• behavior therapy
• cognition
• cognitive restructuring
• cognitive therapy
• depression
The cognitive behavior therapies are not a single therapeutic approach but
rather a loosely organized collection of therapeutic approaches that share a
similar set of assumptions. At their core, cognitive behavior therapies share
three fundamental propositions: Cognitive activity affects behavior; cognitive
activity may be monitored and altered; and desired behavior change
may be effected through cognitive change.
The first of the three fundamental propositions of cognitive behavior therapy
suggests that it is not the external situation which determines feelings and
behavior but rather the person’s view or perception of that external situation
that determines feelings and behavior. For example, if one has failed the first
examination of a course, one could appraise it as a temporary setback to be
overcome or as a horrible loss. While the situation remains the same, the
thinking about that situation is radically different in the two examples cited.
Each of these views will lead to significantly different emotions and behaviors.
The third cognitive behavioral assumption suggests that desired behavior
change may be effected through cognitive change. Thus, while cognitive behavior
theorists do not reject the notion that rewards and punishment (reinforcement
contingencies) can alter behavior, they are likely to emphasize
that there are alternative methods for behavior change, one in particular
being cognitive change. Many approaches to therapy fall within the scope of
cognitive behavior therapy as it is defined above. While these approaches
share the theoretical assumptions described above, a review of the major
therapeutic procedures subsumed under the heading of cognitive behavior
therapy reveals a diverse amalgam of principles and procedures, representing
a variety of theoretical and philosophical perspectives.
Sections
Newsletter
Comments (0 posted)
Syndication
