There’s a lot of confusion about the science of psychology. The simplest definition of psychology is that it is the study of the mind and behavior. Unfortunately several misconceptions about psychology flourish and a part of the confusion comes from the stereotypical portrayals of psychologists by the media. Psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research psychology seeks to understand and explain how we think, act and feel. Throughout the history of psychology, several different branches have been developed. Some schools of thought or branches of psychology which have been developed are Psychoanalysis, Behaviorism, Humanism, and Cognitivism.
The theoretical approach that I would select for my own practice would be the cognitive-behavioral theoretical approach. I think that this form of psychotherapy emphasizes the important role of thinking, and how a person feels and what they do. Also “cognitive-behavioral therapy” is a general classification of therapy with similarities to “Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy”. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that thoughts cause feelings and behaviors, not external things. The
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Cognitive-behavioral theory is best conceptualized as a general category of theories, or related theories that have evolved from philosophical writings, clinical experiences, and empirical studies of behavioral and cognitive oriented psychologists and other mental health workers. The hyphened term cognitive-behavioral reflects the importance of both behavioral and cognitive approaches to understanding and interpreting human views. The hyphen brings together behavioral and cognitive theoretical views, each with its own theoretical assumptions and intervention strategies. Cognitive-behavioral is the hybrid of cognitive processes and behavioral strategies that strive to achieve the goal of cognitive and behavioral change. (Dobson and Dozois,