Introduction to Special Section: Theoretical developments in the cognitive psychotherapies.

Abstract

The cognitive psychotherapies have developed and substantially differentiated since their inception in the 1950s. Six major themes in their theoretical development are discussed: (a) the differentiation of rationalist and constructivist therapies and metatheories of knowing; (b) the acknowledgement of social, biological, and embodiment processes in therapy; (c) the recognition of unconscious processes; (d) an increasing focus on self-organizing and self-protective processes in life span personality development, with such processes being embedded in interpersonal and social system dynamics; (e) a shift toward different views of emotionality and the incorporation of experiential techniques; and (f) a synergistic involvement in the psychotherapy integration movement. The cognitive psychotherapies reflect remarkable activity, a point illustrated and elaborated in the articles that constitute this special section.

Early maladaptive schemas in children: Development and validation of the schema inventory for children

“…Young's cognitive schema model on psychopathology (Young, 1994;Young, Klosko, & Weishaar, 2003) adopts a constructivist perspective, whereby individuals throughout their lives are understood to continually and actively structure and restructure experiences, construct their personal realities, and create their own representational models of the self, others, and the world (Mahoney, 1995). Young proposed that ongoing noxious experiences with caregivers and important others during childhood and adolescence, in interaction with innate temperamental factors, could result in self-protecting but dysfunctional ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.…”

Early maladaptive schemas in patients with or without personality disorders: does schema modification predict symptomatic relief?

“…Schema Therapy was developed from a broad range of approaches and combines cognitive-behavioural techniques with elements of interpersonal, experiential, and psychodynamic therapies (Beck, 1967;Berne, 1964;Lazarus, 1981;Mahoney, 1993;Millon, 1981). The early maladaptive schema is the core and unifying concept on which a model of personality (Young & Gluhoski, 1996), psychopathology (Bricker, Young, & Flanagan, 1993;McGinn & Young, 1996) and psychotherapy (Young & Behary, 1998;Young, Klosko, & Weisshar, 2003) is built.…”

De eenheid van de psychotherapie

“…Deze uit de gedragstherapie afkomstige stroming presenteert zich meer en meer als een integratieve benadering van psychotherapie. In een recent overzicht in het Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (1993) blijkt dat de cognitieve therapie, anders dan haar naam doet vermoeden, nu grote aandacht besteedt aan: het onbewuste, affectieve processen, experie¨ntieel leren, interpersoonlijke processen, de therapeutische relatie en ervaringen uit de vroege kindertijd (Mahoney, 1993;Robins & Hayes, 1994). Op zichzelf zijn dit allemaal processen waar de meeste psychotherapeuten van nu het belang van onderkennen.…”