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The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology, First Edition. Edited by Robin L. Cautin and Scott O. Lilienfeld.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118625392.wbecp522
2 BECK, AARON T. (B. 1921)
apy (later called rational-emotive behavior Therapy and Research in suburban Philadel-
therapy). Beck called his new approach cog- phia. The Beck Institute provides advanced
nitive therapy (CT). Early versions of CT training and certification in CT for a wide
appeared in two articles in 1963 and 1964 and variety of practitioners. Beck also revised the
in his first book, Depression: Clinical, Exper- BDI in 1996 to be consistent with diagnostic
imental and Theoretical Aspects (Beck, 1967, criteria for depression in the text revision of
1972). the fourth edition of the DSM (DSM-IV). Beck
Central to Beck’s work from 1962 on was has created over 25 different assessment tools
making the experimentalist ethos, particularly for a wide variety of diagnoses. In recent years,
that of the social sciences, the foundation Beck’s group has worked with the Philadel-
of both treatment and research. Following a phia public schools to bring CT into the high
5-year sabbatical, Beck began teaching CT to schools, and they have developed a protocol
psychiatry residents in the late 1960s. He won for the treatment of schizophrenia.
several grants from the NIMH in the 1970s The wide dissemination of CT was also
to study the cognitive dimensions of suici- the result of changes in both the study and
dal behavior. Beck also coalesced a group of delivery of mental health care. The publication
graduate students, residents, and postdoctoral in 1980 of the DSM-III resulted in changes
fellows to study the cognitive model of depres-
in federal funding policies for psychotherapy
sion. They created the first “manual” for the
treatment and research. By the mid-1980s,
treatment of depression with CT, which was
psychotherapists were required to provide
used as part of the first randomized controlled
to insurance companies quantitative data of
trial (RCT; NIMH sponsored) comparing
the efficacy of treatment, and psychotherapy
psychotherapy and drug treatment in depres-
researchers seeking funding from the NIMH
sion (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1980). To
were required to use the RCT design and
sustain a patient base for his research, Beck
established The Mood Clinic (now known as use DSM-III diagnostic criteria. The old psy-
the Center for Cognitive Therapy) at Penn. choanalytic model was not well equipped to
Beck also cultivated in the 1970s relationships respond to these changes; CT was particu-
with cognitively oriented behavior therapists. larly well suited to them. Beck’s manualized
He founded the first CT journal, Cognitive treatment protocol became the gold standard
Therapy and Research, in collaboration with in psychotherapy research. Short-term treat-
them in 1977. Clusters of cognitive behav- ments tailored to quantitative assessments of
ioral therapy communities began to appear their effectiveness, of which CT has been the
in the 1980s, many of whom trained or col- most prominent, have been the most success-
laborated with Beck. They constitute what is ful in the era of managed care reimburse-
known as the cognitive behavioral therapy ment.
movement.
Awards, Criticism, and Influence
Expansion and Proliferation of Beck has authored or coauthored over 600
Cognitive Therapy articles and 25 books. He has received 65
In the mid-1980s, Beck began applying CT to awards both nationally and internationally,
a wide range of disorders, including anxiety the most prominent of which is the Albert
and phobias (Beck & Emery, 1985), personality Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
disorders (Beck et al., 1990), substance abuse, (2006), the American equivalent of the Nobel
marital problems (Beck, 1988), and chronic Prize. Beck has received honorary doctorates
pain. In 1994, Beck established, with his daugh- from six universities, including Brown, Penn,
ter Judy Beck, the Beck Institute for Cognitive and Babes-Bolyai University in Romania. His
BECK, AARON T. (B. 1921) 3
daughter Judy, his son Daniel, and one of his Beck, A. T. (1972). Depression: Causes and
granddaughters are also practitioners of CT. treatment. Philadelphia: University of
Cognitive therapy has been criticized for Pennsylvania Press. (Republished edition of
treating surface-level symptoms rather than Beck, 1967).
Beck, A. T. (1988). Love is never enough. New York:
addressing the underlying and chronic per-
Harper and Row.
sonality issues. Others have accused Beck of
Beck, A. T., & Emery, G., with Greenberg, R. L.
practicing common sense, using simplistic (1985). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive
platitudes and positive psychology. Still, Beck perspective. New York: Basic Books.
is widely acknowledged for having played Beck, A. T., Freeman, A., Pretzer, J., Davis, D. D.,
a major role in shifting the preferences of Fleming, B., Ottavani, R., … & Associates.
psychotherapists away from interpretive and (1990). Cognitive therapy of personality disorders.
experiential treatments, like psychoanalysis, to New York: Guilford Press.
more pragmatic, solution-focused, short-term, Beck, A. T., Rush, J. A., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G.
and collaborative techniques. At the height of (1980). Cognitive therapy of depression. New
his influence, Beck commanded audiences of York: Guilford Press.
Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J.,
thousands at national conventions and was
& Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for
frequently sought for autographs, newspaper
measuring depression. Archives of General
articles, and radio and television appearances. Psychiatry, 4, 561–571.
Beck’s personality has likely also been a factor
in his rise to psychiatric “stardom.” He is Further Reading
known for his gentle demeanor, his shock of
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the
white hair, and a red bow tie. For many years,
emotional disorders. New York: International
he was an avid tennis player and, at age 93,
Universities Press.
Beck remains an avid reader and an active Beck, A. T., Rector, N., Stolar, N., & Grant, P.
colleague at Penn. (2009). Schizophrenia: Cognitive theory, research,
and therapy. New York: Guilford Press.
SEE ALSO: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); Rosner, R. I. (2012). Aaron T. Beck’s drawings and
Cognitive Therapies; Ellis, Albert (1913–2007);
the psychoanalytic origin story of cognitive
Major Depressive Disorder; Psychoanalytic and
therapy. History of Psychology, 15(1), 1–18.
Psychodynamic Therapies: Long Term and Short doi:10.1037/a0023892
Term
Weishaar, M. (1993). Aaron T. Beck. London: Sage.
References
Beck, A. T. (1967). Depression: Clinical,
experimental, and theoretical aspects. New York:
Harper and Row.