The Ideas Of Albert Ellis And Beck's Cognitive Theory

“Cognitive therapy first came to the attention of British psychologists and psychiatrists through the pioneering work of the British researchers who sought to evaluate the efficacy of Beck’s treatment for depression.”

Through research on depression, Aaron Beck helped developed a form of therapy known as cognitive therapy. Beck also discovered that people’s minds have a tendency to perceive reality in a distorted manner. This distortion of reality ultimately leads to “faulty assumptions” and is known as cognitive distortions.(Corey & Corey, 2014) Listed and described below are a few of Beck’s cognitive distortions.

Before incorporating treatment and cultural sensitivity, a brief overview of cognitive behavioral therapy will help depict major figures such as Beck, Bandura, and Lewinsohn. According to Hindo, Prendes and Pardo (2011) Beck’s model emphasises how individuals miscontruct their thoughts negatively about themselves, experiences, and the future (p.384). However, Bandura's concept of CBT includes a less individualistic aspect of depression by including social factors (Aguilera, Garza, & Muñoz, 2010, p. 858). In this case, intervention for depression incorporates external factors such as environmental aspects as well as self factors . Nonetheless, Lewinsohn took a different approach on cognitive restructuring. For example, Organista (1995) depicts

These three cognitive patterns, Beck argues, lead to the depressed mood, the loss of drive, the suicidal feelings and the increased dependency that are features of depression.

Beck’s cognitive theory of depression that was developed to integrate mental events like thoughts and feelings in the learning context. Supporters of this theory hold the belief that depression is the outcome faulty cognitions that are expressed in the form of negative thoughts and judgment. The environment significantly contributes to the development of irrational cognitions through social acquisition or failure to experience situations that can help one cope effectively (Nemade, Reiss, & Dombeck, 2007). In another word, the model emphasizes that the environment creates opportunities for people to learn and reinforce the behavior. Thus therapists can guide his/her patient towards recovery through close evaluation of various components that are responsible for a particular behavior. In Laguanda’s case, the negative thoughts of unworthiness were brought about by the constant insults she received from the husband. Anger, resentment and, guilt has its basis on her beliefs. Thus by tackling these two areas, therapists will be able to guide Laguanda to pave the way for positive

depression; however, the research moved more towards errors in logic, coined “cognitive distortions” which were deemed the basis of underlying dysfunction and depression.  The fundamental aspect of cognitive therapy, which later integrated components of behaviorism, was the carry-over of negative beliefs that reflected the individual’s pathological behavior.

The cognitive restructuring theory commands that one’s personal impractical philosophies are precisely responsible for producing dysfunctional feelings and their subsequent behaviors, such as anxiety, despair, and social extractions; and humans can be purged of such feelings and their validities by demolishing the theories that give them life. The cognitive restructuring model is a proven model in addressing behavioral issues concerning stroke victims and adolescents. Team A’s focus will be addressing the perceptions into these interventions.

In this study, the researcher used Beck’s Cognitive Theory as the theoretical framework and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a process of intervention because the aim of the study was to reduce depression

How is depression established and sustained? When looking at the cognitive perspective on depressive disorders, depression is simply developed and maintained by a client’s way of learning, thinking, and problem solving. One study proposes that there are three qualifiers when looking at the relationship between cognitive processing and depression and they are as follows: “inhibitory processes and deficits in working memory, ruminative responses to negative mood states and negative life events, and the inability to use positive and rewarding stimuli to regulate negative mood” (Gotlib & Joormann, 2010). Depressive disorders and cognitive processing are uniquely intertwined. Cognitive theorists that study depression suggest that “people’s thoughts,

Dr. David Burns gave a TED talk explaining the benefit of cognitive therapy on patients who suffer from anxiety and depression. The “black hole” of depression, anxiety, and self-doubt can lead some individuals to contemplate and attempt suicide. Often times, antidepressants have been prescribed to patients as a solution to help alleviate their depression. Unfortunately, antidepressants do not always work and are not the best solution. Dr. Burns changed the way the way he practiced after seeing the benefit of using cognitive therapy and the power of positive thinking. The three basic ideas behind cognitive therapy are our thoughts create all of our moods, when one is depressed or anxious thoughts become distorted and are not realistic,

depression and the inability to measure up. A major concept of cognitive theory is schema, this is

At some point in time everyone has experienced depression. When one becomes depressed their thought process can turn negative. A common method of treating depression is cognitive therapy. Cognitive Therapy as it relates to depression was developed by Aaron Beck. Beck, a well known psychiatrist, served as a pioneer in the development of cognitive theory and therapy for depression. Beck’s cognitive theory of depression was created with the idea that a person’s experience directly affects their thoughts. These thoughts, then draw a parallel with the development of their beliefs. One’s beliefs assist in determining their emotions and behaviors. Beck considered the main trigger of depression to be negative thought processes.

The theory of Cognitive Therapy was Beck’s initial therapy approach to depression. This paper will provide an overview of Cognitive Therapy and treatment modalities for depression, as well as the writer’s personal view on counseling and cognitive therapy. Additionally, the paper will examine depression as a presenting problem and the use (application) of Cognitive Therapy theory to treating a person with depression.

The relationship and interactions between negative life events and negative cognitive styles generate a sense of hopelessness (Liu, Kleiman, Nestor, and Cheek, 2015, p. 348). Hopelessness depression can create changes in emotions, cognition, self-esteem, and motivation. People can simply give up, be saddened, lack the confidence of moving on, or have their thinking patterns effected to where they feel they cannot change the outcome of their situation (Miserandino, 2012, p. 282). It is noticeable to see how the impact of hopelessness affects changes in behavior, cognitive capabilities, and emotional capacities.

Esbensen and associates (2007) reported that people who are depressed limit their rational and obvious explanations and automatically perceive situations negatively. And also Brewin (1998) stated that existence of depressing thoughts affects individual’s ability to process information consciously that could cause symptoms for depression namely, sleep disturbance, delusions, cognitive and motor slowing and lack of