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Psychology’s Power Tools

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Psychology’s Power Tools

Aeon,

5 min read
5 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

When’s the last time strong emotion led you to behavior you later regretted?

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

“So, tell me about your mother…” is probably what people think about when they think of therapy. But psychoanalysis, with its emphasis on early childhood, is only one branch of therapy, and if probing deep into your personal history doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, you may want to give cognitive behavioral therapy a try. getAbstract recommends University of Arizona psychology professor David Sbarra’s brief synopsis of cognitive behavioral therapy to readers who know that stifling their emotions isn’t good, but don’t want to wallow in them either.

Summary

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) uses a number of tools to reframe any situation in more technical, objective ways to reduce negative emotions and encourage positive behavior. Cognitive reappraisal is a core tool used in CBT, which focuses on relatively recent events that occur in a person’s life, their thoughts about those events, and their resulting feelings and behavior. If a person is in a near constant state of emotional distress, it’s likely that the bulk of their thoughts are inaccurate and dysfunctional. People are often unaware of dysfunctional thoughts, which may be deeply rooted and automatic...

About the Author

David Sbarra teaches  psychology at the University of Arizona and has published his research in Health Psychology, Emotion, and Perspectives on Psychological Science. He’s also the director of the Laboratory for Social Connectedness and Health. 

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