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A conceptual framework for the choice of interventions in cognitive therapy

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Abstract

The aim of cognitive therapy is to modify distress or dissatisfaction by changing thinking and behavior. If the source of distress is considered to relate to a desired but frustrated goal (whether to feel better or to function better), three options exist for reducing distress: changing the goal, changing the approach to the goal, or changing the assessment of one's relationship to the goal. Three ways to motivate the patient are proposed: challenges to the validity, the consistency, or the utility of one's thinking and behavior. The locus of authority for changing cognitions and behavior may reside in oneself, in the consensus of a group, or in expert authority. These considerations generate a 3 ×3 ×3 dimensional cube that provides a simple way to conceptualize structurally the strategies of therapeutic intervention. This visualization offers a means to study the process dimension of cognitive therapy.

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  1. Washington University School of Medicine, 4940 Audubon Avenue, 63110, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

    George E. Murphy

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  1. George E. Murphy
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Murphy, G.E. A conceptual framework for the choice of interventions in cognitive therapy. Cogn Ther Res 9, 127–134 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01204844

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