Description

Behavioral Cognitive therapy is a result of the combination of Behavioral and Cognitive therapeutic techniques. Behavioral therapy is based on Skinner's ideas of how reinforcement and punishment can change behavior (see also Behavioral self-control). Therapists use an action oriented therapy to overcome maladaptive habits. Cognitive therapy postulates that our behavior is the result of our appraisal of the situation. It feels cognition can rule over emotions and behavior. A cognitive therapist sees his role as diagnostic or educating. He tries to attack the faulty assumptions, beliefs and coping skills of the client. While these two therapies are still practiced discretely, they are more often combined for greater effectiveness. Cognitive therapy brings a deeper motivational element to the therapeutic practice, while Behavioral therapy helps clients understand and change their behavior more concretely. Both therapies are based on the here and now and do not try to deal with unconscious drives.

There are many types of cognitive therapy but one of the most used, especially for procrastination is Rational Emotive Behavioral therapy developed by Prof. Ellis (1950). R.E.B.T. postulates that it is people's irrational thoughts not events that cause maladaptive behaviors. Knaus (1973) writes specifically that procrastinators have two major irrational beliefs. Firstly, they feel inadequate. They need another's love for self approval. Secondly, that the world is too difficult and demanding. They feel overwhelmed and anticipate catastrophe. Clients are encouraged to change these negative sentences about themselves. They are taught coping skills, modeling and problem solving to learn new behavior strategies. Clinicians use a range of techniques including playacting, reinforcement, confrontation, humor, assignments, and practice to change clients behaviors. They can direct a client to do the very thing that he is scared of and force him to confront reality.

When to use it

R.E.B.T. is used to treat anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, addictions, eating disorders and clients with poor interpersonal skills. It is used for brief, group and individual therapy as well as crisis intervention. R.E.B.T. therapy can often be highly confrontational and directive. Clients may be put in risk-taking situations that challenge their beliefs. It is important that a client is able to deal with these types of challenges. Springer (1987) notes that R.E.B.T. when used to treat procrastination is particularly successful with young clients who have high self esteem. It seems important to show clients that they are able to control and change their behavior for R.E.B.T. to be most effective (Havel 1993). For problems that are more deeply rooted and chained to the past, R.E.B.T. may be less effective. Although Rorer writes (1983) that R.E.B.T can be used at a deeper level as an alternative to psycho dynamic therapies.

Effectiveness

Cognitive Behavioral therapy has been the therapy of choice when dealing with procrastination as it is short term and seems to make relatively rapid changes in behavior. Therapists often use a an eclectic combination of methods which makes R.E.B.T. techniques hard to evaluate empirically. Safran (1986) writes that the type of cognitive target the clinician selects may also determine the effectiveness of the therapy. In a review of outcome studies from 1977 to 1989, the findings of Mcgovern and Silverman (1986 as cited by Corey 1996) and Silverman, McCarthy & McGovern (1992 as cited by Corey 1996) support the efficacy of R.E.B.T. In all of the studies, the R.E.B.T. treatment groups showed improvement and no other study was more effective than R.E.B.T. Of the 47 studies reviewed, 31 had significant findings in favor of R.E.B.T. R.E.B.T. has also shown clinical efficacy in other recent studies(Engels & Diekstra, 1987: Haaga & Davidson, 1989, Jorm, 1987; Lyons & Woods, 1991 as cited by Corey 1996). Specific to procrastination, Lerner (1986) found that Cognitive Behavioral therapy helped subjects change their attitudes and feelings of controllability about procrastination.

References and Citations

Havel, A. (1993). Differential effectiveness of selected treatment approaches to procrastination. Dissertation abstracts International, 55, 1507.

Knaus, W.J. (1973).Overcoming Procrastination. Rational Living, 8(2) 2-7.

Lerner, S.I. (1986). A comparison of two strategies for strategic intervention. Dissertation abstracts International, 47, 3115.

Rorer, L. G. (1983). "Deep" RET: A reformulation of some psycho dynamic explanations of procrastination. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 7, 1-9.

Springer, E.P. (1987). Effects of a group treatment on procrastination. Dissertation Abstracts International, 48, 2796.

Safran, J. D., Vallis, T. M., Segal, Z. V., & Shaw, B. F. (1986). Assessment of core cognitive processes in cognitive therapy. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 10, 509-526.

For more information:

Albert Ellis institute, Essays from the institute, To a taxonomy of interventions, To main procrastination research group, To interventions page