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Running head: COGNITIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY

Cognitive Psychotherapy

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Abstract
Cognitive psychotherapy models encompass an array of principles based on the centrality
of distorted thoughts in influencing feelings and behavior. The concept of cognitive
psychotherapy was initially introduced by Aaron Beck in studying psychological processes in
depression. Inherently, Beck’s theory of cognitive psychotherapy critiqued traditional Freudian
theories that associated depression with hostilities and anger. The theoretical underpinnings of
cognitive psychotherapy are based on the influence of other approaches, including the clientoriented therapy as advanced by Carl Rogers. Still, cognitive psychotherapy models encompass
the theory of human beings being disturbed by the meanings that they attach to facts and not the
facts themselves. The presentation of cognitive psychotherapy models is based on the idea of
schemata as originally advanced in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. The distortion of
information and knowledge in people’s minds is a constant characteristic of cognitive
psychotherapy models.

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Cognitive Psychotherapy
The concept of cognitive psychotherapy espouses the presence of intricate thoughts that
manifest themselves rapidly and spontaneously. Still, the personal construct theory coincides
with the principles of cognitive psychotherapy. Indeed, individuals have the potential to establish
personal constructs about different phenomena in the world. Cognitive psychotherapy models
associate the development of schemas with early human development and childhood
experiences. Similarly, the attachment theory applies to cognitive psychotherapy principles
where psychoanalysts relate attachment issues with improper ways of patients to express
themselves. Indeed, Bowlby’s attachment theory is a valuable source of the conceptualization of
cognitive psychotherapy principles. The centrality of schemas in mental perceptions and
conceptualizations is a constant theme in cognitive psychotherapy models. In particular, welladjusted individuals have schemas that allow for constant and realistic appraisals, while
maladjusted individuals contributed to distorted realities. The models assert that systematic
distortions of the cognitive functions result from the activation of dysfunctional and negative
schemas in individuals.
Literature Analysis
Although the terms cognitive psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are used
interchangeably to refer cognitive model psychotherapies, they are inherently different. The
concept of cognitive-behavioral therapy encompasses the inclusion of both cognitive and
behavioral strategies in understanding people's psychology. In contrast, however, cognitive
psychotherapy considers the influence of distorted thoughts and unrealistic decisions on people’s
feelings and behavior. The concept of cognitive psychotherapy was originally introduced by

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Aaron Beck in studying psychological processes in depression (Beck, 1979). Inherently, Beck’s
theory of cognitive psychotherapy critiqued traditional Freudian theories that associated
depression with hostilities and anger. Instead, cognitive psychotherapy asserts that the symptoms
of depression are consistent with skewed and biased interpretations of events through reference
to negative representations of the self. Still, cognitive psychotherapy models are focused on
addressing current problems in depressed individuals as opposed to the unmasking of hidden
traumas and unconscious psychological experiences.
The theoretical underpinnings of cognitive psychotherapy are based on the influence of
other approaches, including the client-oriented therapy as advanced by Carl Rogers. According
to the theory, effective therapies are based on an understanding of clients from...