Psychoanalytical approaches were prevalent until the 20th century. Around 1900, the first wave of behaviourism emerged as a counterpoint to these approaches. Behaviourism posits that behaviours are measurable, can be modelled, and are subject to change. This shift toward focusing on present circumstances, as opposed to the psychoanalytical perspective, gave rise to what is known as the FIRST WAVE of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This first wave of behavioural therapy took shape in the 1930s and 1940s, largely in response to the emotional challenges faced by many World War II veterans returning home.
The demand for effective, short-term treatments for depression and anxiety aligned with a growing body of behavioural research into how individuals learn and respond to various life situations. P r o m i n e n t figures in Behavioural Therapy include Ivan Pavlov ( 1849-1936), who advanced classical conditioning and learning behavioural theory, illustrating how a conditioned response ( e.g., salivation) can occur. Stoicism, the philosophical movement of the Hellenistic period (the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE and Rome’s conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE), has influenced CBT quite profoundly. The name arose from the porch where the lectures were held.
The Stoics hold that emotions arise from false judgements and that the sage (a person who had attained moral and intellectual perfection ) would not undergo them. The focus is very much on what one can control and cannot. Zeno of Citium founded Stoicism. Stoicism flourished until Christianity dominated the region in the fourth century CE, though many have argued that CBT represents its modern incarnation. The prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr(1934) constitutes an example of stoicism: “God, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.
The influence of Stoicism on Albert Ellis’ work on REBT and Aaron Beck’s CBT was indisputable. Aaron Beck quotes Marcus Aurelius:” If any external thing pains thou, it is not the thing that disturbs thee, but thine own judgement about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgement now.
Stoicism is incomplete without mention of Marcus Aurelius ( 26 April 121 – 17 March 180), a Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor from 161 to 180, and his work “Meditations.” Marcus wrote his Meditations in Greek as a source of guidance and self-improvement.
Meditations was written over 19 years and has recurring themes. The main themes of “Meditations” are as follows:
When you encounter kindness, speak kindly. Everything depends on how you interpret it
Your mind should sit superior to the body and its sensations. Stay mindful and take deliberate actions
Do not retreat from the world
Your opinion of yourself matters more than others Be open to corrections.
Cherish the freedom and liberty of everyone. Have self-respect
Avoid complaining
The obstacle is the way Adversity is part of nature
It is through adversity that we get stronger Everything has
happened before
Stay practical and do what is in front of you
Focus on doing what is right and be prepared to face resistance
Do your duty and despise cowardice
Life is short and death comes to us all; Time for action is NOW
Practice getting back on track
Look beneath to see things for what they truly are Recognize that material wealth is neither good nor evil Express gratitude Produced by a neutral stimulus (e.g., sound) by pairing it repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus (e.g., food).
Edward Thorndike(1874-1949) experimented with animals and proposed theories of behaviourism. His puzzle box experiment- where cats figured out ways to escape using fish as bait, making it easier on subsequent attempts- demonstrated a “Law of effect,” which states that any behaviour followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated. In contrast, any behaviour followed by unpleasant consequences is expected to be stopped.
Wolpe’s (1950s) search for a more effective way to treat anxiety led him to develop various reciprocal inhibition techniques and systematic desensitisation. Skinner (1938) was the proponent of operant conditioning theories, which proposed that the consequences of a response determine the likelihood of it being repeated. For example, responses that receive rewards are more likely to occur than those that face punishment.
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