Reaction to and Criticism of Behavior and Cognitive Therapies Essay

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 â€Å"abnormal behaviors† are looked at and treated (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 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, p. 243). According to the chapter, abnormal behaviors are learned in much the same way as normal behaviors (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 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, p. 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 â€Å"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, p. 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, p. 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, p. 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, p. 287). Many people have distorted ideas about themselves and their world, and that is where psychological problems stem from(Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 286). The idea of cognitive therapy is to take those ideas and restructure them into views that are actually more in sync with what is true (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 287). This writer believes that many people could benefit from cognitive therapy, because many look down on themselves and think that they are less than what they are. Although cognitive therapy is based on thought, and seems to assert it is human nature to be led by one‘s thoughts, it is often combined with behavior therapy(Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 288). I believe this is because thoughts lead to actions, so undesirable thoughts would naturally lead to undesirable actions. The authors state that part of cognitive therapy is testing if thoughts are logical, and working on ways to change them if they are not (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 287). The only concern I would have with this method would be using it with someone who is potentially suicidal. Having someone reflect on such dangerous thoughts might end in tragedy if the situation were not handled correctly. Overall, the cognitive approach along with the behavioral approach to therapy seems to be a good fit for a lot of the psychological problems that plague people.