Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

BY: T. Franklin Murphy | October 2, 2021 (edited June 21, 2022)

A therapist in the foreground and a client in the background. A Flourishing Life Society article on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

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Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective and cost efficient treatment for many emotional and behavioral problems

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) assists clients improve maladaptive thought patterns that interfere with healthy behaviors and spark unsettling emotions. The underlying theory is that by correcting thoughts the behaviors and emotions will improve.

CBT focuses on the connections between thoughts, emotions and behaviors. The therapeutic approach is to help clients recognize negative or unhelpful thought and behavior patterns, exploring ways that emotions and thoughts impact actions. Once unhelpful patterns are recognized, clients can reframe thoughts in more positive and helpful ways through a process called cognitive reappraisal.

CBT differs from many traditional talk therapies in that it doesn't focus on the past.

Key Definition:

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is based on the theory that our thoughts influence behaviors. CBT is a psychotherapeutic treatment that helps clients identify and change thought patterns leading to disturbing and disrupting behaviors and emotions.

Historical Background of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The modern roots of CBT can be traced to the development of behavior therapy in the early 20th century, the development of cognitive therapy in the 1960s, and the subsequent merging of the two.

Behaviorism

Behavior therapy was largely based on the work of John B. Watson and Ivan Pavlov's classical conditioning and B.F. Skinner's work on operant conditioning.

Cognitive therapy

During the 1960's, behaviorism began to slip in popularity. The involvement of cognitive functions were ignored by the behavior theories. The work of Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck strongly influenced cognitive therapies.

An image depicting the three components of focus for CBT. Thoughts, Emotions, and Behaviors.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Core Principles Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking (cognitive component).

Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior (behavioral conditioning component).

People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping, thereby relieving the severity of symptoms and becoming more effective in living their lives.

An Example of Thought, Emotion, and Behavior

We respond to events emotionally and cognitively. Often a small feeling affect arousal generates thoughts that assign meaning to the arousal. The thoughts, in turn, enhance or regulate the feeling, and then we respond with a behavior.

For example, you are driving through your neighborhood and see your neighbor walking their dog. You enthusiastically wave, but your neighbor, who is looking directly at you, turns a way without acknowledging your wave. The external incident naturally sparks a small prick of shame. Then the thoughts arrive.

A chart showing harmful and neutral thoughts

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Our emotional lives are constantly peppered with the thought, emotion, behavioral feedback loops. When they diverge from reality, they can create unhealthy reactions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps clients get thoughts back in line to encourage productive behavior.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Used to Treat a Variety of Psychological and Behavioral Problems

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness.

"Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life" (APA, 2017).

Scott Strossel wrote in his comprehensive book on anxiety that "many studies are now finding that cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is the safest and most effective treatment for many forms of depression and anxiety disorders" (2015, location 882).

Techniques

CBT treatments involves a two prong approach. First is changing maladaptive thinking patterns; the second is changing maladaptive behavior patterns.

Changing Thinking Patterns

Changing maladaptive thinking patterns is a foundational goal of CBT. This is often accomplished by:

Recognizing distorted thinking that magnifies problems, and then reevaluating the thoughts against reality.
Identifying patterns and themes of harmful thoughts and establishing healthier responses.
Using emotion regulatory strategies to sooth emotions when overwhelmed.
Building confidence in one’s own abilities to manage emotional situations.

Changing Behavior Patterns

The behavioral facet of CBT works on practical behaviors to build new habits. This is accomplished by:

Learning to face fears instead of avoiding them.
Role playing to practice healthy responses. to potentially problematic interactions with others.
Learning strategies such as mindful breathing to relax one’s body during stressful events.
Learning how to set and achieve realistic goals.
Learning problem solving techniques.

Changing Behavior Patterns

Problem solving in CBT involves five steps:

Identifying a problem
Generating a list of possible solutions
Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each possible solution
Choosing a solution to implement
Implementing the solution

Books on Cognitive Behavior Therapy

A Few Words By Flourishing Life Society

CBT incorporate many practical real-life solutions to common problems impacting our lives. CBT has scientific support and does not require long treatment plans.

CBT is a low cost, empirically supported therapy that is worthy of consideration as a treatment for many life and emotional problems.

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T. Franklin Murphy

Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He tirelessly researches scientific findings contributing to wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.