Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Techniques

Cognitive-behavioral therapy derives from the research protocols of hundreds of active scholars focused on a wide array of specific clinical problems. They cumulatively conclude that dysfunctional human behavior is caused or at least accompanied by irrational thinking and behavioral skill deficits; thus treatments focused on producing more reasonable thought patterns and personal-social coping skills provide the most efficient solution.

To be sure, the etiology of all human disturbances may someday be traced to biological defects, but currently such views are long on theory and short on data. Moreover, even when a pharmacological intervention may be warranted, the incremental benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy are generally conceded.

At the core of cognitive-behavioral therapy lies the concept that people's interpretations of experiences are beliefs rather than facts, and as such, they may be accurate, rational, or irrational to varying degrees. The focus of cognitive-behavioral treatment rests on identifying and directly altering cognitions and behaviors that maintain a pattern of distress, rather than on probing into early developmental factors that may have set the stage for these cognitions and behaviors. Thus, cognitive-behavioral therapies clearly differ from the traditional psychodynamic and insight-driven psy-chotherapies that preceded them.

More specifically, cognitive behavior therapists posit: (a) an internal cognitive process, or “thinking,” directly influences behavior; (b) this cognitive activity may be monitored and altered; and (c) desired behavior change may be mediated through a process of cognitive change. Thus external situations do not ultimately determine individuals' emotions or behavior, but rather their interpretations of those situations dictate their feelings and actions. An identical event may trigger disparate views among a group of individuals, leading to dramatically different emotions and behavior. For example, two students may receive the same low score on an exam. One student interprets this event as a sign that he or she is insufficiently bright and feels a sense of failure, perhaps even contemplates a career change. The other student attributes the low grade to an unfair level of test difficulty, and feels only resentment toward the instructor. Thus, depending on how an event is interpreted and evaluated, the same external experience may lead to a wide range of eventual emotions and behaviors.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy encompasses a wide array of techniques and strategies. Cognitive-behavioral therapists argue that individuals respond to cognitive representations of environmental events rather than to the events themselves, so their interventions focus on the intricate yet functional interrelationships among cognitions, emotions, and behaviors. Although cognitive-behavioral therapy is empirically grounded and based on a manual of effective interventions, it is not a rigid approach to psychotherapy. When optimally employed, cognitive-behavioral therapy is a pragmatic and flexible process that may be tailored to the presenting needs of each client. From its origins in behavior therapy and cognitive learning science, cognitive-behavioral therapy continues to emerge as an efficient set of tools for aiding clients as they address the specific challenges of everyday life.