Philosophy and psychotherapy (Part 2): Stoicism — Karnacology

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and modern self-help literature are growing in popularity, triggering renewed interest in the practical side of ancient philosophy. Most ancient philosophical traditions held ideas and practices that pointed toward aspects of modern psychological therapy and self-help. Even so, people widely recognise Stoicism as the school of thought with the most explicit “therapeutic” orientation. The Stoics saw themselves as part of the broad Socratic tradition. However, they put more emphasis than their rivals, Plato’s Academy, on practical lifestyle and psychological exercises. These were tied to the Socratic ideal of psychological flourishing (eudaimonia). They also valued freedom from irrational, unhealthy or excessive fears and desires (apatheia), and freedom from distress (ataraxia). Stoicism is based on the philosophical premise that the chief good in life is for us to excel. We do this in terms of our essential nature as rational beings. The Stoics call this the attainment of “virtue” (aretê), although “excellence” is often considered a better translation. The Stoics define human excellence as the attainment of wellbeing. It also includes the four cardinal “virtues”: practical wisdom, justice (fairness and kindness), courage, and moderation (or self-control). The analogy between medicine and philosophy was well-known in the ancient world. The Stoics even described the philosopher’s lecture room as being like a doctor’s clinic. There is no doubt they saw philosophy itself as a kind of psychological “therapy”.

Their general precept, as explained at the beginning of the famous Stoic “Handbook” (Enchiridion) of Epictetus, sometimes called the “Sovereign” principle of Stoicism was that we should carefully distinguish between things under our control and things not under our control. In my previous book on the subject, The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2010), I called this the “Stoic Fork”. It clearly resembles, and probably inspired, the famous “Serenity Prayer” used in Alcoholics Anonymous and by many modern therapists:

God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;The Courage to change the things I can;

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And the Wisdom to know the difference.

Editorial Note: the Stoic Roots of CBT

This essay is part of Karnacology’s Philosophy and Psychotherapy series. It follows Part 1, on why philosophy belongs in the consulting room. The book the author mentions is The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2010), which Donald Robertson wrote as a study of exactly this lineage.

The Stoic roots of CBT are not a loose analogy. They are an acknowledged debt. Albert Ellis developed rational emotive behaviour therapy in the 1950s. He repeatedly credited Epictetus’s maxim as a cornerstone of his approach. The maxim says people “are disturbed not by things, but by the views they take of them.” Aaron Beck’s founding texts on cognitive therapy cite the Stoics as philosophical forerunners. The “Stoic Fork” described above separates what is under our control from what is not. It survives almost intact in modern therapy as the distinction between changing circumstances and changing our appraisals of them.

Readers who want the practical, contemporary end of this thread can start with our guide to whether therapy formats matter. It covers what evidence-based talk therapy looks like today and how to evaluate it.