¶ … Evolution and Development of Cognitive Therapy
Psychology is a relatively young science. Though it has roots in philosophy and other humanities, it has only been an official science for a little over a century. Moreover, the different treatment modalities in psychology are also relatively new. However, in a short period of time, some treatments have grown to preeminence in the field, so much so that, even though they are relatively young, they are considered the standards by which other treatments are judged. These two approaches are psychoanalysis and behavior therapy, and they have been used, with some success for decades. However, in the 1960s, a new therapeutic approach emerged: cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy focused on the role that thoughts played in behavior and disorders, with the premise that changing thoughts would result in behavior and symptom change.
Of course, like other areas of psychology, it is important to understand that cognitive therapy did not evolve in isolation. In fact, Robert Montgomery feels that there are a number of fundamental similarities between cognitive therapy and the Stoic philosophies of ancient Rome (1993). Most significantly, Montgomery highlights the idea that the "fundamental stoic belief that emotions arise from an interaction between reason and the world" anticipated Beck and Ellis's theories of cognitive therapy (1993).
Understanding whether or not cognitive therapy can be effective involves a basic understanding of cognitive neuroscience. "Cognitive neuroscience takes an integrative position and seeks to understand how mind emerges from brain. Connectionism is a facet of computational neuroscience that endeavors to show how psychology emerges from functioning networks" (Tryon, 2009). Neuroscience focus on how signals transmitted by neurotransmitters are processed by the brain. One of the interesting observations is that the brain is actually transformed by cognition. "Experience-dependent plasticity is the term used to refer to the ways in which the brain changes during learning and memory formation. Neurons that fire together wire together through the synthesis...
Cognitive therapy provides a structured framework for change. Describe your understanding of how this form of therapy works. According to Cherry (2012), cognitive behavior therapy, also known as CBT focuses on helping clients to understand the thoughts and feelings that create their behaviors. If such behaviors are problematic, the client is encouraged to work on the way they think and feel about certain situations, which, it is assumed, would then also
Treatment Process To treat dysfunctional modes of either thinking or behaving in Cognitive Therapy three general approaches are applied: 1. Deactivation through distraction or reassurance 2, Modification of content or structure 3. The construction of more adaptive modes which "neutralizes' the maladaptive modes. These steps are fundamental in the process as each step is an aspect of the developed sense of self or core belief. To describe each process is also
Cognitive Psychology Cognitive therapy psychology is a proven, effective theoretical psychological approach. Its focus on guided self-improvement and underlying assumption that individuals are capable of change fits well with my personal belief system. Identifying and changing negative thoughts and perceptions, and changing underlying behaviors can all be useful techniques in treating a depressive patient using cognitive therapy. Cognitive theory is based on the idea that previous experiences and perceptions can affect and
Aaron Beck & Cognitive Therapies Cognitive therapies are therapies that relate to how a person thinks, and attempt to solve problems based on changing how people think. The founder of cognitive therapies was Aaron Beck. Beck believed that problems resulted from cognitive distortions, that is, were based in a person's thinking. Beck believed that a person's thought, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions were the basis for what emotions they would experience and how
Depression is a state of sadness and gloom where one feels dull and overwhelmed by the challenges of life. People tend to say that they are "depressed' any time they feel very unhappy. More likely than not, it could just be a mere response to fatigue, sad thoughts or events. This improper use of this term causes confusion between an ordinary mood swing and a medical condition. While it
personality and psychotherapy theories, namely, client-centered therapy (CCT) and cognitive therapy. The first section of the paper takes up CCT (or Rogerian therapy), giving a brief overview of the theory's key points, including its founder and the views of the founder. Sub-sections under this section explore, in brief, the areas of personality structure under the theory, theory architecture, and an approach to intervention using the theory (or in other
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now