Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) 1 Flashcards
How Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was created?
The 2 main influence
CBT was created by combining Behavior Modification interventions and Cognitive Therapy techniques
Over the years, BT and CT grew together and influenced each other so much that the resulting mixture is now most commonly known as CBT.
Who developed Behavior Therapy? And who were the main influence?
Follows work of J.B. Watson and B.F. Skinner
Behavior therapy as developed by Wolpe and others in the 1950s and 1960s
How was BT developed?
What is Behavior Therapy?
- BT came about as a reaction against the psychoanalytic paradigm that had dominated psychotherapy until then. It particularly criticized the lack of empirical evidence to support either its theory or its effectiveness.
- It was strongly influenced by the behaviorist movement in academic psychology (Watson, Skinner) which took the view that what went on inside the mind is not directly observable and therefore cannot be subjected to scientific study.
What is BT? (the goals and focus)
also called Behavior Modification Therapy
o Goal is to change the person’s behavior
o No need to look into the “black box”
Behaviorists looked at how people learn associations between stimuli and responses. Rather than understanding what is going on inside a person’s mind, they are trying to figure out ways to help the person learn desirable behavior / unlearn problematic behavior.
What BT successfully treated?
The treatment of anxiety disorders such as phobias and OCD.
Who developed Cognitive Therapy?
Developed by A. T. Beck in the 1960s and 1970s
Some of the big names: Albert Ellis (REBT), Aaron T. Beck
What is CT? (the goals and focus)
Goal is to change the person’s thinking
Thoughts cause feelings, physical symptoms and behaviors (important to look into the “black box”)
CT started as some psychologists became dissatisfied with BT leaving out such important elements of a person’s life as thoughts, beliefs, interpretations, and so on.
What did CT treat? And who?
Beck developed cognitive therapy for depression (Beck, 1979) and research rapidly showed that CT was as effective a treatment for depression as anti-depressant medication (Rush et al, 1977).
What are the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Principles?
Six common principles: • The cognitive principle • The behavioral principle • The continuum principle • The here-and-now principle • The interacting-systems principle • The empirical principle
What is the The cognitive principle? Give example
o people’s emotional reactions and behaviors are strongly influenced by cognitions (thoughts, interpretations, beliefs)
o e.g. walking down the street and passing your friend but she doesn’t seem to notice you.
What is the The behavioral principle? Give example
o behavior is crucial in maintaining or changing psychological states; what we do has a powerful influence on our thoughts and emotions.
o e.g. approaching / ignoring your friend
What is The continuum principle?
o mental health problems are best thought of as exaggerations of normal processes.
What is The here-and-now principle?
o it is more useful to focus on what currently maintains the problem, rather than what might have caused it many years ago.
What is The interacting-systems principle?
o it is helpful to look at problems as interactions between thoughts, emotion, behavior, physiology, and the environment in which the person operates.
What is The empirical principle?
o it is important to evaluate both theory and therapy through research.
