Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is now widely accepted by psychological scholars as the gold standard in evidence-based psychotherapy. Underlying its practical success is a theoretical insight that will not sound new to those familiar with Ayn Rand’s theory of emotion: that emotions come from automatized premises, and that one’s emotional responses and states—and ultimately one’s overall emotional well-being—can be (indirectly) altered by altering what, and how, one thinks.

This course examines the virtues as well as the limitations of CBT as currently conceived, situating both the theory and the practice of CBT within the context of Ayn Rand’s theory of emotion. It additionally reviews several innovative applications of CBT that have received research support in recent years. Attendees will leave this course equipped with a basic understanding of how one might reap maximal personal benefit from integrating CBT’s specialized (yet philosophically superficial) psychological guidance with the fundamental philosophical insights offered by Ayn Rand.