Beck, Aaron T.

Aaron Temkin Beck, MD, founder of cognitive therapy, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 18, 1921. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants who valued education and community involvement. His father, Harry Beck, was both the owner of a print shop and a member of the printers' union. Elizabeth Temkin Beck, his mother, had raised her eight younger brothers and sisters after her own mother died and she became the family matriarch. She was president of several local organizations and assertively spoke her opinions at public meetings. According to her sons, it is likely that Lizzie Beck suffered periodically from depression, which began when her only daughter died in the influenza epidemic of 1919. Many family members think that Aaron's birth relieved her ...