways that are inappropriate, unhelpful, or even destructive (McLeod, 2015).

REBT aims to facilitate change in core beliefs and thought patterns that will prepare clients to more effectively deal with their problems and improve their ability to function and feel in a healthy way (Dryden et al., 2010).

The goal of rational emotive behavior therapy is best summarized as “disputing” — challenging and questioning our irrational and dysfunctional beliefs and replacing them with more sensible and functional beliefs. The result is not just changes in a few thought patterns or reducing some problematic symptoms, but a new perspective on life (Albert Ellis Institute, n.d.a).

Core principles

There are a few core principles that must be grasped for understanding REBT (Ellis & Dryden, 1997; Turner, 2016):

1. The first is the idea that our emotions and behaviors are driven by our beliefs (consciously or unconsciously).
2. The second is that these beliefs are often not rational or rooted in reality.
3. The third is that we can change our beliefs to more functional, healthy ones.

Beyond these basic principles, a key REBT concept is the ABCDE model of emotional disturbance (Ellis & Ellis, 2014).

ABCDE model

Ellis hypothesized that irrational beliefs are the result of a person’s goals or desires being inhibited or blocked. When clients don’t get or accomplish what they wanted to, they may develop irrational beliefs about themselves or the world that help explain what happened (Ross, n.d.). He detailed just how this happens with the ABCDE model of emotional disturbance.

Using the scenario of getting rejected after applying for a job as an example, this is how the ABCDE model can explain the development (and the solution) of such problems (Ellis & Dryden, 1987).

A – Activating event/adversity

An activating event or adversity is something that triggers a client to form an irrational belief, such as being turned down for a job. It is the first step in developing an irrational thought because it is formed to help process the event.

B – Irrational belief

The B stands for the irrational belief that is formed in response to the activating event. This is a belief that the client uses to cope with the event, such as, “I’m a loser, and that’s why this bad thing happened to me.”

C – Emotional and behavioral consequences

The third component is the consequences of this irrational belief. Irrational beliefs always have consequences, sometimes emotional, sometimes behavioral, and sometimes both.

D – Disputes or arguments

At this point a therapist can guide a client in developing arguments against the belief and help the client come up with evidence to the contrary, such as, “I have an amazing spouse. My spouse wouldn’t be with a ‘loser,’ so I must not be a loser.”

E – New effect

When the client has successfully countered the irrational belief, new consequences or effects will appear. These effects are the positive outcomes of holding more rational thoughts, like, “Sometimes bad things happen, but that doesn’t mean they’re always inevitable.”

The ABCDE model can be extremely helpful in tracing the development of irrational thought and providing a high-level outline of how to challenge and replace it. To learn more about the model, watch this video.

REBT vs. CBT: What Sets Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Apart?

If you’re familiar with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), you can likely already see the overlap. Both REBT and CBT recognize the impact of thoughts and beliefs on behaviors and emotions.

Unlike previous therapy modalities, REBT and CBT are founded on the premise that beliefs serve as filters through which others and the world are experienced. However, these filters may be dysfunctional and based on irrational ideas.

How Is REBT Used in Practice?

In practice, REBT is used in most of the same situations in which the more general CBT is indicated. REBT interventions can be used whenever a client would benefit from changing irrational beliefs to more positive, functional beliefs (King et al., 2024).

REBT techniques are generally administered in traditional therapeutic settings, typically in a one-on-one format between therapist and client.

However, there are some REBT resources available that people can use on their own to get started on their therapeutic journey. For example, the REBT Formulation PDF Worksheet can help individuals walk through the thoughts and feelings that arose from a difficult situation and assist them in parsing out the problematic response from the response they’d like to cultivate.

When is REBT used today?

REBT is often used today to tackle the same problems it was developed to treat: distressing symptoms that derive from irrational beliefs.

It is a good fit when the client is open to challenging their thoughts and beliefs and is ready to engage and participate in their own therapeutic journey (Hasan, 2022).

Who is it not for?

Although REBT is a great option for many clients, there are some for whom it may not be a beneficial choice.

Evidence has shown that REBT is not particularly effective for clients with personality disorders or more severe psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia or other acute psychiatric symptoms (Hasan, 2022).

REBT is also not a great choice for clients who are uncomfortable with confrontation, as REBT requires therapists to challenge the client’s thinking (Hasan, 2022).

How Effective Is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy?

Evidence shows that rational emotive behavioral therapy is a sound and effective therapeutic modality for a variety of conditions (David et al., 2017). It can assist clients with achieving their goals and with overcoming obstacles (Albert Ellis Institute, n.d.a).

More specifically, REBT can be used to address (David et al., 2017):

• General distress
• Anger
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Improving behavioral, health, and emotional outcomes
• Reducing academic stress and increasing academic performance
• Boosting overall quality of life

REBT & Positive Psychology: How Do They Align?

While rational emotive behavioral therapy was developed long before positive psychology arrived on the psychology scene, they share many of the same goals and areas of focus.

There are some areas of disagreement between the two — such as the strict focus on rationality in REBT versus the importance many positive psychologists place on feelings or even intuition — but in general, they fit together quite well.

Upon review of rational emotive behavior therapy and positive psychology, it turns out they have a lot in common:

• They both focus on removing or challenging the negative.
• They both place great importance on not only removing the negative, but also on replacing the negative with positive.
• They both assume that people are competent and capable and rely on guiding people through the process of finding better options for themselves and choosing the positive.
• They both recognize the vital importance of how people think, rather than focusing only on what they think.
• The ultimate goal for both REBT and positive psychology is to help people live better, more fulfilling, and happier lives.
• Most importantly, even though there are theoretical differences and disagreements, they are not mutually exclusive. A client or practitioner in REBT will likely find much support and encouragement in positive psychology, and many positive psychology practitioners recognize the importance of therapies like REBT and CBT.

It would not be incongruent to find a form of therapy that draws from both rational emotive behavior therapy and positive psychology.

Ultimately, any theoretical or philosophical differences between REBT and positive psychology are not really relevant, since they share the goal of improving lives by enhancing positive emotions, positive thoughts, and positive behaviors.

Criticism and Alternative Modalities

Although REBT is a powerful tool for addressing dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs, it may not be appropriate for all people and in all contexts.

There are some reasonable criticisms of REBT, including:

1. Some people prefer to “vent” rather than to engage in directed, goal-oriented problem-solving with a therapist (Iftikhar, 2022). In this case, REBT would likely not be a suitable fit.
2. It may not be helpful for people with more severe diagnoses or personality disorders (Sarracino et al., 2017).
3. REBT requires the therapist to be very straightforward or even harsh. It may be difficult to implement REBT techniques while maintaining a friendly and positive therapeutic relationship.

For cases where REBT is not indicated as an effective solution, there are other options. A softer CBT approach might work well for clients who don’t want to be confronted quite so harshly.

For those with personality disorders, dialectical behavior therapy is likely to be a better fit. It focuses on identifying emotions, regulating emotions, and managing crises and may be better suited for people who are not ready or able to address dysfunctional beliefs more directly.

Finally, acceptance and commitment therapy may be better suited for people who embrace mindfulness and the inevitability of negative emotions. It emphasizes acceptance of the unpleasant over attempts to transform it, which some clients will find easier and more realistic.

More Helpful Resources From PositivePsychology.com

There are many REBT worksheets, exercises, techniques, and interventions that therapists use in treatment.

Here are just a few of the helpful resources related to REBT that are available on our website:

• Dysfunctional Thought Record
  The Dysfunctional Thought Record worksheet is a commonly used exercise in REBT and CBT in general, as it gets to the root of the problem according to REBT theory: the irrational belief.

This exercise facilitates the identification of negative, irrational beliefs and the development of effective arguments against them. Keeping a record of these thoughts can help anyone to organize their thoughts, connect their beliefs to their reactions, and discover potential patterns of irrational beliefs.

• REBT Formulation worksheet
  The REBT Formulation worksheet can help clients identify activating events that lead to problematic responses and formulate new, healthier responses.

It’s a great way to walk your client through not only what their problematic response is, but also why that response is cropping up. Once clients have a good sense of where their unwanted emotions or behaviors are coming from, they have a better chance of addressing them in a healthy way.

• Logging Positive Beliefs worksheet
  With this worksheet, clients can confront negative and irrational thoughts or beliefs and replace them with new, more positive, and more functional thoughts or beliefs. It challenges clients to come up with facts to support the new belief, making it more likely that the more positive belief will stick.

If you’re interested in learning more about REBT, check out our article 5 REBT Techniques, Worksheets, and Exercises. It goes into more detail on REBT, focusing on resources that can help your clients identify, challenge, and replace dysfunctional patterns.

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A Take-Home Message

Hopefully, this post has given you a useful introduction to the world of rational emotive behavior therapy. Although the therapeutic approach was developed several decades ago, it is still in use by psychologists and therapists around the world, and it helped lay the foundation for a range of subsequent cognitive-focused therapies.

REBT helps people challenge dysfunctional thoughts, use reason in problem-solving, and adopt healthier, more positive beliefs.

Have you ever used REBT in your practice? What are your thoughts on this type of therapy? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

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ED: Updated September 2025