Aaron Beck devised cognitive therapy.
• It is also known as cognitive restructuring therapy.
• Basic Assumption: Negative thinking, irrational beliefs and faulty generalization caused disorder.
•This therapy believes that repeated cognitive distortions play significant role in causing disorder. Cognitive distortion means way of thinking which are general in nature but which distorts the reality in a negative manner, e.g., persistent negative and irrational thoughts such as: “Nobody loves me”, “I am ugly”, “ I am **” etc.
Step I – Analysis of Core Schemata: Childhood experiences provided by the family and society develop core schemata or systems, which include beliefs and action patterns of the individual.
• A client, who was neglected by the parents as a child, develops the core schema of “I am not wanted.” This may be validated by the teachers in the school.
• Such negative automatic thoughts cause cognitive distortions.
• Cognitive distortions are ways of thinking which are general in nature but which distort the reality in a negative manner. Their patterns are called Dysfunctional cognitive structure.
• Repeated occurrence of these distorted thoughts leads to the development of feelings of anxiety and depression
Treatment Method:
• The therapist uses questioning, which is gentle, non-threatening and non- judgmental, non probing but thought proviking questions.
• The questions make the client to think deeper into her/his assumptions about his life and problems.
• These questions make the client to think in a direction opposite to his negative thoughts and gains insight of his dysfunctional schemas and able to restructure his thoughts in positive direction.
• Beck’s cognitive approach does not attempt to disprove the ideas held by depressed persons, rather the therapist and client work together to identify the individual’* assumptions, beliefs and expectations and to formulate ways of testing them.
Aim of the Therapy:
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• Cognitive restructuring by helping people to recognize and ** the false assumptions that are central to their difficulties.
