Robert Harper

Author of a timeless self-help classic

Robert Harper was one of Ellis’s first collaborators. When Ellis first developed REBT in 1955, Harper was his first supporter. The two men shared a distaste for puritanical individuals in the field and fought against them publicly through numerous presentations. Harper joined Ellis in writing REBT: A Guide to Rational Living, and A Guide to Successful Marriage, both in 1961. They continued to collaborate over the years producing such works as, A New Guide to Rational Living, 1975, How to Stop Destroying Your Relationships, 2001, and Dating, Mating, and Relating: How To Build a Healthy Relationship, 2003. Ellis met Bob in 1950 at the American Association for Marital and Family Therapy. Harper was very active in the profession, over the course of many years he served as president of a variety of divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA). The two enjoyed a lasting friendship until Bob’s death in 2004.