Aaron Beck's Psychodynamic Theory Paper

Research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be as successful as medicine in treating many types of depression and other mental health disorders it can be completed in a relatively short time compared with other talking therapies and because it is highly structured, CBT can be provided in a number of different formats such as through computer programs, groups and self-help books. Some research suggests that CBT may be better than antidepressants at preventing the return of depression. It is thought to be one of the most effective treatments for anxiety and depression.

Cognitive-behavioural theory (CBT) is a kind of psychotherapeutic treatment that enables patients to comprehend the thoughts and feelings that control their behaviours.

According to Hayes, emphasis shifted towards exploration of one’s interpretation of the world and interpretation of emotionally relevant situations, and shapes experience. This second generation of developments included rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) developed by Albert Ellis, and Beck and colleagues’ cognitive therapy.

CBT has no set definition but can be viewed as a scientific approach towards the understanding and improvement of human condition. Due to the advancement in the understanding of CBT, many different types of models have come into place (Rakovshik & McManus, 2010; Shafran et al, 2009) . As evidence based practice, it has become very popular and is at a rise due to its ability for causality in elicits situations and experiences. Despite some great success, not only dealing with addiction but has also proven effectiveness with psychoanalytic approach, it still holds some defects. In this paper, CBT approaches will further be analyzed and tested upon its effectiveness and how they have been criticized for further improvements.

Unlike Person-Centred therapy Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a scientific model founded in the 1960’s by Aaron Beck. It joins the theories of both Cognitive therapy and behavioural. He noticed that many of his counselling clients had an “Internal dialogue” (Beck, 1979) that was often negative and self-defeating and influenced behaviour. He realised that by working on these internal dialogues and making them positive it could effectively lead to positive changes in the behaviour of the clients. CBT focuses on the images, self-belief and attitudes held by the client and how these things can affect the client’s

CBT is a relatively young model and theory. What we know as CBT, began in the 1950's with Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavioral approach to therapy (Dobson, 2001). Later in the 1960's, Aaron Beck began using Cognitive Therapy in treating depression. (Barlow, 2001. 230) The origins of what we now know as cognitive behavioral theory is said to come from earlier theories and concepts. Credit can be given to early philosophers such as Kant (1782), theorists such as Alfred Adler (Individual Psychology), and behaviorists such as Joseph Wolpe and George Kelly . Frued can also be mentioned, albeit indirectly, for his theory was quite distressing to Adler who stated, “I am convinced that a person's behaviors springs from his ideas.” (pg 306. Milkman and Sunderwirth, 2010). Pavlov and Skinner can also be acknowledged, for their work in learned behavior and conditioning, which directly correlates to the concepts of cognitive behavioral therapy. More recently, A.

On the other hand, the cognitive behavioral theory uses the principles of schemas, cognitive triad, and cognitive distortions. The CBT is based on: “the observation of the Automatic Thoughts and beliefs that are exaggerated, distorted, mistaken, or unrealistic” (Dr. Lennon, 2016). CBT attempts to reduce by training the patient’s mind to replace dysfunctional thought patterns, perceptions, and behavior with more realistic and helpful ones.

CBT was first described by Professor Aaron Beck in the early 1950’s (Wilding & Milne, 2008). In contrast with many of the psychological therapy models of the time, CBT was based on the belief that maladaptive thoughts and behaviours arise not from what has happened in our lives, but from how we think about what has happened to us (Taylor, 2006; Newman, 2013). A variety of approaches are considered to fall within the domain of CBT – these include Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (Dryden, 2009), Beck’s CBT approach, and Meichenbaum’s Cognitive Behaviour Modification (Meichenbaum, 1977) These approaches share 3

The philosophy of cognitive behavioral therapy is that “think and feeling are connected people are creative (Halbur & Halbur, 2015, p.47)”. The key aspects of theory are to challenge the irrational beliefs that we hold about ourselves. Aaron Beck the primary founder of cognitive behavior theory assumed that people can control how they feel and what they think. He believed that our inner thoughts and beliefs affected how we are affected on the outside. One of the key concepts is that the client’s dysfunctional thinking can be derived from an erroneous internal process or bias.

Corey (2009) defined REBT as, “the active, directive, time-limited, present-centred, structural approach used to treat various disorders such as depression, anxiety and phobias”. In general, REBT can be defined as a theory that renders the role of cognitions, emotions and behaviour as

Automatic thinking is a term that comes up a lot around these parts and refers to the self-talk or narrative that folks with depression and anxiety immediately engage in as a response to an activating event or trigger. Automatic thinking can be the result of a trigger or can act as a trigger for distress. Many of the clients I work with are often curious about how or why this type of thinking occurs. The primary source of automatic thinking are core beliefs; beliefs that we hold about ourselves, others and/or the world around us. Individuals who struggle with a mental health issue typically have negative core beliefs that can influence thinking on a variety of events that occur on a day to day basis.

CBT with children emphasizes the effects of maladaptive or dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes on current behavior. A presumption is made that a child’s reaction to an event is influenced by the meanings he or she attaches to the event. That is to say, emotional and behavioral responses to events in a person’s day-to-day life are a function of how these events are perceived and recalled, the attributions that are made about the causes of the event, and the ways in which the events affect one’s self-perceptions and the pursuit of one’s goals. These cognitive processes are believed to be influenced, in turn, by underlying beliefs that individuals maintain about themselves, the world, and their futures. These core beliefs or schemas are actively

Moreover, REBT is a direct form of therapy between a client and counselor where unlike traditional forms of therapy, the client takes full responsibility for progress and is directly involved in the sessions. According to Ellis (1994), REBT is a dual-purpose form of therapy, which can treat disorders such as depression and anxiety. Furthermore, REBT can be taught not only by counselors but by clients who have been able to benefit from it, due to its simplicity (Bennett, 2003). REBT is challenging yet rewarding since, it requires the use of homework to ensure the clients remain motivated and active throughout the course of

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was created by Aaron Beck, a professor in psychiatry in the 1960’s (Beck, 2011). Initially, Beck sought out to prove the psychoanalytic idea that depression stemmed from anger towards oneself (Beck, 2011). However, during his research he found that misleading thoughts and beliefs were the reasoning behind depression. Beck theorized that one’s current feelings about something are derived from an initial encounter that gave meaning to that specific event. So, negative feelings about a particular occurrence can be a result of misinformation (Beck & Greenberg, 1984).

The therapeutic focus of REBT is thoughts, and it operates under the assumption that irrational thoughts underlie all psychological problems (Seligman, 2014). The REBT therapy approach assumes that the main source of people’s dysfunctions are their cognitions, and that a person must identify,