Rational-emotive therapy, or RET, is an outgrowth of cognitive learning theory, which was popular in the 1960s and 1970s (Leahy & Dowd, 2002, p. 128). Albert Ellis adapted cognitive learning theory in 1962, basing his work on the assumption that emotional disturbances are the result of irrational, maladaptive thoughts (Leahy & Dowd, 2002, p. 130). Believing that experience is connected to rationality and cannot be separated from it, Ellis (1974, pp. 194, 195) asserted that people have both rational and irrational values and behaviors and that RET views some irrational emotions as appropriate when they are in response to negative stimuli. By implementing approaches designed to interrupt and regroup maladaptive thought processes, Ellis' use of RET therapy was a breakthrough for its time. A meta-analysis of 28 controlled studies on RET's efficacy found it to be as effective as other approaches and more effective than placebo or no treatment (Engels, Garnefski, Diekstra, 1993, p. 1083).
The major contributor to RET was Albert Ellis, its developer. Ellis not only developed the theory initially but also continued to update it through the years to address its use in various contexts, such as for impotence and frigidity, phobias, and other problems. Although others such as Haaga and DiGuiseppe wrote about certain aspects of RET, no other theorists made as large a contribution as Albert Ellis, who literally spent decades refining his theory from rational therapy to rational-emotive therapy to rational-emotive behavior theory and then analyzing it as a vehicle for addressing a variety of psychological issues.
Five key concepts for RET include the A-B-C theory, confrontation, homework assignments, risk-taking exercises, and anti-magic (Ellis, 1974, pp. 195-197). The A-B-C theory of personality disturbance posits that an activating even (A) is not the direct cause of an emotional consequence (C), but rather that ...