Cognitive-Behavioral
Emotions are the result of cognitive appraisals. This appraisal
process can be distorted, resulting in emotional psychopathology. Treatment
consists of recognizing and correcting the distorting cognitive processes,
without addressing deeper conflicts or searching for insight.
Emotions are the results of cognitive appraisals of events. Psychopathology
results from inappropriate appraisals caused by unrealistic or maladaptive
values, patterns of thought, or distorted cognitive processes, such as
generalization, polarized thinking, catastrophizing, etc. Treatment consists
of a conscious recognition and re-programming of these (automatic) appraisal
processes until new, "appropriate", realistic, and adaptive appraisals
are induced. Two of the more prominent theorists in this area are Beck
(cognitive therapy) and Ellis (rational-emotive therapy). As with behaviorism,
the early cognitive theories adopted the radical view stated above. More
recent theories, such as those of Mahoney, are beginning to question the
primacy of cognition and their views begin to converge with those of experiential
therapy theories.
Greenberg and Safran, 1987
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