“Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them.” — Epictetus, 1st Century Stoic philosopher “People don’t just get upset. They contribute to their upsetness.” — Albert Ellis, 20th Century psychologist When you make the decision to seek counseling or therapy, you are in part making the decision to consult an applied philosopher — your therapist just may not know it! Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most well-known treatment models for anxiety, depression, and substance abuse — you’d be hard-pressed to find a psychotherapist who does not use any aspect of CBT in his or her practice. But CBT is also deeply indebted to the Stoic philosophers of ancient Greece. In this article, we will explore the relationship between Stoicism and CBT. Epictetus, prominent 1st Century Stoic philosopher

Stoicism in Ancient Greece

Stoicism is a school of philosophy that rose to prominence in Greece during the 3rd Century B.C. No psychologists, psychiatrists, or therapists existed at this time; philosophers, instead, were the “physicians of the soul.” The Greeks found guidance with philosophy alone, and Stoicism was a particularly useful tool for self-improvement.

Stoicism arose during the Hellenistic period — the time after Alexander the Great and before the rise of the Roman Empire. Stoicism, like all philosophies, is a method of understanding the world and how we relate to it. Stoics believed truth is rooted in natural law, and that aligning one’s thoughts and expectations with natural order will promote mental well-being and protect against unnecessary emotional pain. Conversely, holding a belief contrary to nature laws will lead to unmet expectations and, in turn, suffering.

During the era of the Stoics, philosophy was accessible to all social classes, and was more important than ever in the daily lives of average citizens. More than wisdom for abstract purposes, Stoicism was practical, applicable, and effective. It was so useful that many of its core concepts are still in use today.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy in modern times

Fast-forward a couple thousand years. Psychologist Albert Ellis has just set forth the first cognitive-behavioral therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). With REBT, Ellis proposed that emotional and behavioral problems could be relieved by identifying and changing faulty thoughts and beliefs. He called this treatment model cognitive restructuring, and it represented a major shift in psychotherapy. Before Ellis, Freudian psychoanalysis, which emphasized the bringing forward of subconscious thoughts as a way of changing behaviors, had reigned.

Where did Ellis get his ideas? Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher, was perhaps his biggest source of inspiration. Ellis drew on Epictetus’ notion that our interpretations of events have a greater impact on us that the events themselves. The more unrealistic — or out of line with nature — our interpretations are, the more we suffer when our expectations aren’t met. Conversely, when our beliefs and expectations align with nature, we will enjoy a well-adjusted life.

In the 1960s, another psychologist, Aaron Beck, identified fifteen specific ways in which our beliefs can drift away from reality and cause depression, anxiety, and other difficulties. He called these cognitive distortions, and he, too, believed that aligning one’s beliefs with natural order would reduce suffering. Sound familiar? His work was built on the framework of the Stoicism.

What do Stoicism and CBT have in common?

Stoicism and CBT overlap in several important ways. We will now look at three tenets of Stoicism that form the framework of cognitive-behavioral therapy: logic, acceptance, and control.

Logic

Stoics believed that the mind functions as an intermediary between our impressions (perceptions) and actions. A wise mind, they said, can successfully differentiate between accurate and faulty impressions through the use of logic. True impressions are based in observable laws of nature, and are to be assimilated into one’s worldview and acted upon. False impressions have no natural basis, and lead to destructive and painful emotions.

Therefore, logic is rooted in natural law, and negative emotions occur when we hold false or illogical beliefs about natural law. These could be beliefs about the physical world, or human nature. Instead of trying to change nature — an impossibility — a Stoic would realign his or her thoughts to more accurately reflect nature. In finding this harmony, the Stoic would reduce suffering.

Acceptance

Stoics believed all of nature is to be accepted, even its more tragic elements — death, loss, pain, misfortune, etc. These things occur naturally, so they are a part of natural law. To life a well-adjusted life, we must accept our strengths and limitations, as well as the beauties and horrors of the world.

Stoics were skeptical of overly optimistic or pessimistic judgments. After all, nature isn’t all good, or all bad — we are recipients of good and bad fortune. Stoics sought to live mindfully and non-judgmentally, accepting life as it comes without forming rigid expectations about the future.

Critics of Stoicism have accused the Stoics of being too passive — too willing to accept injustices of the world as a fact of life. However, Stoics paid great attention to locus of control, or the extent to which one’s can influence one’s circumstances. They believed in taking action when it mattered.

Control

Stoics recognized we don’t have complete control over our circumstances– our reputations, the way people treat us, etc. But we do have control over our own thoughts and beliefs. They believed we should concentrate our energy into these things we truly do control, and that doing so will give us the best opportunity to influence the world around us for the better.

With ethical action, the Stoics believed each individual could do his or her part to combat social ills. Everything else is outside our control, and we had better accept it.

These three things — using logical thought to identify unrealistic beliefs, accepting our circumstances, and making the distinction between the things we can and cannot control, are core tenets of cognitive-behavioral therapy. These can be seen in Aaron Beck’s original list of cognitive distortions: catastrophization, all-or-nothing thinking, and magnification and minimization are faults of logic that can lead to destructive emotions; jumping to conclusions, mind reading, and fortune telling are examples of failure to accept that which we do not know; and personalization and overgeneralization are mistakes of locus of control.

Stoicism and CBT: a difference of scope

Despite the similarities outlined above, Stoicism and cognitive-behavioral therapy do diverge in significant ways. The most significant difference, perhaps, is one of scope.

Stoicism has a metaphysical component

Many Stoics, including Epictetus, ascribed to fatalism. They believed that our fates are out of our control, and that the best we can do is dispassionately accept whatever our fates may be.

Today, fatalism is most often viewed within a religious context — believing a higher power has predetermined one’s life, for example. For ancient Greeks, the bounds of religion were a bit blurrier than they are today, and many philosophies incorporated some ideas about the workings of the universe that we now would consider to be religious in nature.

CBT has no metaphysical component

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy has a more limited scope, and does not posit any hypotheses about the greater workings of the universe, or a higher power. CBT is merely a therapeutic tool, though a powerful one.*

*Speaking of scope, there are also a number of core Stoic beliefs, and branches of Stoic thought, that are outside the scope of this article (a good primer on Stoicism can be found here).

Is therapy a philosophical pursuit?

The role of the cognitive-behavioral therapist today has many similarities to the role of a Stoic philosopher in ancient Greece. Far from being an academic interest, Stoic philosophy permeated the everyday life of its practitioners.

When we remember ancient Greece, its famous philosophers come quickly to mind. They, and Stoics in particular, believed that mastering one’s perception is an essential part of living successfully in the world.

When you make the decision to engage in psychotherapy, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy, you’re taking part in an ancient tradition. The emphasis ancient Greeks put on the understanding of the mind, mental wellness, and the relationship between the mind and the natural world, cannot be overstated. Therapy is a powerful tool for understanding and change, and has been for thousands of years.

Understanding the lineage from ancient Stoicism to cognitive-behavioral therapy makes the American stigma about mental health treatment all the more unfortunate. Our culture continues to celebrate our debt to ancient Greek advancements in countless other ways. Stoicism has been embraced by mainstream society more and more lately, including, of all places, the NFL. Increasing public awareness of the influence Stoicism has had on modern psychotherapy, specifically Stoicism and CBT, can help to reduce the stigma of mental health treatment.

References:

Beck, Aaron T. (1972). Depression; Causes and Treatment . Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Ellis, Albert; Debbie Joffe Ellis (2011). Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy . American Psychological Association.

. American Psychological Association. Epictetus; Long, George (trans.) Enchiridion. New York: A. L. Burt, 1955 (reprint: New York: Dover, 2004)

Robertson, Donald. (2010). The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy. Karnac Books.

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Photograph licensed under Creative Commons zero.

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