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PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES / «ШУШМУМ-ШУГМаУ» #ЩШ)), 2©H
PSYCHOLOGICAL sciences
УДК: 159.92
Derevyanko S. P.
T.H. Shevchenko National University «Chernihiv Colehium» DOI: 10.24412/2520-6990-2023-12171-36-37 BASIC PROVISIONS OF MODERN COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Abstract
The article presents the results of the analysis of modern sources on cognitive-behavioral therapy, the issues of which are relevant in the stressful life conditions of a modern person. The basic principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy are formulated (the A-B-C formula, the dependence of experiences on the perception of the world, the blocking of harmful thoughts and emotional well-being, the peculiarities of conducting one's own experiment, awareness of the problem). Research perspectives related to the empirical study of self-help practices in the paradigm of cognitive-behavioral therapy are indicated.
Key words: cognitive behavioral therapy, self-help, thinking errors, healthy negative emotions, unhealthy negative emotions.
The problem of cognitive-behavioral therapy is especially relevant at the present time of increasing stressogenicity of life. The spread of epidemics of dangerous diseases, man-made disasters, wars - all this has a negative effect on the psyche of a modern person. Therefore, knowledge related to psychotherapeutic influence on personality acquires special importance. After all, modern psychotherapeutic methods involve the massive use of self-help and self-care tools. Within the framework of cognitive-behavioral therapy, certain recommendations have also been developed for taking care of emotional health by the person himself based on monitoring his own thoughts and feelings.
The purpose of this work: to determine the main provisions of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which can be used as means of psychological self-help in overcoming stressful experiences.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps a person solve his emotional problems by analyzing thoughts and feelings.
The analysis of modern sources on cognitive-behavioral therapy [1-4] gives reasons to highlight the main principles of psychological self-help in this psy-chotherapeutic direction.
Provision 1. The basic formula of cognitive-behavioral therapy: A+B=C.
That is, an activating event (A) is always characterized by a certain meaning for a person (B), and all this leads to certain emotional experiences and specific behavior (C).
Position 2. A person's thoughts significantly affect the way he perceives the world and reacts to it.
A person's thoughts often turn out to be wrong. The main thinking errors that a person makes in the perception of the world: hyperbolization (exaggeration of a problem), black and white thinking (categorical thinking), false predictions (setting up for negative developments), mind reading (guessing about what other people think), emotional inferences (perception of emotions as facts), overgeneralization (inferences based on incomplete information), labeling (biased thinking),
demandingness (rigidity of thinking), filtering information in one direction, underestimating the positive, low stress resistance, individualization.
Proposition 3. Blocking harmful thoughts contributes to better emotional well-being.
Harmful thoughts lead to rigid thinking. Useful thoughts contribute to the flexibility of human thinking. Therefore, blocking harmful thoughts and replacing them with useful thoughts will have a positive effect on a person's emotional well-being.
Proposition 4. Any person is capable of becoming a researcher and conducting behavioral experiments in order to study the truth of his beliefs.
The purpose of a behavioral experiment is to demonstrate that our worst assumptions are not true. Treating unhelpful thoughts with skepticism is a way to reduce their negative impact on a person's emotional state.
Position 5. The main role in overcoming emotional problems belongs to such a mental phenomenon as attention.
Two modern practices common in cognitive-behavioral therapy are focus on the task and mindfulness.
Concentration on the task involves shifting attention from oneself to other objects around the person (colors, smells, sounds, etc.). Mindfulness involves focusing your mind on what is happening around you right now.
Proposition 6. A person's emotional experiences can be associated with unhealthy negative emotions and healthy negative emotions.
Experiencing unhealthy negative emotions is more uncomfortable for a person. For example, experiencing anxiety about a perceived threat (a healthy negative emotion) is less uncomfortable than experiencing anxiety about a perceived threat (an unhealthy negative emotion).
The main criterion for the division into unhealthy negative emotions and healthy negative emotions is the characteristics of thinking. Unhealthy negative emotions are associated with rigid thinking and unrealistic expectations. Healthy negative emotions are more
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about flexible thinking and choosing real advantages according to the situation.
Therefore, the main task of cognitive-behavioral therapy is to find errors in thinking that lead to unhealthy negative emotional experiences and uncon-structive actions in a person.
Let's consider the main thinking errors, which are the most common among people of any age. We will also define ways to correct such errors.
Hyperbolization. This thinking error occurs when a minor negative event causes a person to imagine its catastrophic consequences. Basic strategies for overcoming this thinking error: It is necessary to look at the threatening situation in a larger context (for example, in terms of importance to the universe). It is also necessary to analyze less threatening options for the development of the event (you can also refer to the experience of other people). Another strategy is to carefully analyze all the evidence that the event is indeed threatening.
Black and white thinking. This is an uncompromising perception of the world, which causes the experience of strong negative emotions. The main coping techniques: to strive for realism of thoughts and the development of thinking skills over a problematic situation.
Mind reading (guessing about others to people). As a rule, in this case, clients invent a negative attitude towards themselves from other people. Means that can prevent this: it is necessary to come up with several alternative reasons for the behavior of a person that is associated with a problematic situation. It is also necessary to collect more additional information (which can confirm or refute our own opinions).
Emotional inferences. In this situation, emotions negatively affect the correctness of thoughts. You can prevent this in the following ways: imagine your reaction to a threatening situation in a calm state. It is also necessary to set yourself up to ignore negative emotions in the case when it is impossible to find out their source.
Overgeneralization. This thinking error occurs when the client draws incorrect conclusions from incomplete information. To overcome this error of thinking, it is necessary to look at the threatening situation from the point of view of perspective. It is also necessary to try to think concretely and avoid global conclusions.
Assigning shortcuts. This thinking error involves global evaluation of events that cannot be given a common label. You can overcome this error of thinking if you learn the rule: there are no shortcuts, we invent them ourselves.
Excessive demandingness. When a person lives by the rules of "I must", "I need" and forgets about "I
want", there is an excessive demand for one's resources. In the future, this leads to depressed moods, because not everything can be done. To overcome this error of thinking, it is necessary to try to understand the unreality of one's own expectations.
Underestimation of the positive. This error is related to the perception of a positive event as neutral and even negative. To overcome this mistake, it is necessary to realize one's emotional response to positive life events. It is also necessary to learn to accept positive events and respond gratefully to them.
Low stress resistance. To increase stress resistance, it is necessary to force yourself to get used to what is unpleasant and uncomfortable.
Individualization. This is the perception of life events in relation to one's personality, ignoring external factors. This error of thinking can be overcome by critically rethinking the importance of external factors for the development of a certain event.
Conclusions. Thus, the main premise of cognitive-behavioral therapy is the establishment of a close connection between a person's thoughts, emotions, and actions. At the same time, thinking errors are considered obstacles to successfully overcoming life's problems. The main ones are: hyperbolization, black-and-white thinking, false predictions, mind reading, emotional inferences, overgeneralization, labeling, de-mandingness, undervaluing the positive, individualiza-tion.
Classical cognitive-behavioral therapy is aimed at changing the content of a person's thinking (on the transition from negative thoughts to positive ones). Along with that, modern cognitive-behavioral therapy is more focused on studying the role of attention in overcoming emotional problems. Leading are two modern practices: concentration on the task and mindfulness.
We connect the prospects of further research with the empirical study of self-help practices in the paradigm of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
References
1. Branch R., Willson R. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2010. 416 p.
2. Kinsell P., Garland A. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Mental Health Workers. London: Routledge, 2008. 264 p.
3. Newman Cory F. Core Competencies in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. New York: Routledge, 2012. 296 p.
4. Sheldon B. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy: Research and Practice in Health and Social Care. 2nd Edition, 2011. 304 p.
