Theories

Structures of human cognition

Beck defines cognitive therapy as "an active, directive, time-limited, structured approach used to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders . . . . based on an underlying theoretical rationale that an individual's affect and behavior are largely determined by the way in which he structures the world." According to Beck, the cognitive organization of the human mind consists of various levels of verbal or pictorial "events" that vary among themselves in terms of accessibility and resistance to change. Beck has identified four such levels:

• Voluntary thoughts. These are the most readily accessible group of cognitions and appear in the patient's stream of consciousness.
• Automatic thoughts. These cognitions are less accessible, often come to the surface when the patient is under...