Bahaviour & Cognitive Therapy

br Reaction to and Criticism of Behavior and Cognitive Therapies

Behavior therapy and cognitive therapy are both popular methods used by counselors and therapists to change a person 's perception about themselves and situations surrounding them . In this essay , the writer will attempt to critique each type of therapy , as well as give a short personal reaction to each

Behavior therapy was developed from several older theories , but it has definitely gone its own way in terms of how abnormal behaviors are looked at and treated (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 243

. For example , unwanted behaviors are not immediately classified as illnesses and they are treated as normal behaviors are in terms of how they are developed (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 243 . According to the chapter abnormal behaviors are learned in much the same way as normal behaviors (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 243 . It is human nature to learn through experiences , so bad experiences over a long period of time would logically lead to abnormal behavior . However , if someone is alerted that their behaviors are unacceptable and must change , behavioral therapy can give the person training in how to reverse that behavior (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 244 . Basically , this writer draws from the reading that making someone want to change their behavior is behind the success of behavioral therapy . It is human nature to want to fit into society and so making eliminating unwanted behavior seem like a way to achieve fitting in ' is enough motivation for most people to change . The behavior therapy chapter was full of good information on ways to make people change their behaviors . The authors admitted that this type of therapy usually takes quite a few sessions , and I can easily understand why that would be the case (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 263 . In particular , if one reads the case study involving the man with the uncontrollable urge to expose himself , it is easy to see how a behavior that has spanned twenty years would be very hard to let go of (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 , pp . 273-276 . However , finding the basis of the behavior and taking steps to make it undesirable saved him from another confinement (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 276 . I feel that behavior therapy plays on the primal human urge to not stand out . This would make it a good approach to use on a person who feels cut off from society and a good way to make them feel more accepted

Cognitive therapy is based less on what a person does and more on how a person thinks (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 285 . It is similar to the psychoanalytic method , but differs in that the thoughts of a person can be interpreted for what they are , not as vessels for repressed memories (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 287 . Many people have distorted ideas about themselves and their world , and that is where psychological problems stem from (Corsini and Wedding , 2006 ,

. 286 . The idea of cognitive...