CBT Theory & Core Principles Flashcards

Which philosopher's Stoic principle — 'People are disturbed not by events, but by their opinions about events' — is frequently cited as a precursor to CBT?

Answer: Epictetus

Epictetus's Stoic teaching that beliefs, not events, cause emotional disturbance is a foundational philosophical precursor to CBT.

In the cognitive model, what term describes the level of cognition that includes core beliefs and assumptions?

Answer: Schemas

Schemas are deep-seated cognitive structures containing core beliefs and assumptions that filter how individuals interpret experiences.

Aaron Beck originally developed cognitive therapy while treating patients with which condition?

Answer: Depression

Beck developed cognitive therapy in the 1960s while researching and treating depression, identifying characteristic negative thought patterns.

The 'cognitive triad' in Beck's model of depression refers to negative views about:

Answer: Self, world, and future

Beck's cognitive triad describes the depressed person's negative schema across three domains: self, world (environment), and future.

Which CBT principle holds that homework assignments between sessions are essential because:

Answer: They allow generalization of skills to real-world contexts

Between-session homework helps clients practice and generalize skills learned in therapy to their everyday environments.

In CBT, a 'downward arrow technique' is used primarily to:

Answer: Uncover underlying core beliefs from surface automatic thoughts

The downward arrow technique repeatedly asks 'What would that mean?' to trace automatic thoughts down to deeper core beliefs.

Which of the following best describes 'collaborative empiricism' in CBT?

Answer: Therapist and client jointly test beliefs as hypotheses through evidence-gathering

Collaborative empiricism means the therapist and client work together as a team to examine the evidence for and against the client's beliefs.