Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – The Relationship Between Thoughts And Behavior

Over the years, psychology has used a wide range of different approaches to understanding and addressing human behavior. Each approach has its own theoretical basis and practical applications. For more than three decades, cognitive behavioral therapy has proven to be one of the most effective psychotherapeutic methods.

Psychologists have used it successfully to treat many types of psychological problems. It is a very flexible and effective alternative to other approaches. This form of therapy can promote significant changes in a short time, and the many techniques used give this form of therapy flexibility to adapt to the patient and the problem they present.

The origins of cognitive behavioral therapy

Trends in the field of psychology morph and change over the years. Two of these, cognitivism and behaviorism, are at the heart of the approach we are discussing today. Thus, it will be useful to understand these two directions, to better understand cognitive behavioral therapy.

Behaviorism

Behaviorism is primarily interested in visible behavior. This psychological approach studies behaviors that are observable and measurable.

According to behaviorism, behavior is a response to certain stimuli, and the response will increase or decrease in frequency based on the consequences. Thus, you can change some behaviors by changing the relationship between stimuli, response and consequence.

Here is an example: A person with a phobia of dogs has associated dogs with fear. Consequently, when they see a dog, they want to escape from the situation. If you can break that association, dogs will cease to be an aversive stimulus, and the person will no longer feel the need to flee. On the other hand, if you want to get your child to eat more fruits and vegetables, you can reward them every time they do.

Cognitivism

This psychological approach focuses on studying cognitions, or thoughts and mental processes. It is interested in understanding how people interpret and process the information they receive.

The basis of cognitivism is the idea that you do not perceive reality as it is, but rather as you are. Each person has their own unique internal processes, and they give a person a unique perspective on how they perceive and interpret reality.

Here is an example: You call a friend and they do not answer. You may think that they may not have heard your call or that they were busy. On the other hand, you may also think that they chose to let the call go, because they do not really like you and do not want to talk to you. The reality is the same, but the internal processes for these two different interpretations are completely different.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Thus, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a combination of the mentioned psychological approaches. This form of therapy connects thoughts to behavior. According to this approach, there is an endogenous relationship between thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Changes in one of these components will consequently affect the others.

This therapy uses a variety of techniques designed to modify one of the three elements mentioned, knowing that the changes will affect the other two. For example:

• Cognitive reconstructing, is a technique that is based on helping an individual to change their beliefs, or their thoughts. This technique invites the individual to evaluate the truth of what they are thinking, and to find more adaptive alternatives. When you change the way you interpret reality, you will also change the way you experience emotions, as well as how you behave.

• Exposure therapy is about changing behavior. This form of therapy encourages the patient to stop avoiding what they fear, and rather face it. When they change their behavior and deal with the fear, they realize that the fear they felt was unfounded, and thus the emotions and thoughts related to the situation will also change.
• Relaxation techniques focus on changing emotions. They can help people improve emotional self-regulation, while also helping them control their level of activation. If their emotions change, the thoughts will also become less catastrophic, and they will also change behavior to face their problems instead of fleeing from them.

To conclude

Because of this, cognitive behavioral therapy is a complete, flexible and effective approach. This approach can help patients with a wide range of ailments and conditions to achieve significant improvements in a short period of time. Not only that, but it happens to be the psychological approach that has the greatest support from scientific evidence. Still, if you are considering therapy, it is wise to explore all the options available to you. Then you can choose the option you most identify with.