Question by HJG: AARON BECK – How does his model of the mind differ from any other school of psychology? They are all models.?
Beck discovered that by increasing patients’ objectivity regarding their misinterpretations of situations or subjective sensations or feelings (cognitive distortions) and their negative expectancies, they experienced a substantial shift in their thinking and subsequently in their affect and behavior. This approach consists of a combination of strategies and techniques designed to modify the cognitive distortions and thus enable the patients to cope more effectively with their psychological and interpersonal problems. An important principle emanating from his work was that patients can assume an active role in normalizing their dysfunctional thinking and thus gain relief from, and subsequently remission of, their psychiatric conditions. Of particular note is the finding that the therapy is more effective than drug treatment alone in reducing relapse in depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder and schizophrenia.    Read more...