Aaron Beck

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Aaron Beck

• By Fu Hong Master Ph.D and Kelton Jempson Ph.D

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WHO!?

• Was born July 18th 1921 in Providence, Rhode
  Island
• His parents were immigrants from Russia
• Famous psychologist who pioneered in CBT(
  Cognitive Behavior Therapy).
• He went to Brown University and Yale University,
  established as a psychiatrist.

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WHO?! Cont.

• He has received over fifty awards from various
  organizations and schools
• Ex Presidential Award for Distinguished Lifetime
  Contributions to the Public Understanding of
  Psychology 2008 American Psychological
  Association Division of Media Psychology
• Award for Outstanding and Innovative Research
  into the Detection and Treatment of Suicidal
  Individuals 2000 American Foundation for
  Suicide Prevention, Greater Philadelphia Chapter
• His theory of cognitive therapy came from his
  frustration after a life threatening illness from
  an infection as a child
• He taught himself to work through his issues
  cognitively, sparking his theories later on

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Theories

• Aaron Beck is the father of Cognitive psychology
  and over his life and career has refined
  cognitive psychology.
• His research in cognitive psychology
  fundamentally changed the way psychopathology was
  viewed and its treatment was conducted.
• Some Measures he created
• Beck Depression Inventory
• Beck Anxiety Inventory
• Beck Hopelessness Scale
• Beck Youth Inventory
• Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation

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Theories Cont.

• Beck invented Cognitive Therapy when testing
  psychoanalytical concepts of depression
• When the results he got were different then
  expected, he searched for different ways of
  conceptualizing depressions
• He then noticed that his patients had negative
  thoughts falling into 3 different categories
  Themselves, the world and the future

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Theories Cont.

• Beck started his treatment by engaging in
  conversation with the clients about their
  negative thoughts
• He noticed that his patients started thinking
  more realistically after discussing their
  negative thoughts, leading to better emotions

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Measures

• Beck Depression Inventory
• Test used for measuring depression severity
• 21 question self reported questionnaire
• Beck Anxiety Inventory
• 21 question self reported questionnaire
• Designed to reduced overlap with depression
  symptoms
• Beck Hopelessness Scale
• 20 True or false question self reported
  questionnaire
• Measures 3 aspects of hopelessness feelings
  about the future, loss motivation, and
  expectations

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How was Psychology Changed?

• Creation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and
  its use to treat many mental illnesses
• Numerous highly validated measures currently in
  use today

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Bibliography

• http//1.bp.blogspot.com/-n_GRtwChAgc/TdGTvgxyfAI/
  AAAAAAAAAKM/Pz9jBntGNpo/s1600/aaron20beck.jpg
• http//www.psychologistanywhereanytime.com/famous_
  psychologist_and_psychologists/psychologist_famous
  _aaron_beck.htm
• http//www.med.upenn.edu/suicide/beck/index.html
• http//www.beckinstitute.org/what-is-cognitive-beh
  avioral-therapy/
• http//hcr3.webofknowledge.com/author.cgi?id1645
  cb3391
• http//www.cognitivetherapynyc.com/CMFiles/Images/
  IMG_1508.jpg
• http//www.heinzawards.net/pub/recipients/photos/
  aaron-beck.jpg
• http//28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljgqu32tFx1qdz4l
  ko1_400.jpg