APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

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APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

• PROPOSAL FOR TEACHERS OF PSYCHOLOGY IN SECONDARY
  SCHOOLS.
• AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION MEETING
• AUGUST 19, 2005
• AARON T. BECK, M.D.
• UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

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APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

• 1. KNOWLEDGE FOR ITS OWN SAKE.
• 2. RELEVANT FOR UNDERSTANDING SELF AND OTHERS.
• 3. ACCESSIBLE TO INTROSPECTION AND OBSERVATION.
• 4. BASED ON SCIENTIFIC METHOD.

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SCIENTIFIC METHOD

• 1. OBSERVATIONS OF THOUGHT, EMOTIONS, BEHAVIOR
• 2. FORMULATION OF TESTABLE HYPOTHESES
• 3. DEVELOPMENT OF RATING SCALES
• 4. CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
• 5. EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION

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THE COGNITIVE MODEL

• 1. FRAMEWORK FOR ONGOING OBSERVATIONS AND MAKING
  PREDICTIONS.
• 2. PEOPLE ARE MOVED BY MEANINGS OF EVENTS
  (EXPECTATIONS).
• 3. ELLIS ABC MODEL
• ACTIVATING EVENT ? BELIEFS ? CONSEQUENCE
  (EMOTION/IMPULSE/BEHAVIOR).
• 4. BASIC THEORY AND APPLICATIONS SUPPORTED BY
  EMPIRICAL RESEARCH.

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MODEL OF EMOTIONS

• 1. ANXIETY FEAR (SOCIAL/PHYSICAL HURT)
• 2. ANGER WRONGED (ATTRIBUTE TO OFFENDER)
• 3. SADNESS LOSS (IMPORTANT ATTACHMENT)
• 4. JOY GAIN (IMPORTANT ATTACHMENT)
• 5. SHAME EXPOSURE OF WEAKNESS OR MISDEMEANOR

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PRIMARY AND SECONDARY APPRAISALS

• 1. PRIMARY APPRAISAL IS AUTOMATIC (R. LAZARUS)
• 2. SECONDARY APPRAISAL RAPID TESTING AND
  ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTIONS OF AUTOMATIC APPRAISAL.
• 3. UNDER COGNITIVE LOAD, PRIMARY APPRAISAL IS
  SCRIPTED (D. GILBERT).
• 4. ACCEPTANCE OF PRIMARY APPRAISAL ? MORE
  ENDURING EMOTION.

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TYPES OF DYSFUNCTIONAL NEGATIVE THINKING

• COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS
• 1. OVERGENERALIZATION - FRIEND IS REJECTING
  MEANING NOBODY LIKES ME.
• 2. SELECTIVE ABSTRACTION - FOCUS ONLY ON THE
  NEGATIVE ASPECTS.
• 3. DICHOTOMOUS THINKING PEOPLE
  CHARACTERISTICALLY ARE ALL GOOD OR ALL BAD.
• 4. PERSONALIZATION MAKING PERSONAL
  INTERPRETATIONS OUT OF CONTEXT.
• 5. MIND READING IMAGINING WHAT OTHER PEOPLE
  ARE THINKING.

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IDENTIFYING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

• 1. AWARENESS OF UNPLEASANT FEELING (SAD, SCARED,
  MAD).
• 2. THINKING BACK TO PRECEDING AUTOMATIC
  THOUGHTS.
• 3. MAKING CONNECTION TO FEELINGS.
• 4. EVALUATING PRESENCE OF COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS.

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CORRECTING COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS

• 1. ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION.
• 2. LOOK FOR CONTRADICTING EVIDENCE.
• 3. LOOK AT LOGIC (DOES IT FOLLOW?).
• 4. FORM A MORE REALISTIC APPROACH.
• 5. TEST IT OUT.

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MORE ADVANCED THINKING PROBLEMS

• 1. COUNTERFACTUAL THINKING
• 2. CORRESPONDENCE BIAS
• 3. CONFIRMATION BIAS
• 4. GENERALIZED BIASED SET

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BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEM EGOCENTRICITY

• 1. EXCESSIVE SELF-REFERENTIAL MEANINGS.
• 2. FOCUS ON EMOTIONS, GOALS, URGES.
• 3. OWN GOAL, WISHES PREEMPTS OTHERS.
• 4. CONSEQUENCE HYPERREACTIVE TO MILDLY AVERSIVE
  CIRCUMSTANCES.