The Development of Cognitive Therapy - Essay Example

Who among us has not suffered mentally and physically from faulty perceptions arising out of childhood religious beliefs only to be free from this bondage by a change in our thinking In addition, in this freedom have we not found a healthier life, However, many times it takes the help of a professional therapist to bring this about. Freud as the father of psychoanalysis made it possible for men like those involved in this field to pursue their theories which have brought to us the hope we have today of overcoming misperceptions that cause, not only ad adverse effects on our health but work toward the destruction of our very existence!

When one learns as a child that any form of sin might affect, upon death, an everlasting experience in a fire of hell, it does not take a rocket scientist to determine that such a person's life cannot be that of a healthy human being. I like the medical field states, that many physical ailments result from stress, it stands to reason that negative religious teaching adversely affects their health. In addition, it also makes sense that a positive change in these beliefs will create an environment in which healthier organisms can grow and prosper.

Cognitive therapy is widely known in the therapy field as a way of affecting changes in behaviour. It is a treatment for "psychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression that encourages patients to confront and challenge the distorted way of thinking that characterizes their disorder" (Encarta) Aaron T. Beck, M.D., is the developer of cognitive therapy. While working at the University of Pennsylvania he developed CT. Prior to this, he had practised psychoanalysis. Doing research at the university, he discovered the precepts that led to his conclusions about this new therapy.

"A researcher and scientist at heart, Dr Beck designed and carried out a number of experiments to test psychoanalytic concepts of depression. Fully expecting research would validate these fundamental precepts, he was surprised to find the opposite. This research led him to begin to look for other ways of conceptualizing depression. Working with depressed patients, he found that they experienced streams of negative thoughts that seemed to pop up spontaneously. He termed these cognitions "automatic thoughts," and discovered that their content fell into three categories: negative ideas about themselves, the world, and the future.

He began helping patients identify and evaluate these thoughts and found that by doing so, patients were able to think more realistically, which led them to feel better emotionally and behave more functionally" (Beck Institute)Rotter's theory subscribes to the concept that the individual's motivation toward pleasure and avoidance of negative experiences. He derived his Social Learning Theory from this precept. In 1975, Rotter suggested that the individual's beliefs result from what he or she has learned.

(Rotter, J. B. (1975) "In the Social Learning Theory, which Rotter developed in 1966, Rotter stated, "the individual will develop general and specific expectancies," and that "Through a learning process individuals will develop the belief that certain outcomes are a result of their action" (Rotter, J. B. (1966) Perhaps one of the best examples of this theory is the behaviour we observe in the suicide bombers of today. They believe that to martyr themselves is to assure their grand placement in an imagined life after death. This also points to the great need for cognitive therapy in changing the negatives of behaviour, for not only their own good but the good of society as well!

Much of the work of Bandura is regarded as a Social Learning Theory, which evolved out of the work of Rotter. However, Bandura expanded upon Rotter's findings and concentrated more on the impact that the individual's social and environmental world had upon his or her reactions to life.