Aaron Beck

Aaron Beck: Biography

Aaron Beck's biography dates to July 18^th, 1921. In Providence, Rhode Island, Aaron Temkin Beck was born to Elizabeth Temkin, his mother, and Harry Beck, his father.

Beck, the youngest of his other four siblings, remembered his mother's bouts of depression after two of her children passed away.

In 1942, Beck graduated with his bachelor's degree from Brown University, and in 1946, he graduated from Yale Medical School in psychiatry. Before taking a teaching position at the University of Pennsylvania, Beck served as Assistant Chief of the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the Valley Forge Army Hospital and as a fellow at the Austin Riggs Center.

In the early years of his career as a psychiatrist, Beck still strongly endorsed psychoanalysis, which was the dominant psychotherapeutic modality at that time.

He thought that by conducting more research into the psychoanalytic explanation of depression, the medical community would take the discipline more seriously. However, Beck's research led him to develop his own theories of depression.

Fig. 1 - Aaron Beck is the founding father of cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Aaron Beck: Theories

Aaron Beck's theories begin with his cognitive model, which branches away from his original psychoanalytic views of depression. He developed his cognitive theory of depression, which focuses on how a person's schema can affect their mood.

Aaron Beck's Cognitive Model

Aaron Beck's theory of depression was formed based on his initial studies with depressed patients who were initially meant to support the psychoanalytic theory of depression.

Beck did not find this to be the case. His cognitive model suggests that how we perceive our experience can, in turn, impact our behavioral, emotional, and physiological reactions. Beck found that many of his depressed patients had formed negative beliefs, usually regarding failure and loss, and they often experienced what he called automatic thoughts.

Beck's treatment method was to help patients assess the validity of their automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions.

Aaron Beck's Cognitive Theory of Depression

Now that we understand the cognitive model he uncovered, what exactly does Aaron Beck's cognitive theory of depression state?

Beck argued that there are three types of "schemas" that rule over a person's depressed thinking, commonly referred to as Beck's cognitive triad:

1. The Self - "I'm a failure."

2. The World - "The whole world is against me."

3. The Future - "I'll never be successful in anything."

Beck believed these negative schemas might result from a traumatic event in a person's childhood.

He asserts that a depressed person's negative schemas can even shape what they pay attention to in their environment. He found that, often, depressed people will selectively pay attention to elements in their environment that can confirm their negative thinking and beliefs. Evidence that disproves their dysfunctional thinking could be directly in front of them, and they still can still fail to pay attention to it.

Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy

After discovering that psychoanalytic therapy for depression lacked scientific evidence, Aaron Beck found himself knee-deep in another discipline -- cognitive psychology. Beck took his cognitive model and cognitive theory of depression and developed one of the most effective psychotherapies today: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

As we mentioned earlier, Beck often treated his depressed patients by helping them reframe or disprove their negative thinking about themselves, the world, and their future. But he also found that patients also benefited from engaging in more adaptive behaviors that help them feel better. These together form the basis of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Several research studies have been designed to test the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy as a treatment for depression. The results are indisputable -- CBT is incredibly effective in treating depression. In fact, Beck and other researchers found that CBT is the first form of talk therapy that is as effective as antidepressant medication for treating depression. Research also found that CBT is twice as effective in preventing relapse than antidepressant medication.

Aaron Beck: Contribution to Psychology

By now, we have a pretty good idea of Aaron Beck's contribution to psychology. His work on treating depressed patients and the development of cognitive-behavioral therapy has transformed the field and, not to mention, has helped many people overcome mental health conditions beyond depression.

Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy

But Beck's contributions to psychology do not stop there. Beck found that while CBT proved to be an effective treatment, very few psychologists were properly trained in the practice. So in 1994, Dr Aaron Beck and his daughter, Dr Judith Beck, co-founded the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy.

Since then, the nonprofit has trained over 28,000 mental health professionals in CBT across 130 countries. These professionals include students, researchers, clinicians, and students.

Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

Back in 1954, when Beck was teaching at the University of Pennsylvania in the psychiatry department, he was able to run the depression research clinic. He continued to fine-tune his cognitive approach to depression, and in 1961, he developed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Fig. 2 - Aaron Beck studied several patients with depression.

Aaron Beck: Quotes

Beck wrote 25 books and over 600 scientific articles. The first article was entitled "Thinking and Depression", published in 1963 and discussed Cognitive Therapy. Many of his publications discussed his research on depression, cognitive therapy, or CBT.

However, he also published two non-academic books that applied CBT to conflict and relationships: Love is Never Enough and Prisoners of Hate. Here are a few Aaron Beck quotes from his exthese titles.