The Role of Virtues, Transcendence, and Spirituality in Elliot D. Cohen’s Logic-Based Therapy and Consultation (LBTC)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Wisdom, Faculty of Theology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jitp.2025.386658.523562

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of virtues, excellence, and spirituality within Elliot D. Cohen’s Logic-Based Therapy and Consultation (LBTC), situated in the broader domain of applied philosophy. As an outgrowth of Albert Ellis’s Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), LBTC exhibits notable affinities with positive psychology but is distinguished by its explicit focus on rational and moral virtues, as well as its commitment to cultivating a desire for virtuous living among clients. Beyond the emphasis on guiding virtues, Cohen introduces the concepts of excellence and spirituality, illustrating how the pursuit of virtue can lead to personal excellence and ultimately open the possibility of spiritual experience. Significantly, Cohen contends that these spiritual experiences are accessible to both religious and non-religious individuals: for religiously oriented clients, spirituality may assume a specifically religious character, whereas for secular or non-religious clients, the experience of liberation retains an inherently spiritual dimension. The primary data for this study derive from a comprehensive review of library sources, and the methodology is grounded in rational analysis.

Keywords


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